Sin and the Problem of Evil

It just hit me. Maybe it has been obvious to you, but not so for me.

I have been think a lot about 'The Problem of Evil' This is sort of a philosophical problem that goes like this, "How can God exists in a world where there is evil? He either doesn't want to deal with it (which makes God evil), can't deal with it (which makes God weak) or doesn't know about it (which makes God dumb)." This problem is posed by atheists and by those who are experiencing the effects of evil ('How could God let this happen?').

A lot of Christians have failed in trying to 'answer' this problem. We can be so anxious to 'let God off the hook'. But we do little to help God. In fact, most 'solutions' present more problems.

The problem of evil is real, in fact the problem evil is ultimately the presence of Sin. The "problem of evil" only exists because there is Sin in the world. When Sin entered the world, it caused major problems, one of which was to put evil beside God. This is not right. Sin can be defined as that which is contrary to God. The presence of both God and Sin causes this big messy rift in the universe, making a lot of things 'not right'.

Now God is fully aware of the 'Problem of Evil' and while we can pose philosophical answers, He has put in place a practical solution. Through Christ's sacrifice God has defeated and is defeating Evil. In the Kingdom, there will be no sin and no problem of Evil.

The Truth is in the Tension

Theology is the process of trying to understand God. The problem is sometimes we can't understand God. If the Bible stands as God's self-revelation then it must be a source of Truth; Truth so we can understand God. The problem sneaks back in when we read the Bible and see tension.

I don't like tension. I like clarity. I want a God who I can understand.

So I read the Bible.

"Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift." - Matthew 5:23-24

Simple enough, if I've offended another it is my responsibility to seek him out in reconciliation. It is the guilty who must ask for forgiveness.

But I keep reading.

"And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins." - Mark 11:25

Here it is the victim who must initiate reconciliation. But the verse in Matthew said the opposite. How can I understand this tension?

Now it can be tempting to analyze and systematize this. Maybe the difference is in the fact that one one is in the context of offering, the other in the context of prayer. Maybe one applies to Christians ('a brother') while the other applies to all people. Or maybe this is just another contradiction in the Bible and another reason to throw the whole thing out. Such is the ultimate result of 'either/or' logic.

What if the truth is in the tension? What if it is the responsibility of both parties to make amends? This indeed would be a beautiful thing. It paints a picture of the guilty and the victim meeting on the road of reconciliation as they each move toward the other. This was the case of Jacob and Esau (Genesis 33).

I must embrace the tension for within it lies the truth. It may be easier to choose one verse over the other and release myself from the responsibility of reconciliation. But to do so would be error. Whether I have wronged someone or they have wronged me, it is my responsibility to seek reconciliation.

We do this all the time, choosing one verse over another for complex theological reasons which often serve only to reinforce our preferences. We try to solve tension rather than embrace it. We make God understandable, fitting into a neat box of logic.

If I think I can understand God, I fool myself into thinking I can control Him. Then I become God.

But I am not God and I cannot control Him. I can understand Him only inasmuch as He has revealed Himself and no more. So if I see tension in His self-revelation I should always seek to embrace not explain. The Truth is in the Tension.

Rescue

The depth of transgression is deep as the sea
And under the water, way down there was me
Drowning in pain and misery

But I am one who jumped into this ocean
I thought I could swim or go through the motion
But this sea drowns all who leave their devotion

From the boat the sea seemed cool and calm
A relief from the sun shining hard down upon
Just a quick jump, I’ll hardly be gone

The water was not cool, but fatally cold
Freezing my mind, I’d never been told
That this sea is always ever so bold

I tried to swim back with all that's within
Back to the Boat, back again to begin
I'd makeup for the mistake; atone for my sin

Truth is this sea cannot be swum,
It cannot be fought, it cannot be won
Battling the waves and the drowning’s begun

The salt blinded my eyes and closed up my lips
The waves beat my body like the cracking of whips
Losing all feeling from toes to fingertips

I realize that I have but only one plea
Only one way to battle this sea
Since I cannot swim, the Boat must find me

Indeed I was found by that merciful Ship
Yet how could I escape the sea’s terrible grip
My feet are so wet and surely will slip

And even if I did return to that Boat
I may look back and to the sea gloat
And jump back, like a fool, expecting to float

As I looked upon that Ship so true
I see it is manned by an incredible crew
And there was one sailor who I well knew

I should have cried out, my great need to tell
But it was my choice, how could I yell
It would be a lie to say that I fell

The sailor, whose beauty is beyond compare,
Yelled, ‘What are you doing way down there?
And why have left this ship so fair?’

