false teaching

The qualified teaching of I can’t

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Qualified theology began life with good intent.

And then become bound in ever-more qualification to become ever-more-all-embracing-ever-more-applicable-to-all-people-throughout-all-time.

“All are welcome” shouldn’t need saying.

But it is all the time.

So too God and Jesus and Mercy and Worship and Grace and Love.

All need qualified explanation with a qualified language that only the qualified can understand and debate.  A language that accommodates every objection and question and doubt.  Or else it would not be explaining The Word of God for all occasions for all people in all circumstances throughout all time.  Because if it can’t then it might be flawed – and God is not flawed – so neither can The Word.

Which is why we need the qualified to teach The Word. 

But an unintended consequence is to insulate-bind this God in a Word that has become of Man to address all questions, doubts and preferences.  Because believers …

Believe!

And believers must be strong in belief … must live a visible and differentiated life of The Good and Worthy Servant.  And that takes strength not doubt –  certainty not questions – perfection not imperfection – needs the Devil to explain temptation – needs Sin and Sinners for giving-in to temptation – and needs the qualified to “ok” (forgive?) my “sinning” (on behalf of God?).

Because God is in all – God is in the very-stinky-unkempt-beer-filled-aggressive-sweary-homeless-person – that is God as well as God in me – the well-dressed-educated-employed-responsible-and-much-blessed-so-must-be-grateful-and should-be-attending-church-person (says the qualified Word of Man God)

“BEEN BLESSED?  Give a Buck, Save a Life!”  (the link to “tax deductible donations” under a God-blog)

“I do not at all understand the mystery of grace–only that it meets us where we are but does not leave us where it found us.  It can be received gladly or grudgingly, in big gulps or in tiny tastes, like a deer at the salt.” Anne Lamott  (like so many extracts from The Word, we take the bit that works and discard the rest … “deer at the salt”… really?)

“Grace is a gift from Heavenly Father given through His Son, Jesus Christ.  The word grace, as used in the scriptures, refers primarily to enabling power and spiritual healing offered through the mercy and love of Jesus Christ. … The grace of God helps us every day.”  (a gift we don’t deserve but are given anyway – with all the necessary qualified-baggage – gratitude, worship, servitude, etc) …

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It all separates us from God.

And in explaining God-in-The-Bible we make me BEING God-like truly unattainable – make Love (the God-version) TOTALLY unattainable for us (weak-but-strong-in-belief!!) sinners-saved.  Which lets me off the hook on “Love” as well as being “God-like”.   All I can do is to try (unsuccessfully) to be seen to be trying.  That’s what the Word of Man God says.

Like the Word of Man God also says that EVEN gays and lesbians and false teachers and those who believe in a different God or no god at all are “All Are Welcome” if …

Which has one teensy-weensy flaw …  

It is not of Love and Grace and God.  Is not of I Am which IS the Word of God.

Now add Love (without any conditions at all) –

not even the “condition” of me loving without any condition at all

– which means gays and lesbians and those who believe in a different God or no god at all AS WELL AS the very-stinky-unkempt-beer-filled-aggressive-sweary-homeless-person (who might ALSO be gay or lesbian or believe in a different God or no god at all) are not even visible as “different” to me by my (qualified) differentiation and my (taught) definition and my (conditional) no-conditions-love.

Or to put it another way …

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LOVE makes all “invisible” as different in any way to God.

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Which means ..

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Love makes all invisible as different in any way to me as well.

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And if I am Love …

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Then I shouldn’t need the Word of God …

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To teach me that I can’t.

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I was taught to be unkind

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I was taught about false teachers.  False teachers are of the devil.  False teachers are of soothing words and sleepy listeners.  False teachers are false shepherds – intent only on the destruction of my soul for all eternity.

 

As I continue my journey I am finding that my fear of false teachers is less and less.   I see false teachers too often to fear anymore.  They are everywhere in all corners of my life.  They are not just in church.  They teach society, law, ethics, art, philosophy, science …

Teachers are not just teachers they are friends and strangers and enemies.  They are family, friends and foe.  And the biggest teacher of all is me.

I know.

Is the falsest teacher of all.

