NOVEMBER LETTER TO THE CHURCH

Dear Friends in Christ,

I sit down to write this article on October the 25th. I realize that one month from today will be Thanksgiving. Two months from today will be Christmas. And yet, the World Series has not started. The first game will be on October the 27th.

Is there something wrong with this picture? Has time suddenly become all mixed up? Or were things that crazy all along? And it sure feels like it will be a very short time between now and Christmas. How will I ever cope?

In a recent conversation with my brother— these days we converse more by e-mail than by phone— because of a newspaper article I shared with him about the era when we were children, he and I were remembering those times of childhood we spent together. He opined that “Life was sure simpler back then!” I wrote back: “Was it simpler or did we know less?”

So, is my brother right? Were things simpler? Or was I merely able to place myself in the shoes of my parents and recognize that their life— they were a part of that group sometimes dubbed The Greatest Generation— was as complex as ours is now? And did they feel as pressured as I sometimes feel?

In a study of the Book of Genesis, literary scholar Gary A. Rendsburg of Rutgers University (he does not look at the theological, but does analyze the writing) references the presence of the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden story and says this: “The main issue... for the ancient Israelites, the main quest, was knowledge and not eternal life.”

As I said, he does not look at theology and I think that statement is only partially true. I believe theology is addressed in the quest for knowledge.

Indeed, the theology of knowledge is perhaps missed by most. I want to suggest it is hard to grow without knowledge. And growth is an important aspect of our life with God.

I also want to suggest (as many have before me), that the core business of the church is transforming lives. For Christians, studying Scripture and being renewed by worship can be the catalyst for Christian transformation. That transformation, in turn, empowers mission.

For me it is, therefore, an obvious point that knowledge is an important component in transformation, in this journey called our life with God. The journey is not easy. We are daily faced with many changes, especially cultural changes. (Do you want to communicate with young people? Better have a Facebook Account, a Web Site, e-mail and the ability to send text messages.)

However, if there is a willingness on the part of the leadership of a church (both lay and ordained) to help guide the community of faith in coping with the cultural challenges we face in our era, the benefits can be bountiful. And, perhaps the best way to start this journey is by asking questions about ‘who we are.’

And the questions a church needs to ask, questions like ‘who are we today?’ and ‘what can I do to help others today?’ have the potential to change lives, especially our own lives, because they tend to challenge us, our culture and also ask questions about how we fit into the culture.

Again, we need to be mindful of the fact that there is no easy path to positive outcomes when we start to ask questions which have the potential to help. Indeed, there are no glib answers. There is no free lunch. (God is not Santa Claus; 21st Century culture tends to confuse God and Santa Claus.)

That is, in fact, why I think the image of knowledge is of theological import. There is no free lunch. Transformation does require growth and change. Knowledge only empowers that.

To say life is more complex now than it was for our parents or for the Israelites misses the point of our life with God. Growth is the place to which God calls us. Growth in knowledge is an aspect of a true spirituality.

It has never seemed to be that passivity is a successful path to pursue as a life strategy. Hence, it seems to me that active participation, active engagement in all aspect of our life is a fruitful and faithful way to live.

Is knowledge theological? Yes. Why? We need to engage knowledge, engage in life, engage those around us, engage in a constant dialogue with God. (Dialogue with God— that’s called prayer!)

So, what will happen if we, in this church engage in the practice of transformation and growth, empowered by knowledge? You tell me.

In Faith,

Joe Connolly