For the Joy of the Journey

Our Fundamental Spiritual Struggle

George September 22, 2021 Faith Challenges 0 Comments

If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being.
A.I. Solzhenitsyn

The previous post provided a glimpse into my fundamental spiritual conflict as exemplified by schadenfreude — the relentless struggle with my heart. After writing on a subject, often an article or post will appear that illuminates the topic much better than my attempts. That was the case today. My favorite Orthodox blogger, Fr Stephen Freeman posted “Healing the Heart” . Here are a couple of quotes to encourage you read the entire post.

Learning to open our eyes to the source of our actions and the absolute need for the grace of the Holy Spirit in order to change our hearts is the most fundamental understanding in our daily life before God.

...the truth of our problem is to be found in the very character of our existence: Is it being transformed into the image of Christ or is it falling deeper into corruption and death?

I continue to find Freeman’s insights into Orthodox faith and doctrine helpful in my spiritual journey. Here are some questions I am pondering after reading “Healing the Heart”:

To what extent does a view of my relationship with God through a lens of “legal standing” or “debts owed,” shape my understanding of the spiritual life?
What are implications of “Man, as a fallen creature, is better described as diseased or broken ?
…the truth of our problem is to be found in the very character of our existence: Is my character being transformed into the image of Christ or is it falling deeper into corruption and death?
Shouldn’t every Christ follower, like priests hearing confession listen intently for the state of the heart (if possible) rather than simply categorizing and subjecting to legal analysis what they hear? Always mindful, it is considered a sin to judge someone whose confession you are hearing. How that would impact Christ followers’ relationships ?
Are my prayers focused on other’s behavior or on the healing of their hearts?

There are a myriad of other things to think about in our faith, many of them serving as religious distractions from the essential work of repentance. It is easier to argue points of doctrine than to stand honestly before God in prayer or confession. Doctrine is important (what Orthodox priest would deny this?) but only as it makes Christ known to us. But the knowledge of Christ that saves is not the knowledge one gains as mere information – but rather the knowledge one gains inwardly as we repent, pray, forgive, and humble ourselves before God. The promise to us is that the “pure in heart shall see God.”

Still on the Journey

schadenfreude

George September 20, 2021 Faith Challenges 0 Comments

The German word “schadenfreude” means experiencing satisfaction from someone else’s misfortune.

During a year and a half pandemic coupled with an cultural environment in which differences of opinion morphed into hardened ideologies. Incapable of hearing other voices. and clothed in our respective rightness, we justify whatever means we chose to resist and combat the evils being foisted upon us. I cannot recall any period in my life (with the exception of Alabama- Auburn loyalties) that resulted in such division, even hatred.

As Thomas Paine famously said, “These are the times that try men’s souls.” In-deed that is the case, particularly for Christ followers. We are in living in a crucible that tests our faith to its depths.

The “trying ” of my soul has revealed a disturbing presence of “schadenfreude—”experiencing satisfaction from someone else’s misfortune.” Several have recently written about the prevalence of schadenfreude. You can read some –HERE , HERE , HERE.

My encounter with schadenfreude is not overt but subtle. It has occurred in reflection on circumstances of those experiencing misfortune as a result of decisions contrary to my opinions/beliefs. In moments of honest introspection, I realize that I experience pleasant satisfaction of others’ misfortune. The fact that I am restrained from expressing my satisfaction publicly is encouraging, but the truth is plain, there’s within me an undeniable schadenfreude impulse.

This realization is troubling. As a Christ follower, I believe “schadenfreude” is not a fruit of the Holy Spirit nor does it reflect the mind of Christ. Its presence reveals sin which thrives in the shadows of my soul. A sin which cannot be absolved by sin management i.e. restraint in speaking or acting out. Overcoming “schadenfreude” requires the transcendent power of God.

Celebration of other’s misfortune is not unusual, in fact, for most of us it comes easily and is consistent with our highly competitive and individualistic culture. Opponents’ demise is the desired outcome. Victory, even if it comes as result of our opponents bad luck, is always occasion for celebration, a fulfillment of our wishes (or prayers?) that they— “get what they deserve” et al. The opportunity to be proved right and to say, or, at a minimum, think “I told you so” is delicious. Dramatic polarization in our society has elevated “schadenfreude” to normal.