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“The kindness of not knowing”, justmebeingcurious

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“I was taught by church – by science – by society – by all around me … To Know – To Be Certain – To Be Sure – To See Evidence – To See No Evidence – To Be Sure – To Be Certain – To Make Up My Mind – To Declare And Defend My Position – To Take A Side – To Be One Or The Other …

And in that teaching I was taught to be unkind.

I was NEVER taught NOT to know.”

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I was taught that not knowing is weakness.  I was taught that I must be correct.  Which means I am either right or I am wrong.  But what is right and wrong if not just the current “majority view” (in and of this world)?

Right and wrong changes.

Slavery was okay.  Loads of possessions wives was okay.  Swearing was okay.  The death penalty was okay.  Burning witches was okay.  Child labour was okay. So much was okay that now is not.  So much that is still not (that one day will be).

I think we forget love without condition when we worry about everything BUT kindness … everything but NOT knowing.

We are taught about the “evidence” of the bible – the false evidence of science (and the same for both – in reverse – by “the other side”).  We are taught about the right or wrong of different faiths and of no faiths.  We are taught and teach all of that “I am right and you are wrong” stuff …

And in that teaching I was taught to be unkind.

But isn’t that …

The biggest “false teaching” of all?

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Love without the small print

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I have a weekly commute to London.  It keeps me in touch with the general populace in this part of the world.  A populace drawn into their own personal smartphone screen.

Music.  Emails.  Instant Messaging.  Interminable Indulgent Instagram.  Social Media.  Less and less (thankfully) those intrusive “Can you hear me?” phone-calls on (what used to be called) mobile telephones.  Voice calls much less popular now keyboard and lens replaces the need for actually speaking.

And the biggest draw of these wonderful gadgets … ?

We can all look down.  We can avoid the need to pretend we are alone.  Avoid the discomfort of not making eye contact.  Avoid all the embarrassment of not having to speak to someone face-to-face (or kneecap-to-kneecap).

I remember my younger sister commuting regularly in London years ago (before smartphones). She reported how wonderful it was to see so many people praying for such extended periods. She couldn’t comprehend that closing one’s eyes when commuting in cramped spaces was simply the accepted way of avoiding eye-contact. I still chuckle remembering her face when she found out that praying wasn’t such a common occurrence in The City after all!

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My Godmother’s husband was a chatterer.  An embarrassment.
In any situation he would strike up a conversation.  Loudly.  What we (used to) think of as “The American Way”.
That genetic malady which ignores everyone else’s comfort zones … which rides roughshod over others’ expected-and-defended “personal space”.
But the odd thing was that the majority of those who suffered this intrusion seemed to enjoy the experience.
We just cringed in the background.  With a little envy.

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And as I look out and see the headlines … the (current) forensic analysis of the (another) horrific terrorist attack on London Bridge … the repeated claim of (all) government who have “allocated £xxm in additional funding” (to fix every problem raised) … the noise of right and wrong (as we reduce our planet to one giant overflowing rubbish bin) … the permanent public arena of “gladiatorial protagonists” spewed out for our entertainment in news and “social meeja” … the increasing and inextricable “looking down” and away from so much that unites us …

I wonder what other species is quite so self-absorbed.

I wonder how we have detached ourselves from who we really are.  How we made “religion” just another science.  How we made science just another “god”.  How we manage to convince ourselves that “being connected” (to this wonderful self-healing-home) is no longer relevant to us.

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Us the alpha species … the species no longer a “species” … a “species” now having outgrown itself.   Now entitled … now complacent … now detached from the very connection that gave birth to each of us … on this planet that nurtures us … that heals us simply by the sound of a breeze – the sight of all those stars – the smell of freshly cut grass – the taste of cold icy water.   These simple things that connect us – heal our restlessness – our searching – our very souls.

I wonder what other species despises its own kind so much that it chooses to look down … chooses to detach … chooses to “talk” to someone on the other side of the world (in preference to someone sitting right next to me).

Is it fear – and if so of what?  And if it isn’t fear then … what?  Arrogance?  Entitlement?  Ignorance?  That “you aren’t interesting enough” … ?

What is it that means we each choose to look down more and more?

Even church.

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That (default) looking down when “talking” to the being who is loved and loves.  The default (of “worship”) that is now the default for (“talking” to) everybody.  The default “nice smile” that is the default for everyone in every (unexciting) conversation.

I think church has a very important role to play in the world today. 

