Dale Cresap's blog

Do you do good works because you will receive a reward in heaven? Skeptics consider this to be an ulterior motive and claim that their good works are superior because they have no expectation of a reward. Is there an immediate reward of satisfaction for having done the right thing? This would apply to believer and unbeliever alike, here and now. At mature levels belief should move you to comprehend the world around you, and your place in it.

 Do you judge your own group, or church, or denomination by the best examples and other groups, etc. by the worst examples? They do the same for you. Are there no bad examples of Christians for them to choose from? In reality these are broadly overlapping distributions, so it would be an extreme claim to say that the worst of your group is better than the best of another group. This situation does not lend itself to an exact scientific analysis, for adherents of any faith tradition start in different places and progress at different rates. Is the practice of your faith making you better?

Do you know any brittle Christians? Are you one? What other term would you use to describe those who are irritable over every point of doctrine, and defend it as if their life depended on it? There are some hills you don’t need to die on, and there are some questions that you can leave in the realm of mystery. There are some issues for which there are multiple credible positions, even in the realm of eternal truth, for now you know in part. It matters what you believe as well as the way in which you hold and present what you believe.

Are you striving for self-transcendence? This is inherent in your faith, and is a common feature of all faith traditions, but it is not limited to those who believe. You can see it in nearly everyone, although you may consider their paths to be strange in comparison to yours. I put this impulse within you and every person so it is there from birth. Yet you see a few in which it is dormant or dead. This is abnormal, and it takes extended distraction or neglect to put out the divine spark in any person. Even so, a smoking flax can still be rekindled into flame.

Are you familiar with the Hail Mary? This is familiar to Catholics as a prayer, but for others it has become a football term for a long pass, named for a prayer because it is a risky gamble for success. Other fields have adopted the same terminology. Could it be applied to evangelism? Where do you start with your presentation of the gospel message? Is it a story that progresses with a beginning, middle, and conclusion? You could bypass all that and jump to the conclusion with a list of doctrinal points. How well has this worked for you?

Are you judgmental? Do you feel that your faith has set you up to be this way? For when you believed you accepted a moral code; rules to follow. Do you find it easy to apply these to others and find where they fall short? Is this easier than judging yourself? But one of the rules is that you should judge yourself and not others. So if you offer judgment of others you are not following the rules yourself. You do not have control over them and have not been assigned to enforce the rules.

Are you jaded? This implies a cynical attitude. Do you feel it is more common today? You have a multitude of opportunities and experiences available to you. Do you take advantage of these to their fullness? Do you find them to be satisfying? You may find them to be empty and disappointing if you strip them of their spiritual potential. There is nothing that you will find to provide long term satisfaction if you strip the world of wonder and mystery and transcendent meaning. Jaded people may appear to be worldly wise but it is truly the wisdom of this world.

Can you point to people who have influenced your life? Most people can point to many. Do you see yourself as being influential in the lives of others? Most people do not. Can you see the disconnect between these concepts? People are watching you and you have an effect on them whether you are aware of it or not. If you can accept this premise then the question isn’t whether you have an influence or not, but what type it is. In this case it isn’t the spirituality you profess that matters but the spirituality you live. That you are saved by grace not works isn’t relevant here.

Do you have to agree with people to get along with them? This is a default assumption and you see people sort themselves out according to common beliefs, political ideology, occupation, income level, education and social standing among others, yet is this necessary or desirable? Is a common interest a deep or shallow basis for friendship? Are you surprised to see people of opposing viewpoints form deep, real, and lasting friendships? This shows it is possible even if it is rare. Are you surprised by how much I reached out from my own faith, culture, and tradition to those outside?

Are you more certain of what you are in favor of or what you are opposed to? Have you noticed an abundance of critics and a shortage of enthusiasm? Have you noticed that being a critic gives one the appearance of sophistication and worldly wisdom? This is not godly wisdom which is positive and redemptive rather than negative and condemnatory. You have to build to have something to tear down, and construct before you can deconstruct. Someone has to build before the critics have something to criticize. Do you have what it takes to keep building in the face of criticism?