Presby-Musings

I was reading recently about the role of objectivity and subjectivity in a book on architecture by Matthew Fredrick.   Fredrick writes, "Objectivity is the province of the scientist, technician, logician and mathematician.  Subjectivity is the milieu of the artist, musician, mystic, and free spirit."   He described this in simple terms as the difference between standing a hundred feet away from a tree and observing it, as opposed to sitting down next to it, leaning against the trunk and enjoying it's shade.   Then he said this, which kind of rocked me.  "Citizens of modern culture are inclined to value the objective view--and hence it may tend to be your world view--but both modes of engagement are crucial to understanding and creating architecture."   I got to thinking about this concept in relation to faith.   For centuries, Christian theological reflection has been dominated by Objectivity. In the majority of churches across American, con...

I'm in Chicago this week to celebrate the wedding of our dear friends' daughter.  We came early to help with some of the preparations and to spend some time with them before festivities begin this weekend.   As I was driving through the city with my youngest son, I began pointing out landmarks, showing him where his mother and I (along with his oldest brother) lived downtown.   I showed him the park we used to frequent, where we got our Christmas trees every year, and as we drove I talked to him about our visits to Grant Park, Navy Pier, Lincoln Park Zoo, the hospital where his brother, our middle son was born.  Through the rear view mirror, I could see his face was filled with the most thoughtful expression.  I realized he was processing the fact that there was a history of our family that he shared but had not experienced.  He didn't know exactly how , but Chicago was a part of him.   As I watched my son, I thought about the way families p...

Many years ago, I was leading a study at my church entitled Experiencing God .  There was a moment in the study when I invited the group to talk about times when they struggled to understand why God allowed suffering and pain.  Most of the members shared their own stories--seasons of their life when they had more questions for God than answers.  But there was one couple who seemed perplexed by the exercise.  Finally, the man spoke up.  "We've never doubted God for a second," he said. His wife nodded in agreement.  "We always just assume that God knows what he's doing," she added.  As we dug deeper, I soon realized that their dogged belief really stemmed from something that they had been taught when they were very young:  Never. Question. God.  That sweet couple in my Bible study had a very simple image of God.  In their belief system, God's wider view affords God wisdom we'll never attain.  God is God, we are not.  The...