One thing he said in particular tonight re-affirmed many deeply held convictions of mine; to paraphrase, doubt is a sign of a healthy spirituality. And in the limited sense he was referring to, he was correct. Doubt, certain kinds of doubt, indicate a vibrant and growing spirituality.
"Whether we immoralists do virtue any harm? -- As little as anarchists do princes. Only since they have been shot at do they again sit firmly upon their thrones. Moral: one must shoot at morals."
-- Friedrich Nietzsche
Doubt, when acknowledged and confronted, leads to struggle and all struggle that does not kill, makes strong. As an aside, this perhaps is the reason why no empire can last forever. Once an empire reaches the peak of its ability, the fullest extent of its dominance, it begins its decline. The sun at noon marks the descent into twilight. The people become fat and rich and worst of all, comfortable. Frivolity and entertainment become necessities as people look for ways to fill the time that was previously spent on survival. And this is a drug worse than any chemist has ever concocted. It not only degrades the body, it atrophies the soul. Eventually such a society will collapse under the impossible burden of a wasted people scavenging for fashion and status among the ruins.
As that is true of empires, so it is true of individuals. Stagnation is the phenomenon of rotting before dying. Beliefs, a faith, unquestioned, unchallenged, unprovoked ceases to be worthwhile faith.
"Some wish to live within sound of chapel bell. I wish to run
a rescue shop a yard from Hell."
-- C.T. Studd, missionary
I sometimes wonder how Christians can remain Christians in the South or the Midwest? How does one live as a Christian in areas where there are mostly Christians? How does one find relevance and meaning to Scripture in a place where it is not openly mocked?
"If it's 90 degrees with 80 percent humidity, Roger Clemens is
able to say 'So what? I've trained in that. I've trained for that.' Actually,
his program is harder than the games themselves."
-- Jeff Mangold, former Yankee Strength Coach
One of the reasons I love New York so much is that it never fails to present some kind of challenge to overcome in my faith. Whether it is the ever-present homeless that wander the subways begging for charity, the kids whose parents are strung-out on drugs, the teenage mother, the former convict or the transvestite prostitute, New York never stops asking me the question: "Do you really believe that?" What happens when you meet a genuinely interesting, loving, kind and wonderful person who happens to be homosexual? What if you looked up to and admired this person? Will such a person truly be sent to Hell by a God of Justice?
"For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work."
-- Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians
But these are only small and passing trials. The final trial will be far more telling. And when that final day comes, I know I'll have spent my whole life preparing for it.
2 comments:
What a brilliant post. Two thoughts:
1. I have the same feeling about the South. I think its very hard to be a Christian in the South.
2. Re Doubt: Dr Keller's comment on doubt is a good one. Nonetheless, it is an oldie: We've been 'affirming' doubt for as long as I've been a Christian. I don't hear a lot about the danger of doubt any more. And I'm wondering if there will be any implications with that.
Hmm, I suppose affirming doubt is old insofar as the longevity of the idea. However, I believe Christian practice in the larger community has typically gone the other way on this point.
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