So I've done quite a bit of traveling over the past couple of weeks. Its been a lot of fun and very tiring. More than anything, both conferences have helped me to process a lot of things that have been bouncing around in my chest lately. I wrote last week on my viewpoints on the Gospel.
One of the more interesting things I heard talked about was the elements of story. Donald Miller has spent a lot of time over the past year developing and discussing how Scripture uses the different aspects of story. I heard him discuss it on Mars Hill's podcast in the fall. But in this breakout session, he was talking about the element of love.
In story, as with real life, there is always a way out of love. In a true, loving relationship, each individual has the option of leaving. If they don't, then its not love. If one person doesn't allow the other a way out, then they are both controlling and manipulative. I wouldn't call it love if there's not a way out.
Its interesting that in Genesis, the story tells of God allowing Adam and Eve a way out. He loved Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve loved God. I don't think there's any question about that. But since they chose to love God, he didn't force them to stay in said situation. He told them about the tree and the repercussions thereof. Essentially, the story reveals that God told them they could chose to be in the relationship or they could chose to leave.
I was really intrigued by the thought. I know you Reformed thinkers won't appreciate it, but to hear a writer discuss how Scripture (specifically the Torah) develops the different elements of story was incredible. I really loved the thought that true love doesn't control--it involves an inherent freedom that makes it so much more beautiful.
Friday, May 9, 2008
We can drive it home, with Juan Head Lice...
Posted by JD at 6:20 PM
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3 comments:
I think that it sounds convincing, but I don't see where it is evident in scripture. I think that love is true when there is pursuit. Even though the Israel and humanity consistently left God, God always pursued them. I think that the love of God is much more wonderful when he loves people enough to pursue them and not simply allow them to walk away into destruction.
I didn't say that God doesn't pursue us as well. He obviously does. I was just simply saying that God isn't some control freak that created a bunch of robots that are forced to love him or "burn" for eternity. There is inherent freedom in love.
I try to be kind when responding to your opposing view points. I really do. You are welcome to think what you want and write on here, you really are.
But I'm quite curious as to why you always post if you just want to say you think the exact opposite thing I posted? (I even wrote at the bottom of the post that Reformed thinkers wouldn't agree.) Or why people misuse/misquote what I just wrote. (I renamed my blog because this happens so much.) I don't necessarily agree with everything on the Brothers Hussung blog, but I don't write on every post that I disagree with it.
I believe in a "generous orthodoxy" (to steal a phrase from Brian McLaren). I believe we're all humans with different world views and we're all gonna have a different take on things that are as "interpretable" as the Bible. Therefore, I'm fine with different viewpoints.
It just wears on me after a while to always have to read yours...
Well, I deleted some of the comments because they were the after-thoughts of when I jumped on Josh. I was too harsh.
What I said above wasn't meant to characterize Reformed theology/mindsets/outlooks. It was meant to be a general statement--I was simply saying that God is not any of those things.
I got pissed when people got on my case saying that I was making unfair claims of Reformed thinking. I wasn't intending to.
But after Justin's comment, I got to thinking. And yes, honestly, I do feel that way about Calvinist doctrine. I feel that its ridiculous and spits in the face of the character of God.
That being admitted, I really didn't intend to go there with that comment. It was meant to point out the beauty of honest, real love. It was meant to point towards the beautiful story in Genesis. It was meant to point out something we can miss all too often. So I didn't mean to go there. But I did anyway. So... there... you have it.
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