Musings on ISIS and Hell

I happened upon a short blog post written by Benjamin L. Corey on Patheos this morning.  Why ISIS Should Make Christians Rethink the Doctrine of Hell. It “puts a face with a name” concerning the fiery doctrine of hell...eternal conscious torment.

We’ve all seen the pictures. They’ve been plastered all over Facebook, in the news, on “start pages” like AOL (yes, AOL still exists) and Yahoo. The single, lone pilot, caged, in anguish, as the flames advance toward him. I don’t know if the whole video is available anywhere online but if it is, I could never watch it. I can’t even watch fake torture on shows like 24 and The Blacklist. And now there are sources saying ISIS is threatening to burn 17 Kurdish fighters….and even some claims about burning children alive. Hideous...horrible….soul sucking….heartbreaking evil.

As the article points out, ISIS is not the first to use fire as an instrument of death and torture. Christians were quite fond of using it against their enemies. Even just their theological enemies. Let’s not forget that atrocities were committed by followers of Jesus all down through Christian history. The Inquisition, the Witch Hunts, the Crusades.

For a long list of these atrocities…..“events that solely occurred on command of church authorities or were committed in the name of Christianity,” check out THIS ARTICLE. If you are skeptical, think of the list as a starting point for further research. I don’t want to see Christianity blackballed NOR whitewashed, it’s sins hidden.  As followers of Jesus, we are obligated to learn from the mistakes of our Christian predecessors. There are many variations of the oft repeated quote, “Learn from history or repeat it.” We are obligated to expose and denounce (and learn from) any and all atrocities committed in the name of Jesus.

I’ve written about topics like this beforeon this blog. Extremism is the problem and, all too often, the extremism is based on religious theology/ideology. Christians are not exempt and, in fact, are some of the worst offenders.

But I digress….

Back to the topic of ISIS, hell and our Heavenly Father.

Corey says this:

But here’s the irony of it all: while we find burning people alive morally repulsive when ISIS does it, most Christians seem to have no moral qualms about believing in a God they think will do precisely that.

And not only does he burn people alive, he uses his “special powers” to keep them conscious and burning (but not consumed) for all eternity. The traditional concept of a hell….eternal conscious torment... orchestrated by God…..is a heinous doctrine that besmirches the character and nature of the God Jesus spoke of and represented. “If you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the Father.”

For many of us, hell is the bitterest pill to swallow when embracing traditional Christianity. I didn’t….couldn’t….swallow the pill. I researched and prayed and studied until, like William Barclay, I was a “convinced universalist.” Sadly, there are some Christians who seem to revel in the concept of God burning his enemies  (enemies who, coincidentally, look just like their own personal enemies) in hell forEVER. Try to take their hell away and they are pissed. I’ve witnessed it.

One of my favorite stories in the Gospels

51 When the days were approaching for His ascension, He was determined to go to Jerusalem; 52 and He sent messengers on ahead of Him, and they went and entered a village of the Samaritans to make arrangements for Him. 53 But they did not receive Him, because He was traveling toward Jerusalem.54 When His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them 55 But He turned and rebuked them, [and said, “You do not know what kind of spirit you are of; 56 for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.”] And they went on to another village. Luke 9:51-56

Jesus rebuked them...and even though some early manuscripts skip the “spirit you are  of” part, I think this passage highlights a question we should all answer. If we derive any kind of satisfaction from the doctrine of hell it is time to take a good long look at what is in our heart to see if it lines up with what Jesus had to say here.

A newer translation, The Voice, sums it up...

Jesus (turning toward them and shaking His head): You just don’t get it.

Do the next thing….

He went out not knowing whither he went.  Hebrews 11:8

I happened upon this verse the other day….at the gym…in a devotional book I downloaded a while back from Project Gutenberg. The devotional is called My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year by John Henry Jowett…copywrite 1914. 

The verse is talking about Abraham…when he was still Abram….when God called him out of Ur. The Amplified Bible words it thusly….

[Urged on] by faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed and went forth to a place which he was destined to receive as an inheritance; and he went, although he did not know or trouble his mind about where he was to go.

The devotional goes on….

ABRAM began his journey without any knowledge of his ultimate destination.

He took “one step,” and he did not “ask to see the distant scene.” And that is faith, to do God’s will here and now, quietly leaving the results to Him.