I finally shouted out over the crashing sea,
“I am drowning dear sailor please help me”
Over the waves she heard my desperate plea

She had mercy on me and threw out a line
A way out of the waves and the sea full of brine
A way back onto that boat ever divine

Other sailors, too, helped pull me back in
Rescuing me from the sea of deep sin
Winning the battle alone I could not win

It is not over, the victory is not yet mine
I’ve just left the sea and still smell of the brine
Still fearing I’ll again leave this Ship so fine

I must learn other ways to cool down from the heat
And even when hot never to retreat
So my time in the sea will never repeat

I will stay in the boat and work with the crew
Being ever honest and remaining ever true
To the woman whom to me a rope threw

That woman’s my wife, who to my aid ran
The boat is the Savior and God’s awesome plan
The sailors are Gods’ Church who help hand-in-hand

And I am the fool who jumped into the sea
The man who was rescued, that too was me
The one who is and always will be
Thankful for the Boat who conquers the sea!

The Beginning of Boundaries

Recently I've been thinking about the importance of boundaries in self-identification. Someone recently pointed out that in the act of Creation, God created boundaries (separating light from darkness for example) which made everything.

Realizing that I have a poor self-identification, boundaries are a place to start. For me it is easier to define what I am not rather than what I am.  I hope that this will be a running post and that I will learn more more about who I am (and am not) through the process.

I am not:

• God
• Athletically-inclined
• A charismatic speaker
• Perfect

Ancient Bible manuscript available online

Codex Sinaiticus, a manuscript of the Christian Bible written in the middle of the fourth century, contains the earliest complete copy of the Christian New Testament

This important manuscript is now available online at www.codexsiniticus.org. There you find scanned copies of the manuscript (which you zoom in on) a transcription of the text (a great help for people not familiar reading Uncials) as well as an English translation.

It is nice to have such an important manuscript in such a usable form so widely available. While there entire manuscript is not yet available, the project is off to a wonderful start.

Very funny

I thought this was really clever... someone at the end looks familiar...

Happy is Good

Coming back from vacation, something felt strange. I thought perhaps I was missing the lazy days of the beach. Or maybe it was the wonderful food and culture of Puerto Rico that I missed. Now I realize it was the strangeness of coming home from a vacation and being really happy.

Lora and I are learning how to travel and vacation well together. To get to and from Vieques we took a total of three flights on two separate airlines. Total travel time was about 11 hours each way. This normally would be stressful, but while it wasn't fun, we got through it. I've realized that if a vacation is going to be truly relaxing, the way I relate to Lora is more important that any itinerary. We could be in an exotic locale, stay in a beautiful room, eat wonderful food, but if Lora and I are not getting along, none of it is worth it.

But coming home, I realized that Lora and I had really had a wonderful time, not only because of where we went or what we did but because of how we related to each other. And this makes me happy and happy is good.

Christmas in July

"Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, good will to men.”
- I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day (Henry David Longfellow)

A time to re-heal

It has struck me that one of the most difficult and painful things to do in life is to re-heal.

Let me give an analogy. Say as a child, you break your arm. Instead of going to the hospital or doctor, you just strap a piece of wood to your arm to hold it stiff. Over time the bone will repair the fracture and you will heal. However your arm probably won't be straight and the bone may be very weak. How can you repair it? Only one way. You have to break the arm again and allow it to heal correctly. A doctor would set the arm and help your body heal properly.

So it is with life. Often we go through different sorts of trauma and heal in wrong ways. Maybe we ignore the problem and after awhile it seems to have gone away. Or maybe we blame ourselves for the problem. We do heal, life goes on, but we have healed wrong. Part of becoming a better/well person involves identifying times when we have been hurt and looking at the ways we have 'healed'. Looking back often has the effect of re-opening old wounds. This is painful, for we think that the way we healed worked, but it hasn't. Poorly healed old wounds quickly become new. Only a well-healed wound can endure another injury. Therefore, we must open the old wounds so that they may heal.

