I’m back from Pennsylvania, but am way backlogged here. So until I get my feet on the ground, here are some more thoughts from Robert Farrar Capon’s Kingdom, Grace and Judgment:
“And there, if you will, is the ultimate dilemma of the church. The one thing it doesn’t dare try to sell—for fear of being laughed out of town—turns out to be the only thing it was sent to sell. But because it more often that not caves in to its fear of ridicule, it gives the world the perennial spectacle of an institution eager to peddle anything but its authentic merchandise. I can stand up in the pulpit and tell people that God is angry, mean and nasty; I can tell them he is so good they couldn’t possibly come within a million miles of him; and I can lash them into a frenzy of trying to placate him with irrelevant remorse and bogus behavior—with sacrifices and offerings… but I cannot stand there and tell them the truth that he no longer cares a fig for their sacred guilt or their precious lists of good deeds, responsible outlooks and earnest intentions. I can never just say to them that God has abolished all those oppressive, godly requirements in order that he might grant them free acceptance by his death on the cross. Because when I do that, they can conclude only one or two things: either that I am crazy or that God is. But alas, God’s sanity is the ultimate article of their non-faith. Therefore, despite Scriptures relentless piling up of proof that he is a certifiable nut–that he is the Crazy Eddie of eternity whose prices are insane—it always means that I am the one who gets offered a ticket to the funny farm.” (p. 334)
I wish you can hear me laughing. This is hilarious, until you stop and realize it unfortunately and painfully true. To share God as he really is, just doesn’t fit in any of the boxes we have so expertly designed for him. So for those trapped in such boxes, it is easy to miss who he really is and easy to dismiss those who reflect his glory.
Good series of articles on this book Wayne. Very challenging, but we need to challenge our paradigms continuously. Why is it that we think we need to package God in a certain way so that someone will buy what we are selling? We all have done or do it. We run around like a bunch of used car sales persons, each with our own technique.
God is not in the car business and He doesn’t need sales people. He needs children that allow His Son to shine through them. 2 Corinthians 2:14 talks about a wonderful frangrance that Christ gives off. People will either find Jesus attractive or they will be repelled by Him. Those are the two options.
Keep these coming Wayne.
–J
Good series of articles on this book Wayne. Very challenging, but we need to challenge our paradigms continuously. Why is it that we think we need to package God in a certain way so that someone will buy what we are selling? We all have done or do it. We run around like a bunch of used car sales persons, each with our own technique.
God is not in the car business and He doesn’t need sales people. He needs children that allow His Son to shine through them. 2 Corinthians 2:14 talks about a wonderful frangrance that Christ gives off. People will either find Jesus attractive or they will be repelled by Him. Those are the two options.
Keep these coming Wayne.
–J
Personally i dont think God "needs" any of us.I just think He wants us.
Personally i dont think God "needs" any of us.I just think He wants us.
Yep. That is funny Wayne…..and true. Thanks for posting it. It is refreshing to hear the truth and to know this wondeful God who refuses to be limited by anyone’s box.
Yep. That is funny Wayne…..and true. Thanks for posting it. It is refreshing to hear the truth and to know this wondeful God who refuses to be limited by anyone’s box.