Friday, May 31, 2013

Wells on re-thinking 'service'...

Haven't had much motivation to post lately, mainly because I don't feel like I have much of interest to say.  So, I'll post a link to a very interesting essay by Samuel Wells:

http://thecresset.org/2013/Easter/Wells_E2013.html

Although I think Wells may be creating a false dichotomy between mortality and isolation in some sense, I do think that this is a challenging essay and worth reading, as it describes what is probably one of the most important issues of our time that Christians must consider; that is, what it really means to love others (and God).  Is love primarily about solving problems, or is it primarily about being present with others?  And if the answer is the latter, then what might that mean for the way we ought to conceive of God?

I do think eternity matters; indeed, it is necessary if our faith is to avoid being reduced to Feuerbachian or Freudian caricatures.  Extreme immanentist versions of Christianity are ultimately hopeless.  But eternity only really matters if love is present.  Otherwise, as the author points out, eternity would be hell.  And love involves a kind of presence-with-others that, at least speaking for myself, is something still very difficult to put into practice.  My hope is that I will, with God's grace, continue to become a person who loves others the way God loves us all.

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