Dale Cresap's blog

Do you ever experience outrage? Are there situations so unjust that rage is the only possible response? Have you found that this is helpful in resolving the situation? But it will consume you. In many cases those responsible are far away in high positions of leadership and your rage has  no effect. It can also be generated on the basis of fictional stories, and what is the advantage of that? Does it make it better or worse if you have access to the object of your wrath and can express it directly? Truly righteous indignation is really rare.

Do you watch the news? Does this keep you informed about world events? Is this a valid premise? Are you aware of two types of errors that can occur in the reporting of the news, even beyond the possibility of the story being incorrect or a biased presentation? The commercial aspect of maintaining an audience requires news reporters to pretend that what happened today is important, and that it matters in particular to you. But this may not be so.

Are you familiar with the idea that someone is full of themselves? Have you seen living examples of this? Are such people pleasant company? Are you also familiar with the idea of transcendence? You occasionally hear this term in church because it is a spiritual concept, that of rising above, presumably to a higher realm altogether. So what is it that you need to transcend? In some traditions the term is expanded to refer to the self-transcendent. Does this sound like something incomprehensible or unattainable? Don’t make it more complex than it needs to be. Get over yourself.

Do you think of church activities as being spiritual, and those outside in the secular world of commerce as not being spiritual? This is a commonly held view, but where did I perform my ministry? Was it in church, or was it in the marketplace, on a hillside, by the seashore, at the well, and on the way from one place to another, among others? I wasn’t exactly on church staff, particularly when you consider that confrontation with the money changers. Yet was I doing spiritual ministry?

You live in a commercial world and are surrounded by advertising you can hardly escape. What do you see as the content and theme of advertising? Is it about the features and benefits of the product? Isn’t the real message of the story the implied but not stated promise of a better life? This is a message that connects with everyone, even if the products available are similar and the promise is false, for a better life is not obtained by commercial gratification. So how can a fulfilling life be obtained? You already know the answer.

I asked my Father to forgive those who crucified me, for they knew not what did. Evil is real. How do you address the problem of allocating blame for it? Is there a sense of righteous satisfaction derived from the assumption that those who do evil do so with full awareness and intention? But can you know this if you can’t discern the intentions of the human heart? What about the times that you sin, or are you aware of all of them to the same extent that other people are? If you cannot know the intentions of others what is the most gracious assumption to make?

Do you believe in the power of stories? I did. That is how I taught the people about the Kingdom of God. People are wired to respond to stories and storytellers have always held a privileged place in society, including the film and popular literature industries of today. Do you see common themes recurring in popular stories? The stories I told, such as the prodigal son, were radical and shocking to my audiences, to illustrate the power and love of God. Do you see them this way? Do you see yourself as a writer?

Do you see me as your personal savior? What do you mean by this? For this same word is widely used in your culture of individualism, and is normally understood to mean for you alone, for your exclusive use. Is this the impression you want to give about your relationship with me? Doesn’t this imply a reversal of our actual roles? Isn’t it you who is bought with a price and you are not your own? Isn’t it you who is to follow me, laying down your life and picking up your cross? Isn’t it you who refers to me as Lord, and not the other way around?

Do you support my work financially? Some churches encourage this more strongly than others, but there are real expenses associated with operating a church and other worthwhile reasons for giving such as ministry to the poor. In most cases part of this money goes toward paying staff, since the worker is worthy of his hire. Do you do some of your home and vehicle maintenance yourself and hire the rest to be done by others?

Did you know that white light is actually a combination of colors and that a prism will separate it into the visible spectrum? This is common knowledge. Do you divide people into a small number of fixed categories, defined by the way they are not like you? Yet even among your friends don’t you notice subtle variations even within a group, that people take different paths, and arrive at slightly different positions? Does it make it hard to judge people if they won’t fit in their assigned categories? Extend this principle to those you disagree with.