Thursday, March 04, 2010

God Is Good--Really

In The Good and Beautiful God, James Bryan Smith says:
"Nearly all ancient religions were built on a narrative that says that we have to do something in order to get the blessings of the gods, and conversely, if we anger the gods we will surely be punished. The narrative can be summed up as, 'God is an angry judge. If you do well, you will be blessed; if you sin, you will be punished."

Smith goes on to say that this "is the most prevalent narrative about God among Christians."
I am sorry to say that I think he is right and the photo of the church sign here seems to bear that out.
But is there another way? In the 1600's, George Fox (founder of the Quaker movement) sensed the Holy Spirit say to him: "There is one, even Christ Jesus that can speak to thy condition." Smith applies this thought and says; "I have learned to ask myself this question when it comes to choosing the right narratives about God: Is this understanding of God consistent with the God Jesus revealed?"

What did Jesus have to say on this subject? Plenty. One of the Scriptures that I think speak to the kind of God Jesus believed in is Luke 13.1-9. This is our Scripture for this Sunday (March 7, 2010) in worship. Join us at 9:30 or 11am!
This week's worship bulletin is here.