Overheard Yesterday
"Some churches preach so much Gospel, people are confused --
all they seem to know about is grace, grace, grace.
I'm sick of all the grace-talk,"
the person at the neighboring table lamented to his breakfast companion.
I had never heard the word "grace"
angrily growled through gritted teeth
before yesterday.
I had never thought of the preaching
of the Good News of God's grace
as a possible source of confusion.
But then again, God's grace is confusing...
And the clearest evidence
that we are confused about grace is...
our unceasing attempts to demonstrate
to God and one another that...
We are capable of earning it, or
that we inherently deserve it.
"Some churches preach so much Gospel, people are confused --
all they seem to know about is grace, grace, grace.
I'm sick of all the grace-talk,"
the person at the neighboring table lamented to his breakfast companion.
I had never heard the word "grace"
angrily growled through gritted teeth
before yesterday.
I had never thought of the preaching
of the Good News of God's grace
as a possible source of confusion.
But then again, God's grace is confusing...
And the clearest evidence
that we are confused about grace is...
our unceasing attempts to demonstrate
to God and one another that...
We are capable of earning it, or
that we inherently deserve it.
posted by FrGaryB | 6:34 AM
5 Comments:
Or that someone else can't get it.
Typical semi-Pelagian Episcopalian here! (waves madly)
Though really, I doubt there is much "semi" about it.
Still working on that.
For my semi-Pelagian friend...
God's grace as a theological concept is too easily confused these days with open-ended, unencumbered divine permission-giving that includes no expectation of conversion.
My read on grace is that it opens the door for the conversion of the whole person...a conversion that lasts a lifetime...a conversion that is worked (yes, I said "worked"!) out within the boundedness of community.
But conversion as a humble and grateful response to the gift of grace can't be substituted for the gift itself....
Wave on!
I am tempted to say "Yes, but..."
I won't though.
Speaking (sort of) of cheap grace, how disappointed am I to have missed Joel Osteen coming to our neck of the woods this weekend? Oh so disappointed. I could have seen the quality religious marketing of which the guy in Episcopal Life was so enamoured.
There was a huge front-page article in the local mullet wrapper about JO and his new book, "Become a Better You." Seems that (some) people prefer that flavor of Christianity to the sort presented in, say, "The Cost of Discipleship." Of course, no one is going to hang Joel Osteen with piano wire for preaching a Gospel of a Better You.
PS Sorry, sorry, sorry for the double-comment but a relevant Eliot quotation popped into my head.
"...The blood of the martyrs not shed once for all,
The lives of the Saints not given once for all:
But the Son of Man is crucified always
And there shall be Martyrs and Saints.
And if blood of Martyrs is to flow on the steps
We must first build the steps;
And if the Temple is to be cast down
We must first build the Temple."
(Choruses..., VI)
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