Dale Cresap's blog

Are you a pacifist? There are few who identify with this label, even in the church, but there are plenty of verses to support this position, such as, resist not evil, and turn the other cheek. Are you an armchair pacifist because you live in a nation at peace with a low crime rate and you are not forced into a moral dilemma about the use of force because others defend and secure you? Do you realize what a blessing this is? Like many things, being a pacifist is not real until it has been put to the test. Believers can land on both sides of this issue with a clear conscience.

Are you cynical? This is no compliment, and people of good faith and conscience strive to avoid earning this distinction. Do you believe in sin nature? This is also expressed as original sin, and this is one of the most widely accepted doctrines of the Christian faith. If one is true and the other is an undesirable trait, then what is the difference? Don’t they appear to be more similar than different? Can you hold the doctrine of original sin without using it for the broad scale condemnation of the human race? Can you look for and find redemptive purpose?

Do you stand fast in the liberty in which I have made you free? Do you think of this only as a form of political liberty; the absence of legally imposed restraints? A verse in the same passage tells you not to be entangled again in the yoke of bondage. This suggests that liberty has multiple dimensions. Do you know those who fiercely defend their political liberty that you do not consider to be experiencing true freedom? Would true freedom include emotional freedom that you would not depend on validation, agreement, or confirmation from others? Do you have this? Which is more important?

What are you willing to do to avoid being vulnerable? When you are vulnerable you are at risk of exposure, and your fears and weaknesses are on display, at least to those to whom you are able to confide in. For some this is intolerable and they feel they must present an image of strength and invulnerability, but this is only an illusion. They never have as much control as they would like, and lead small and defended lives as a result. On the other hand, haven’t you observed those who are willing to be vulnerable lead lives of expansion?

Do you think all questions are created equal, or that there are no stupid questions? Do you think there is a difference between honest and dishonest questions? Questions can be rhetorical; not asked with the expectation of an answer. Then what purpose do they serve? Accusations can be veiled as questions, giving the accuser deniability. Honest questions are asked with open inquiry; a willingness to accept answers not yet determined, and are therefore an expression of vulnerability.

Do you like stories? In the modern world stories are presented as novels, movies, and television programs. Do you consider yourself to be logical and rational? This is a realm of propositional truth where claims can be tested and verified to be true or rejected for a lack of proof. This is the unquestioned paradigm of scientific inquiry. But the novels and movies mentioned above are outside of this realm. Everyone knows that they are not ‘true’ by these standards, so why do people put so much effort into engaging with stories?

Do you know people who are self-sufficient? This is an admired quality in your culture. Do you have it? Do you long for it? Be careful what you desire. To those who said I have grown wealthy and need nothing, I said, don’t you know that you are wretched, poor, pitiful, blind and naked? So I had a difference of opinion with the wealthy. Which of us do you think was right? How could they not see their true state? Can you conclude from this that true wealth involves connection and the knowledge that you are not self-sufficient, no matter how much money you have?

Do you view prayer as a means for obtaining things from me, or as a way of being? You can make a case for the first approach from scripture very easily. You already know the verses. What about the second approach? This may not be as obvious, and not as many people seek it, but the path is real. The Bible teaches you to pray without ceasing. You can’t speak continuously, but you can always abide. When I tell you to be still and know that I am God, do you think of it as a prayer? I told my disciples that in that day they would ask me nothing.

Have you ever used a double negative? This is questionable grammar, and your English teacher may not approve, but the concept has broader applications than written or spoken language. Do you do things because you want to? This is an affirmative explanation. But there can be a place of compulsion where you are swept away by forces greater than yourself to do things so deeply embedded that you can’t say no. Do you normally think of this as the position of the addict?

You are a citizen of a nation on earth, and also of the Kingdom of Heaven, which is not of this world. So in a sense you have dual citizenship. You have doctrine concerning your home in heaven. Do you also have political affiliation and ideology in this world? Which is more important? Do your politics follow your faith, or does your faith follow your politics? If both are fixed, then the linkage of which controls may not be obvious. If you go through a faith transition, are you prepared to revisit your political positions to make them fall in line with developments in your faith?