Dale Cresap's blog

Do you see me as divine? This is an essential doctrine of your faith. Do you also see me as human? Isn’t this as much a doctrine of your faith as my divinity? Do you find it easier to think of me as divine than as both divine and human? How could I be both at once? The early church went through a long struggle to arrive at this position, and it isn’t easy to hold. If you are already convinced of my divinity, in what ways do you see me expressing my humanity? Since you don’t question your own humanity, do you think that you are in a position to follow me in my own expressions?

Do you want to get what you want? This question seems simplistic and obvious. Who would want otherwise? Yet do you know people who always get what they want? The term for this is spoiled, and it can apply to adults just as much as to children. Sometimes not getting what you want can be better for you. It decentralizes your selfishness and provides opportunities to look beyond your own interests. Do you admire people who are unselfish more than those who are selfish? Do you want to be one? What price are you willing to pay?

Do you understand the nature of prayer? You have promises that you can have anything that you ask for. If you ask for something and don’t get it, do you assume that the promise is false, or that your faith is insufficient? These are not the only possibilities. These promises do not grant you omniscience and omnipotence. Do you see these promises as promoting you above me that I may do your bidding? The best way to think of prayer is that of children making requests of their father.

Do you live in a classless society? There are valid arguments to say that there is no such thing, and those who are in the upper regions are less likely to be aware of the degree of stratification and the struggles of those on the lower rungs. Are you kind to the least of these? Do you think of them only as those in prison, or sick, or naked, hungry, and thirsty? You could expand your definition to include the marginally employed. If you are not one of these, do you seek out real connections with them? This goes beyond being courteous to them as they serve you.

Do you think of sins as acts of commission? Is it possible to sin by doing nothing? If so, these would be known as sins of omission. This concept implies that you have an inherent duty to those around you, and it is a sin to neglect that duty. If you follow a faith based on love, and the two primary commandments are to love God and your neighbor, then having a duty to your neighbor shouldn’t come as a surprise. What do you owe to the next person you encounter even if you have no prior association with them? You don’t owe them money.

Pilate asked ‘what is truth?’ even as truth stood before him. This is still a valid question. How do you view truth? In classic rationality truth is abstract and independent; it is objective and conceptual. Is there another approach? I said that you could know the truth, but I didn’t claim that I knew the truth, but that I was the truth. This strong statement opens the door for relational truth. Can you obtain relational truth outside of a relationship? Can you get it from books alone, even the Bible? The Bible speaks of people who had encounters with me.

Detectives use fingerprints to identify criminals. Your fingerprints are unique identifiers and you leave evidence of your presence on everything you touch, everywhere you go. Do you think I have fingerprints? You hold a doctrinal position that I created the heavens and the earth. Do you think I left evidence behind of my workmanship, in the same way an artist signs their paintings? If this is true then my creation testifies to the work I did in creating it. Do the heavens and the earth declare the glory of God? Not everyone can see this. Can you?

You know that I taught in parables. These were stories to illustrate the nature of the Kingdom of God, and you are familiar with these from the Bible. I taught in timeless imagery familiar to my audiences. Do you think that if I walked among you today I would use the same stories? Perhaps I would add new ones that spoke directly to modern experience. The parables only work if they bridge the gap between the familiar and the unfamiliar. You have to engage your audience with something they know to teach them something they don’t know. How do you present the gospel message?

There are crimes against the law of the land, misdemeanors and felonies, and civil lawsuits. Are there other types of crime? You won’t be arrested and prosecuted for spiritual crimes, but do such things exist? In some schools of theology anything sinful would qualify, and you have a way to obtain forgiveness for your sins. What about interfering with the spiritual development of someone else; causing one of these little ones to stumble? What about those for whom the way of truth is evil spoken of? For offenses must come, but woe to him by whom the offense comes.

Do you want to experience my full presence? Be careful what you ask for. Do you like having your home attached to grid power? The service to your house is about 200 volts depending on where you live. You know that there are high voltage transmission lines and these run at 12,000 to 120,000 volts and more. Do you think it would give you a superior experience of power to connect your home directly to these voltages? You know that this is a bad idea. How much of my presence can you bear? I know the answer to that question even if you don’t, and will not overpower you.