…yes, the environment in which Christians exist, never perfect, is much more hostile now than it was.
But it’s also the case that Christians are an equally dangerous adversary to ourselves. Far too many of us have little to no sense of our owt failings, and our own collaboration with the world.
Rod Dreher

When you start mocking instead of persuading, you signal that you now view someone as an enemy to be defeated, rather than a person to be persuaded…the key to all sin against another is to first dehumanize them…then label them…you have to convince yourself that the other no longer possesses the image of God and God wants them gone as well…we’re all getting too good at this…
Phoenix Preacher

The presence of Schadenfreude reveals sin that is deeper “than “missing the mark” —moral failure — a mistake. It isn’t a mistake. It is a power that can reign and rule my mind and body, forcing you me obey, having dominion over me; a false god to whom I give idolatrous allegiance. Defying sin management, schadenfreude’s antidote is found in Romans 6: “…present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.” [Adapted from Richard Beck’s post ]

If these thoughts haven’t caused you to rethink any impulse to celebrate the misfortune of others, and you are convinced that justice should prevail. then consider this passage from proverbs:

Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when they stumble do not let your heart rejoice, or the LORD will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from them (Proverbs 24:17-18).

Still on the journey.

So Much to Think About

George September 4, 2021 Notes Anthology 13 Comments

Perhaps you noticed I have not written any blog posts recently. Without any warning the evening of July 29 I experienced excruciating pain in my chest and abdomen. A 911 call and subsequent trip to the emergency room was the beginning of a perilous journey that included a real possibly of not surviving, miraculous surgical intervention, multiple days in ICU on a ventilator. After ups and downs of recovery, discharge and re-admission, six days in rehab, I returned home on August 28, to continue my recovery.

What I am thinking about at this time is gratitude. Gratitude for God’s providential care. Except for inexplicable circumstances, I would not be alive. I am grateful for the enumerable prayers that were offered and answered. Ann’s constant presence and care sustained me. Though memories are scant, I was aware of the presence and voices of family encouraging and assisting.

This experience has given me much to think about, but I struggle to write. Hopefully, as recovery continues my motivation and thinking will improve. I’m not sure what what normal will be for me as I recover, but there is much to be grateful for.

Still on the journey.

THE CHURCH (10)

George July 27, 2021 THE CHURCH 0 Comments

This post is a break from Hans Kung and Real Church to share a post by Richard Beck in which he suggest transitions he would like to see in the church.

Transitions for Church

I would like the church to begin making the following transitions:

Choice to Character
Rhetoric to Behavior Change
Trying to Training
Evangelism to Moral Formation
Missions to Social Justice
Moral Blame to Moral Luck

Choice to Character: I think the church makes mistakes when she is overly confident in her appeals to choice. The church should rather focus on the formation of character and the acquisition of virtue.

Rhetoric to Behavior Change: Elaborating further, character is not formed by persuasive rhetoric (i.e., a weekly appeal from the pulpit to be a good person). Rhetoric is excellent for changing opinions and, thus, an excellent tool for improving doctrine. But it is a poor tool for transforming the lives in the pew. That is, we are NOT volitionally nimble. We possess characterological inertia and causal forces will need to be brought to bear upon us to form us into the image of Christ. The word form (as in mold or shape) nicely captures the idea. We don’t choose. We are formed.

Trying to Training: Thus, the focus of Kingdom living is less about “trying to be a better person” (via what William James called a “slow heave of the will”) than about “training to be a better person.” Church should be a kind of boot camp for Kingdom living.

Evangelism to Moral Formation: What I mean here is an evangelism that is volitionally-based, the traditional “Do you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior? Yes or no?.” The move should be to what Jesus asked for in the Great Commission: “Make disciples.” Again, the word make gets at the idea very well.

Missions to Social Justice: These last two go together. Mission work should move away from “persuasion models” to actually changing the world. The question for missionaries should shift from “How many souls were saved?” to “How have you transformed that community into the Kingdom of God?”

Moral blame to Moral Luck: We shift from seeing the moral landscape as populated by the “righteous” and the “blameworthy” to seeing the “fortunate” and the “unfortunate.” As Immanuel Kant said: “And how many there are who may have lead a long blameless life, who are only fortunate in have escaped so many temptations.”

If we make this shift, from strong volitional to weak volitional models, what gets lost? Actually very little. And the gains are enormous. By embracing causality and the contingent nature of will–by focusing on Character over Choice–the church might actually start being more effective (a nice causal word) in this world. We will rely less and less on God Talk and more and more on, well, actually doing things. You know, make a difference.

But what does get lost in this shift away from strong volitional models is a robust sense of moral blame or praise. In the contingent picture I paint you can’t take credit for your good character and neither can we “blame” others for poor character. Yet much of Christian theology seems to hinge on notions of moral praise and blame. Particularly soteriological visions of Heaven and Hell.

