"College is a time when many young adults begin to think bigger about who God is and who the people of God are."
Cynthia Rigby spoke these words to 860 College students gathered for the Montreat College Conference. She shared stories of her college experience, where she struggled with many notions of God she had known growing up and assumed as absolute truth. Can't we all relate to struggling with scripture and understandings of God? These moments can be frightening, as they can shake the very fiber of our being as who we know God to be.
Cynthia spoke of Kierkegaard's book "Fear and Trembling," based on the scripture passage that says "work out your salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12-13)." This is a reminder that there are no guarantees apart from the relationship we have with God. This is where our struggles with God reside, in a relationship that is based on who we know God to be.
Cynthia spoke of two ways of looking at our relationship with God. The first is the one she struggled with once coming to college, a transactional "checklist" model. In this model, every moment of our faith journey is spent trying to appease God and others, as if you are paying money and receiving blessings in response. The other model is submission to what God is doing in the world. This model does not reduce God to a transaction where we keep track of the "good" things we do for God and for others. This model is a recognition of God's sovereignty and LOVE for God's people. This LOVE is what we base our relationship with God in and understand God to work through. This LOVE is represented in the life and work of Jesus Christ.
When we look to interpret what God is doing in the world, we often turn to scripture. We must remember that the essence of scripture is the person of Jesus Christ. God's loving relationship with us is our assurance of faith. We need to remember that we don't have God figured out. God is greater than we can conceive God to be. God is greater than words in the Bible. God is a loving relationship that is understood to us through Christ reflected in scripture.
Some people tend to forget that they actually do NOT have God figured out. They do NOT have a direct line to God.
I speak of a particular person who shall remain nameless (to avoid giving him more recognition - he's mentioned halfway through this clip).
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This person spoke horrific words about the recent tragedy in Haiti. He spoke from a position that expressed he knew God's motives, motives that were in violation of God's loving relationship with us. Perhaps he should examine what it means to work out his salvation with fear and trembling? Perhaps he should realize that God is MUCH bigger than who he sees God to be.
I'm grateful to see some wonderful responses to his comments:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2010/01/the_devil_writes_pat_robertson.html?ft=1&f=103943429/r:t
http://donmilleris.com/2010/01/13/1513/
As Donald Miller implies, we should have sympathy and reach out in love even to people with such comments. This is not a chance to attack his position, but rather, a chance to make a more truthful position LOUDER.
Let us continue our prayers and support for the tragedy in Haiti. God's love extends especially to the poor and downtrodden. Let us continue to ask and wonder why this happens, yet never forget that God pulls us into relationship and calls us to reflect this love from our very being.
Make the truth louder indeed...
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