A role to encourage “looking up” as THE default.  Making eye-contact as THE default.  Finding excitement in the ordinary (that is each of us) as THE default.  Drawing ALL together as THE ONLY default. 

(because the preaching of correctness … of sin … of division salvation … of judgment salvation …. is the default of looking down)

And “the default” of looking up can only start by looking God in the eye.   By not bitching about sin all the time.  By making Love the beginning AND middle AND end of ALL conversations.  Real love.  Unconditional love.  Inclusive love.

Love without the small print of religion and “correct (rule littered) teaching”.

We need to teach THE default of looking up.

Because if the church really is “the people” …

We are ALL “the people”!

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Meeting me where I am

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Yesterday’s post has been on my mind.

“I have yet to meet a CEO who does not care … Who will not step outside the box to meet someone where they are … (who will not) override their own polices … to “meet someone where they are”.”

And then this morning GSHJ added this verse: Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning.” Matthew 19:18

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It was not this way from the beginning.

Because your hearts were hard.

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What Would Jesus Do? WWJD.

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Well …

As a “follower of the way” … as a “disciple” who knows the Master’s heart and mind and soul and very being …

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Is the question even necessary?

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It was not this way from the beginning.

I have yet to meet a CEO who does not to “meet someone where they are”. 

And yet almost every organisation I have “met” does everything in its power to deliver the opposite.  Every organisation I have met is riddled with fear dressed up as policy.  Dressed up as the computer says.  Dressed up as I would love to but I can’t.  Dressed up as “every (senior manager) you speak to will tell you the same as I am telling you”.

Really …. ?

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It was not this way from the beginning.

In the beginning it was God and some dust and a rib.  Should have been easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy.  But three is a crowd.  And God got in the way.  So A&E went into hiding.  Because your hearts were hard (or soft or duplicitous).

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In the beginning it was a great concept delivered by the few to the few.

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Such a great concept that more were needed to satisfy demand.  And the few became the many.  And the CEO became distant from the many.  And the many arranged themselves to be the few to the many.  And the few to the many told the many how things were needed to be.  And as the many became a hierarchy – an institution – whose survival now mattered to so many … hearts were hardened.

It was not this way from the beginning.

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For years I have looked at the Gospels and wondered why Jesus lasted only three years.  Why after the cross and all that he floated back upstairs.  Why the few were left with the few rather than the many.  And then the few became the many.  And the few interpreted for the many as the Master had interpreted for the few – and hearts were hardened.

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My relationship with God Soft Hands Jesus is above all other relationships.

 

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It is above “the church” … It is above being “scripturally correct” … It is above “discernment” … It is above all the stuff I have been taught is “The (accepted and correct) Way”.

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It is even above “WWJD?”

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Love is simple and not any of the things I have been taught.

Love “is always the answer (now what’s your question)?”

Love is the brutal and gritty determination and strength of a parent for their child.

Love is the hard as nails defence of wondrous humanity of each for each.

Love is genuine and without duplicity.

Love is generous and kind without transaction.

Love is who we all would like to be when … and if … and but … (when we can afford to be).

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Like … never!!

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“What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” (Mark 8:36)

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GSHJ is my CEO.

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Because The Way is easy and light – because …

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Is who I am.

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From the beginning.

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An example of being “biblically correct”

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Amazon might be an easy target – but they do what the do really well most of the time.

Most of the time!

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“We had an experience with Amazon yesterday.   An item for one of our grandchildren.  Bulky to deliver and bulky to keep in the house.  But useful.  Something that chills-out Alfie when he unable to express frustration on a dial from 1-10 (as we do).  Alfie just has 10.  And Alfie “chills out” by bouncing – and with more spatial awareness than I have – enough to watch a tv programme and still not fall off the thing!  Special needs are special deeds.

Anyway, Amazon speedily delivered this item bought “Used – as good as new”.  Except it was “Used – not fit for purpose.” A huge tear in the edging cover.  Feet unable to be screwed on to the base.  And bulky.”

“Problem – what problem?”, justmebeingcurious 

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Might not look like anything even close to “biblically correct” …

Or just maybe …

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“So to the bible bit …

Seems to me that we use the bible the same way.

We don’t have the authority to overrule the bible.  No one in the organisation or hierarchy has.  But we do HAVE the authority to enforce the bible (on behalf of God).”

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Why not pop across and have a look?

Thank you –

Paul

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