Of course, Beck is not the final word on THE CHURCH, but I believe he provides some thoughtful and important insights into the nature and character of the church today. His suggested transitions are worthy of serious consideration.

Still on the Journey

So Much to Think About

George July 26, 2021 Notes Anthology 0 Comments

philosopher Jean-François Revel argued: The fact is that we do not use our minds to seek out the truth or to establish particular facts with absolute certainty. Above all and in the great majority—if not in the totality—of cases, we use our intellectual faculties to protect convictions, interests, and interpretations that are especially dear to us.

What we know
Let’s start with a few facts that are clear:

Vaccinated people are nearly guaranteed not to be hospitalized or killed by Covid.

Among children under 12, who remain ineligible for the vaccine, serious forms of Covid are also extremely rare. Children face bigger risks when they ride in a car.

The Delta variant does not appear to change either of those facts.

Millions of unvaccinated American adults are vulnerable to hospitalization or death from Covid

Søren Kierkegaard said that life must be lived forward but can only be understood backward.

Doubt
Christian Wiman wrote in his book My Bright Abyss, “Doubt is painful…but its pain is active rather than passive, purifying rather than stultifying. Far beneath it, no matter how severe its drought, how thoroughly your skepticism seems to have salted the ground of your soul, faith, durable faith, is steadily taking root.”
Andrea Lucado

Incarnation
Because of the Incarnation, we see signs of God himself in the most human expressions of art and literature. Jesus became a man. The creator irrevocably, for all time, bound himself to his creation. The best human stories beckon us like a fire on a cold day. As we linger, warming feet and hands and face in its glow, we recognize Christ at the burning center.
Heather Morton

Thy Kingdom come
It is incredible dishonesty in the human heart to pray daily that this kingdom should come, that God’s will be done on earth as in heaven, and at the same time to deny that Jesus wants this kingdom to be put into practice on earth. Whoever asks for the rulership of God to come down on earth must believe in it and be wholeheartedly resolved to carry it out. Those who emphasize that the Sermon on the Mount is impractical and weaken its moral obligations should remember the concluding words, “Not all who say ‘Lord’ to me shall reach the kingdom of heaven, but only those who do the will of my Father in heaven” [Matthew 7:21]
Eberhard Arnold, Salt and Light: Living the Sermon on the Mount,

Gospel
As Walter Brueggemann says, “The gospel is a truth widely held, but a truth greatly reduced. It is a truth that has been flattened, trivialized, and rendered inane. Partly, the gospel is simply an old habit among us, neither valued nor questioned. But more than that, our technical way of thinking reduces mystery to problem, transforms assurance into certitude, quality into quantity, and so takes the categories of biblical faith and represents them in manageable shapes.”
We try to take a truth that’s as big as an ox and turn it into a bouillon cube. We want to talk before we listen; argue before we converse; assume before we know; reject before we honor.
Michael Frost

Death
Death means little if it is not impetus to change ourselves while we are alive and thereby the future when we are gone.
Steve Leder – The Beauty of What Remains

Transcendence
God’s transcendence has to be so radical so that God can come close to the creature while not becoming the creature.
Unknown

…just because one side of a coin is wrong, that doesn’t mean the other side is right.
Jonah Goldberg

Knowing God
I have often used the example of riding a bicycle as an image of knowing God. There’s no difficulty learning how to ride if you don’t mind falling off for a while. But no matter how many years you have ridden, you cannot describe for someone else how you know what you know. But you know it. I also suspect that if you thought too much about riding a bicycle while you were riding it, you could mess up and wreck.
Fr. Thomas Hopko famously said, “You cannot know God – but you have to know Him to know that.” He clearly knew what he was talking about.
Fr Stephen Freeman

Gratitude
Gratitude is a social emotion, the response we feel when we’ve been given a gift. And where there is a gift, there is a gift-giver. …, you can’t feel grateful for life and creation and be an atheist, not emotionally. Being awed at the cosmic odds is different from saying “Thank you.”
Richard Beck

View From the Front Porch
You can learn a lot about people watching traffic go by. Some drive by furiously, seemingly self-absorbed, without regard for speed limits, or anyone else. Others are unhurried and wave. Some are faithfully punctual, I know it is 6:36am when her red car passes. For many, the condition of their vehicles are metaphors for their lives — noisy, needing repair, with an uncertain future. Recently a stranger stopped and came up for conversation, we enjoyed each other’s company for a few minutes and he was gone. Occasionally, someone will stop and ask for assistance, directions or perhaps money.
Seldom am I asked for advice. Oh well. ?

FRONT PORCH PLAYLIST

Still on the Journey