I really am grateful for your emails. Always so succinct and so penetrating! My Christianity is reluctant, uncomfortable, like water to a witch. Although, perversely, if more Christians were upfront about this I would feel more at home in a Christian community. As it is, I shuffle into church with my dirty secret under my overcoat, which I never remove, even in the summer. Churches are unremittingly cold for a reason.
But Gadzooks, we often blame “churches” for our own messes so that it’s more comfortable remaining in them, don’t we? I know that I sometimes do. What if we just confess our sins one to another and then go and sin no more? That IS possible in the power of Jesus’ death, burial, and Resurrection, isn’t it? If not, then everything we say that we believe is just BS and we’re all screwed, huh?
That's a pretty clever way to rationalize it. What if the woman to whom Jesus had said "Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more." had said to Him, "My trouble is that I find the tension rather compelling." What do you think that Jesus would have done?
THAT's exactly what I think! And it's what I had hoped you would say. Moreover, I think that the Holy Hug Jesus would have given her would have made her want to never sin again, but if she did, the memory of it would forever draw her back to Him.
My difficulty is that my definition of sin gets broader and broader as my intellect reaches out. I am a little haunted by Paul Tillich and the escape from God. Tillich might have seen something rather sinful in theology itself, particularly *experimental* theology!
I really am grateful for your emails. Always so succinct and so penetrating! My Christianity is reluctant, uncomfortable, like water to a witch. Although, perversely, if more Christians were upfront about this I would feel more at home in a Christian community. As it is, I shuffle into church with my dirty secret under my overcoat, which I never remove, even in the summer. Churches are unremittingly cold for a reason.
But Gadzooks, we often blame “churches” for our own messes so that it’s more comfortable remaining in them, don’t we? I know that I sometimes do. What if we just confess our sins one to another and then go and sin no more? That IS possible in the power of Jesus’ death, burial, and Resurrection, isn’t it? If not, then everything we say that we believe is just BS and we’re all screwed, huh?
I take your point. My trouble is that I find the tension rather compelling...
That's a pretty clever way to rationalize it. What if the woman to whom Jesus had said "Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more." had said to Him, "My trouble is that I find the tension rather compelling." What do you think that Jesus would have done?
Probably given her a hug
THAT's exactly what I think! And it's what I had hoped you would say. Moreover, I think that the Holy Hug Jesus would have given her would have made her want to never sin again, but if she did, the memory of it would forever draw her back to Him.
My difficulty is that my definition of sin gets broader and broader as my intellect reaches out. I am a little haunted by Paul Tillich and the escape from God. Tillich might have seen something rather sinful in theology itself, particularly *experimental* theology!
Singer songwriter Jason Gray has a song on his new album called, “Jesus Loves You (And I’m Trying)” that fits right in with today’s post. https://themjkxn.substack.com/p/yes-jesus-loves-you
wonderful