The mind of God

I am a reader of memoirs and biographies. Understanding how individuals picked up on the opportunities, learnings and experiences in their lives helps make sense of my own journey as a child, father, husband, worker, believer, colleague. One such memoir, is that of John Shelby Spong, Here I stand. Spong is the retired Episcopal bishop of Newark, NJ.

From a relatively conventional childhood, Spong sought ordination. He kept his eyes and ears open to the needs of those to whom he ministered: gays, feminists and blacks. He questioned the way religion was practised and the way the scriptures were interpreted. He used every tool available to him in his study of Christianity - fundamental theology, christology, harmartiology, mariology, biblical theology, natural theology, hermeneutics, theodicy, eschatology and moral theology – and even these he challenged as not serving the faithful adequately enough. He (still) proposes the reformation of Christian life and thought. He put forward 12 theses that have brought him vitriolic and bitter criticism from churches, theologians and believers of every variety.

I couldn’t help but admire this man of the cloth – for despite the adversity he met, he stood tall. He used his immense scholarship and intellect against the anger of those he challenged.

Needless to say, his theses would quite clearly place him in the realm of the unorthodox. Yet the story he tells explains why he stands where he does. And he stands unapologetically.

In the end, who would know the mind of God? Is the revelation we have immutable? Given that we are generous to a fault, at times, to believers and non-believers of every creed and ‘ism’ it’s a pity the same consideration cannot and has not been extended to John Selby Spong. The writer of Wisdom (9:13 – 18) tells us: It is hard enough to work out what is on earth, laborious to know what lies within our reach; who, then, can discover what is in the heavens?

Our challenge, then, is to seek to understand the entire world in which we live, to make sense of it, to discover its order/disorder, and this must happen in the life, the only life I have and lead. We may not commit our actions, words and thoughts to paper, but our living breath becomes our memoir. The attitudes we pass to our children, the way we engage with those who serve us in the shop, the manner in which we treat our spouses, our neighbours, our fellow journeymen, they will be imprinted in the minds of those we encounter daily. Will you be satisfied with the way your life has been written? Will we see your passion for your family, your sport, your faith, your cooking, your charity for others reflected back at you?

Today is the day to recommit yourself to the life you should be living. Being a disciple of Jesus requires that we give up every possession in order to follow him (Luke 14:33). Is there something or someone in your life that you would do that for?