Open theism

The following is a copy of something I recently posted on ROOV.com. I place it here for feedback and to encourage you to sign-up for ROOV if it is in your city.

I think open-theism is an example of theology done wrong. I also think when anti-open-theism is theology done wrong. Basically the question comes down to how much God knows. Open theist argue that our modern concept of omnipotence (God knows everything in everytime at everytime completely) is a Platonic idea, not a Christian/Biblical one. So putting Platonic ideas aside we can look solely at the Bible. In Scripture we see tension. Sometimes we see God appear to be surprised or even negotiate with man. Other places we see God know very exact details of the distant future. Closed-theist (those arguing against open-theism) basically argue that the passages about God being surprised are to be taken metaphorically, which is convenient for their argument. Open-theist argue that God knowing future details is merely evidence of His knowledge of the realm of possibilities, which is their idea not the Bible's.

The real problem with open theism is that it does little to solve the problem of evil, which is supposedly the whole reason for the idea in the first place. Saying God doesn't know (or at least not completely) doesn't let God off the hook. For example, much evil is evident to man. I think any concept of God must allow that He at least knows as much as man. But God still doesn't act to rectify the evil that I see. The problem of evil does not arise because God knows all, it arises because how can God be good and choose not to respond to evil.

In reality, the problem of evil is a problem with man not with God. It our logic that is flawed. It is us who can't understand how a good God with the power to do rectify evil does not do it. We say that God must be unjust, but we do not know Justice. God is Just and His actions are justice.

The other extreme is equally flawed. If we believe in a God who has written the script to the world, so that we should just ignore our own responsibilities then we are in error. If we believe that God cannot change His mind, therefore we should not pray that He does, we are in error. We can plead our case to God, knowing that He is just.

ROOV.com

Now this is Christian social networking done right. Not a knock-off of MySpace or Facebook, but a new idea that allows the Body of Christ to function as a Body... The premise is connecting Christians with those in their area and in their church who share interests and passions. The idea is great, but the site is still very much in development... still needs some fleshing out of features. But I encourage you to check it out, I know that the developers would be encouraged. Check it out at ROOV.com


ROOV.com Stories from ROOV.com on Vimeo.

Red Wings Win Stanley Cup!

So most of you know that I'm not much of a 'sports guy'. While I enjoy watching a game with those who are die-hard fans, if left to my own I wouldn't. There are two exceptions. First of all, if I were in Port Huron, Michigan I would watch the annual Port Huron International Softball Tournament in Pine Grove park, just because it is a beautiful place to watch a game. Second, being from Michigan, I love watching hockey. So even though I was able to watch one game of the playoffs, I am still super pumped that the Red Wings won the Stanley Cup. The thing love about the Red Wings is that the team is such a strong and dedicated team. Many have been with the Wings for more than 10 years, even though most other NHL teams would drool at the chance to pick them up.

Here is a quote from Sports Illustrated that I think sums it up pretty well:
"Salary caps, signings and shrewd drafting can transform a team from terrible into a title-winner in a matter of months, yet the Detroit Red Wings remain the champions of consistency and resiliency... the Penguins, whose median age is far lower than the Red Wings ' yet... Only a handful of Penguins have won the Cup; five Red Wings won their fourth Stanley Cup with Detroit... The Red Wings won Cups in 1997, 1998, 2002 and 2008, a remarkable accomplishment given nearly one-fourth of their roster has been with them for all four."

Thoughts on love

"Who are you?" is answered by strangers.
"Who am I?" is answered by lovers.

Who Needs Theology?

So I have had a couple of recent conversations with some people who have posed the question, "Is it good to study the Bible in such an academic way?" As a graduate student in theology the question has obvious ramifications for me personally. I've been working on post with my own answer to this question, but I've been having difficulty finishing it. So I'll throw the question out to see if anyone has any helpful ideas. Is it valuable to study the Bible/God in an academic way? What is the purpose should the study of theology serve?

