Winning Words 8/13/10
“Believing means never having to explain, why.” (Gary Gutting) I saw these words in an article in the NY Times. Gutting is a professor at Notre Dame and says that many people don’t want to explore their faith. A seminary teacher once told us: “You can’t find God at the end of a logical syllogism.” It’s nice to know that you have faith, but it’s better to know why you have faith. ;-) Jack

FROM RG IN MICHIGAN: I think one finds God at the "beginning" of a syllogism FROM JACK: Let me know when you've got him cornered. MORE FROM RG: I spend too much time trying to get out of my own corners. Anyway, when something gets cornered, it's usually unpleasant soon after! I doubt "cornering" God is
much different. Finding God is much different.

FROM JK IN MICHIGAN: My pastor says that "A man with a revelation (personal experience with God) is never at a disadvantage with someone with a theology". FROM: A personal revelation is a theology. Theology means a "reasoning about God." Theology is not a bad word, but just a way of describing how we think about God. Revelation means that we have caught a personal glimpse of God.

FROM SH IN MICHIGAN: Your WW today have struck a strong note with me. I believe the most necessary thing for us to do to evangelize is to probe our faith and learn how to express things to other people, particularly our "meetings" with Jesus. All those stories in the Bible where Jesus and another person encountered and then when the people shared the encounter with others are what I think we can and still need to be about today. But, often I've found in todays scientific and rationalistic milieau people aren't receptive to each others stories. Even people come into our churches and try to tell us their stories but we don't receive them well, they say things like they've found they "can only come in so far" or "we're not friendly" or whatever they didn't find with us but I think the problem is really with valuing and treasuring our stories with each other so that we do find a sense of belonging and affirmation. Even the early Corinthian church where the new slaves and the elite eating all the food by themselves, did those people really honor and respect each other's encounters with Jesus? This is why I think there is so much church hopping now-a-days--people are searching for a place where their stories are at least acknowledged and where others find the stories useful. This is why I believe churches should strive to be inclusive--let everyone in and help and hear each other to "tell their own story" about their encounter with Jesus and this especially is why our stories cannot be private and not for others too. Often I think I've heard far more telling of stories about encounters with God at the AA meeting downstairs and also far more appreciation and acceptance and growth of faith than in the sanctuary upstairs, a lot of us religious people don't want to explain our faith, we think it's not so important in this culture, in this day and age. Sometimes people like to think we live in a Christian culture so they don't have to be so different as Christians and do any telling at all. Maybe we also think people will laugh at us or something, I don't know how we got so private. Well, I've gone on a toot here but this is something that I'm passionate about. FROM JACK: Well, your toooooooot is a long one, but I hope th blog readers take the time to read it, because you have some interesting and relevant comments. MORE FROM SH: And I think we need to work harder on being really welcoming and receptive to hearing other people's stories of their encounters with Jesus. Whole groups of people are often excluded from our faith communities because we do not open ourselves up to the Truth in other peoples' lives.

FROM PRJS IN MICHIGAN: I agree with you....I believe but it is important to me to know why ....and to be able to pass that along to others... FROM JACK: Do you remember the child's game, "Pass It On" and how the message got garbled as it was passed around the circle from one person to another? That can sometimes happen when the "faith" is passed on. Thanks for the Holy Spirit who "calls, gathers and enlightens..."

FROM PRDC IN KANSAS: Did you pick up the comment by Peter Marty in the latest LUTHERAN? The opposite of faith is not doubt, but certainty. FROM JACK: Yes, I read it, and I agree. I also read recently: "Never confuse the faith with the supposedly faithful."

FROM SG IN TAMPA: To me faith is a great gift and some people refuse the gift. FROM JACK: It's the gift that keeps on giving, because faith is a growing experience.

FROM RI IN BOSTON: When you eat out do you have faith in the chef? FROM JACK: I had an uncle who would never eat in a restaurant without first going in and inspecting the kitchen. If they refused his request, he wouldn't eat there. I have some of his characteristics, but not that one.

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: Faith is a wonderful thing...we don't have to justify believing...just have faith. Amen! FROM JACK: I'm not writing about justifying, but rather being confident enough so as not to be afraid of exploring.

FROM MOLINER CF: Help me with this. It seems to me that the two philosophies are contradictory. What am I missing/ (No smart remarks) FROM JACK: Since you asked, here's my opinion. If someone says that they have "faith," it's OK to ask them, "What do you mean by that?" It's not meant to be argumentative, but rather informative. Your faith may, or may not, be the same as mine. That doesn't mean that either is right. In order to understand one another, we need to explore what the other is saying. Communication. A problem, as I see it, is that many people say that they have faith, but haven't examined what they mean by "faith."

FROM PRJM IN MICHIGAN: It's a good thing I don't have to find God at the end of a logical syllogism. I don't even know what one is! But, I know Who God is and, best of all, God knows me! FROM JACK: Karl Barth was once asked to explain his faith. He responded: "Jesus loves me, this I know." You're in good company.

FROM MO IN ILLINOIS: BELIEVING= what you base your life on! I would guess there are times when you DO have to explain why you believe. No one can argue with the experiences you have, even if they do not share that particular faith or belief. We all work our way through doubts and fears, and eventually come out stronger for the struggle...Doesn't the Bible tell us, "Always be ready to give a reason for your faith"? St.
Francis of Assisi said, "Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words." AHA!~ FROM JACK: Edgar Guest, from Detroit, wrote a poem: "I'd rather see a sermon than hear one any day."