W̸h̸a̸t̸ How to Think

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Exodus 20:13
You shall not kill. 

Ok. But what about... 
That's where our minds go, right? For good reason. Valuing all life.... is complicated. 
I preached on this commandment on Sunday. Who knew such a short sentence could become such a long message!

But that subject itself isn't what I'm thinking about. I'm thinking about how we go about figuring out the endless questions that arise in our lives. So much of what we're given in the scriptures—so much about the complexities of life—so much about worldviews that suggest that there are quick and sufficient answers for everything—make us eventually sit back and ask, "ok, but what about....?!?!"

I'm not hopeful that we'll find the answer for every complex question about life, death, global conflict, what authority governments on earth do or don't have to use violence, or the exact right way to respond if we have an intruder in our house (these are classic scenarios brought up by the "but what about" questions related to killing). 

I'm not even convinced that there is a single right answer for any of these scenarios. But perhaps there is a right way to approach them, and a deeper framework that leads us into robust discussion with Jesus. For example, when we approach the above conversation with the belief that Jesus always honors life and prioritizes forgiveness and reconciliation, it leads us to look at everything from that angle. And now, having considered an attitude with which to approach all of life in light of God's kingdom, we are now equipped to wrestle together with the tough questions without requiring single-answer-certainty. It forms us in a deep way, and we become wise rather than arrogant. 

I'm becoming convinced that Jesus has as much interest in teaching me how to think as what to think. I'd like to make the case that our faith needs a whole lot more "how" and a little less "what" as we tackle complex issues in our lives. 

The Jewish faith has a rich practice related to this that's called midrash. It's an approach to interpretation and learning that is founded on questions, questions, and more questions. It leads to rich exploration of topics around the scriptures and around faithful living. The goal is not about finding certainty. The goal is to allow for new possibilities, and to think about things from previously unexplored angles, trusting that this is how God teaches us. Midrash is a tool in helping people learn how to think, not just what to think. 

This seems to match with Jesus' beautiful way of teaching his disciples.
What if when Jesus said, "Consider the lilies of the field, they don't get constantly stressed out," he was not only telling them not to worry, but he was also teaching them to see the earth as one of God's profound teachers? What if he was teaching them how to tackle their deep existential questions, and not just giving them an answer? After all, Jesus asked more questions than anyone else in the Bible. Over 300 of them, to be specific. If open-ended questions aren't a good way to form people, then Jesus certainly wasn't a very good teacher. Hmm. 

I think this sort of open-ended wrestling and questioning is desperately missing in our world today. 

I absolutely love a good conversation. I rarely walk away changed from one person's declarative statements. But as soon as two people enter the conversation, my interest level is piqued. When great questions are asked, I have to think critically instead of just hearing a blanket statement and deciding if I'll receive or reject the idea. And when complicated topics are brought up, I've learned that they are an opportunity for exploration rather than a problem to quickly solve. 

We've learned to practice this in intentional ways within our LifePath Church community. After every message on a Sunday morning, we (literally) throw around a microphone to process and dialogue together as we each think in new ways about how our discipleship is being shaped by Jesus. 

And once a month we hold an open "theology circle" on any number of topics. What is the purpose of the Church? Does prayer change things? What public roles are appropriate for Christians? Is patriotism okay or problematic for a disciple? Is artificial intelligence evil?

We promise no answers on those nights. There's a rotating facilitator, but no teacher. The goal is to ask great questions and learn how to think about life from a Jesus-centered approach. The conversation is completely free-flowing and it could go anywhere. And you know what happens? We laugh, we agree, we disagree, we get a little uncomfortable thinking new thoughts, and we walk away as better disciples together. We learn how to think. We midrash. 

Richard Rohr cautions that when Christians do this kind of modern day midrash, we must be careful that it leads us to the fruit of the Spirit—where we sense peace and joy, love, gentleness, self-control, etc. If that's the case, we can trust that our insights are coming from the Spirit. 
However, if we're emerging from these conversations feeling arrogant, superior, feeling a need for victory or the dismissal of others' thoughts, then our egos remain central, and the Spirit is not leading the way for our understandings. Not all conversations are created equal. 

I'm not convinced that we're going to be able to figure out all the hard questions that following Jesus brings. And even if we think we have, I doubt we'll ever find full agreement with others (certainly including Christians). But if we let Jesus teach us how to think, move us to ask better questions, and practice it all in a loving community, we will be better equipped to live the way of love than any answer sheet could ever make us. Wrestle well, friends. 

Jesus, shape my heart to shape my mind. 

Peace,
Keith