East to West

These lyrics really struck me today...
"East to West" by Casting Crowns

Here I am, Lord, and I'm drowning in your sea of forgetfulness
The chains of yesterday surround me
I yearn for peace and rest
I don't want to end up where You found me
And it echoes in my mind, keeps me awake tonight
I know You've cast my sin as far as the east is from the west
And I stand before You now as though I've never sinned
But today I feel like I'm just one mistake away from You leaving me this way

Jesus, can You show me just how far the east is from the west
'cause I can't bear to see the man I've been come rising up in me again
In the arms of Your mercy I find rest
'cause You know just how far the east is from the west
From one scarred hand to the other

I start the day, the war begins, endless reminding of my sin
Time and time again Your truth is drowned out by the storm I'm in
Today I feel like I'm just one mistake away from You leaving me this way

I know You've washed me white, turned my darkness into light
I need Your peace to get me through, to get me through this night
I can't live by what I feel, but by the truth Your word reveals
I'm not holding on to You, but You're holding on to me
You're holding on to me

Jesus, You know just how far the east is from the west
I don't have to see the man I've been come rising up in me again
In the arms of Your mercy I find rest
'cause You know just how far the east is from the west
From one scarred hand to the other
One scarred hand to the other
From one scarred hand to the other

Off to the movies

So this past Memorial Day Weekend Lora and I stayed home which turns out was a great decision. We saved some bucks and also had a really great time. We also managed to see 3 movies in the space of 3 days. This is really something for us, since we average about 1 movie a month.

On Friday we went with Aaron and Anna to see Prince Caspian. I reread the book a couple of months ago, just to become familiar with the story again. Overall, I felt the movie was quite good but Hollywood seeped in a little too much for my taste. The introduction of a hint of romance is foreign to the book and seemed out of place in the story. Further the humor, while present in the book, was handled in such a way to make alleviate all tension in the story. The tension is what makes the story compelling. Still I really enjoyed the movie. I look forward to reading the Narnia series to my children some day.

On Saturday we rented 'Death at a Funeral' which is by far the best comedy I have seen in a long time. It is a British comedy in classic form. You have a serious situation which becomes increasingly more ridiculous all the while people are going in and out of the wrong rooms. There is nothing deep, just great humor.

When we popped the DVD in we watched a preview for 'Lars and the Real Girl' which we rented the next night. We both enjoyed the movie and recommend it, but it is difficult to categorize. Lora suggests 'a thinking comedy' which works for me. Also while the movie is based around an 'adult' situation, there is nothing obscene, lewd, sexually-arousing, etc...

Something Beautiful Podcast

New podcast worth checking out. Good music and people telling their stories. Because faith is all about the story. http://somethingbeautifulpodcast.com/

To be a man

I've been thinking alot about what it means to be a man. Not physically, but in essence. It seems that to be a man cannot simply mean that one is not a woman. Also it must mean more than one is a person. In other words the characteristics that define masculinity must be unique but not in simple contrast.

There are a lot of cultural definitions of manhood which are not very helpful. Our culture tells us that men are to be emotionless (which seen as a strength), womanizing lone rangers. Another part of our culture tries to simply make men into women, the gentler sex. While I have nothing against women, this seems misguided and troublesome. A man must know that he is a man, he must be affirmed in his masculinity.

Many cultures have rites of passage, a special point after which one is no longer a boy, but is man. The American culture lacks such milestones. Some define the passage into adulthood when they start driving, graduate high school or college, have their first beer, get their first 'real' job, have sex, etc... Many of these could serve as rites of passage but they don't seem to be thought of as such by much of the culture. Others might lead to a misunderstanding of adulthood.

As I've thought about it here are some things that I have come to regard as unique characteristics of man. Again this is not to say women don't or shouldn't espouse these characteristics only that they help me define what it means to be a man. The first is seeing life with a sense of adventure. The second is putting others ahead of self to the point of personal sacrifice. The third is having short hair. Just kidding about that last one.

I'd like to hear the thoughts of others on this issue.

Only a matter of time

My guess is that this will be a storyline on Grey's Anatomy within the year. The Associated Press is reporting that a Tokyo man attempted suicide by drinking large amounts of pesticide. At the hospital doctors were trying to pump his stomach when he threw up on them, releasing poisonous gas throughout the hospital. In total 54 doctors, nurses and patients developing breathing problems and eye sores. Of course the Grey's Anatomy writers will not merely rip this story out of the headlines. They will add high degree of sexual tension to the story...

Read the full story here.

We The Church

Here is an interesting 'Christian' twist on twitter called 'We The Church'. Neat idea but probably could be implemented/designed better. I've heard that they had issue with lack of moderation early on so they recently relaunched.

Check it out at wethechurch.org