Dale Cresap's blog

Have you ever been in a severe crisis and prayed for relief, but did not get the outcome you desired? Have you been told by those in positions of spiritual authority that you did not have enough faith to get what you wanted? This is a form of spiritual abuse, and it is particularly egregious to add this level of condemnation to you in the midst of suffering your trial. Didn’t I chide people for their lack of faith and promise that if they believed they would have whatever they wanted?

How would you expect atheists to behave? Would you expect them to live dissolute lives with no positive character traits? Do you actually find that atheists normally lead lives that are morally equal to or better than the general population, and even believers? What would account for this? Does it seem that they have stolen a chapter from a sacred text that does not belong to them? You can live on the residue of a Christian heritage without acknowledging the source of it. Blessed are those who do and teach all that I commanded. Blessed are those who know their source of life.

Would you like me to play by your rules? But I make the rules. You hunger for my presence, but I can be present with you in a way that you still feel alone. You would like to be spared from the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, but I am with you and will sustain you in all things while inexplicably sparing you from nothing. You would like to have rigid certainty. I invite you in to take your place in the divine mystery. In all these cases you would prefer what is easy, comfortable, and convenient for you. Can you accept that I love you even if I choose another approach?

Have you ever won an argument? How do you define this? If your opponent ceases to oppose you? What if they turn their back on you and walk away in an icy silence? In that case, what have you really won? Certainly you have not won your brother, and which is more important? Argument implies an element of strife, discord, and confrontation. You may prevail by facts and logic, or at least decibels, but a gentler approach at persuasion is necessary if you want to win your brother’s heart. Have you ever changed your mind based on the argument of an enemy? What about the entreaty of a friend?

Think of the happiest people you know. Think of the people who have the most fun. Are these the same people? There is a cultural assumption that the pursuit of happiness and the pursuit of fun are the same thing. Has your experience proven this to be true? Fun as commonly understood can be self-oriented and indulgent. The superficial appeal is obvious, but true happiness is more complex, and is more reliably obtained through connections and involvement with other people, through the satisfaction of worthwhile investment in their lives.

Have you been taught and accepted the premise that when you are right you should pursue the matter to the very end and never let it go? How has this worked out for you? You may think it is weakness if you back down. Could other people see it as stubbornness if you do not? Do you have an objective and certain means for knowing you are right? Other people feel the same way, but have you ever found out later that you were not as right as you supposed? There is wisdom in knowing what is truly non-negotiable and what you can let go of.

Do you know me? Do you have me figured out? Some churches act as if their doctrinal positions are a complete explanation of ineffable divine mystery. Yet it is possible to know me, and I want you to do so, and I open the door by revealing myself. Do you understand that some things can be known relationally that do not lend themselves to propositions? Do you insist on an answer for everything? It is better to leave some questions on the table than to grasp at answers that are incomplete or just wrong.

Have you heard of special undeveloped areas set aside as refuges or sanctuaries for birds or other wildlife? These terms imply a safe place free from harm. Do you think there are such places for people too? A place of worship is also known as a sanctuary, and I declared cities of refuge for my people. You live in a dangerous world. Do you feel safer in the woods or in the city? I promised to be with you always. That means that my sustaining presence is with you wherever you go.

Have you ever heard of church being held outdoors? Some churches will have an Easter sunrise service but these are infrequent. Most church services are held indoors, in buildings constructed for that purpose. But that is the world that you made, and the world outdoors is the world that I made. Do you think of your church as the house of God. Consider my rhetorical question, where is the house that you would build for me? For the heavens are my throne and the earth is my footstool. I understand that there are valid reasons to have a structure dedicated as a meeting place for worship.

Do you consider yourself to be privileged? Do you live with a sense of gratitude for it? Do you have an education? Do you understand that not everyone had this privilege, especially if you consider the span of history? This was what separated the upper and lower classes, and slaves from free men. Your education makes you more knowledgeable. Does it also make you more aware of the advantages it confers on you? You had to work for it, but you were not able to obtain it on your own. A sense of gratitude is beneficial for you in every aspect of life.