I am so totally, completely not there yet….spiritually speaking….because I do trouble my mind and I do want to know where I am going.  And where my kids are going…and where Keith is going…..where the economy is going….where the world is going (it is 2012 afterall…the legendary doomsday year)

I’m not much for the one step at a time, give no thought to the morrow….sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof stuff.  I want to see the distant scene…

Or at least I think I do… even while grudgingly admitting that God, in his mercy, only lets us see so far down the dark path. 

Whatever. 

And then, totally by happenstance, I came upon an interview with Elizabeth Elliot that complemented this Abram thing.  (Truth be told, it might have been visa versa….the interview first and then the devotional…can’t remember….and God is always doing stuff like that to…for….me)

Elizabeth Elliot was widowed twice and is no stranger to heartache.  Her first husband, Jim Elliot was murdered by the Auca tribe when they were missionaries in South America. She went on to live with the tribe responsible for the death of her husband for several years after that. 

Her second husband died of cancer….a much slower death…and that experience was the subject of the interview.  She credits something she learned from her mother with getting her though those days

For the first few weeks my husband did the driving. Then he was too tired, too worn out, too weak, and I did the driving. It was my job. My job was also housework, laundry, meals, encouragement, trying to move as methodically as I possibly could from one thing to another. And I had learned a principle from my mother many years before--do the next thing.

Reminds me of another quote….one that I actually wrote a post about a while back. Thomas Carlyle said,

"Do the duty which lies nearest thee. Thy second duty will have become clearer."

And it isn’t necessarily the things that appear to be the biggest, grandest, earth shakingly important things that make the most impact.  The trick just might be to obey the leading of the spirit within….

The devotional closes with this:

“Thou has laid Thine hand upon me.” That is enough, just to feel the pressure of the guiding hand.

OH MY GOD, the movie....2

This afternoon, Keith and I watched the movie I mentioned in my last post.  Oh My God.  It was a documentary....just like it advertised itself to be.  I was intrigued by the far flung and diverse opinions of God expressed by the folks around the globe....from many walks of life.....believers of many different religions. It included the opinion of a devout fundamentalist evangelical Christian (Tim LaHaye) and the almost carbon copy, other side of the same coin.....devout fundamentalist kill the infidel Muslim (who both were quick to express their belief that anyone from another faith system...other than theirs, of course....were going straight to hell. 

Another part of the movie that intrigued/repulsed me was the sacrifice of a live goat....snapping the bones....skinning it.  Pretty much what you might have seen if you stepped back into the pages of the Old Testament when blood sacrifice was rampant.  The group was an African tribe...who had converted to Christianity but still believed sacrifices were necessary. 

It showed one particularly unlikely pair of friends walking hand in hand....arm in arm.  A rabbi and a Muslim cleric....outside of Palestine....where Jews and Muslims are not supposed to be friends. 

If you get a chance it's worth the 90 minutes it takes to watch the movie.  It doesn't give definitive answers...but stimulates questions that just might lead us a bit closer to our own answers to the question the movie revolved around....."what is God?"

Choose Your Contradiction….

I came upon a snippet in an essay I was rereading this week…for the umpteenth time,The Voice of the Good Shepherd on the God Quest website.  I highly recommend the essay…and all the other writings on the website. 

This article deals with the “two voices” running throughout scripture' (mainly the Old Testament) where in one passage God gives meticulous instructions about the who, what, when and where concerning sacrifice and in another passage God asks incredulously….WHO told you to do that?

What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the LORD; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats. When you come to appear before me, who asked this from your hand?

There are numerous….hundreds….of places where the Bible contradicts itself.  God bashers delight in these contradictions. This “proves” to them that the Bible is nothing but a collection of hogwash.   

If taken at face value, the Old Testament God is pyscho to the nth degree….and detestable, as voiced by Thomas Paine in The Age of Reason. 

"Whenever we read the obscene stories, the voluptuous debaucheries, the cruel and tortuous executions, the unrelenting vindictiveness, with which more than half the Bible is filled, it would be more consistent that we called it the word of a demon than the word of God. It is a history of wickedness, that has served to corrupt and brutalize mankind; and, for my part, I sincerely detest it, as I detest everything that is cruel."

The Bible is written to the spiritual man (a head nod to Keith, who first taught me this concept) but the problem is that in this realm, our understanding is tainted by our carnality.  And we twist and adapt and interpret the words of scripture to fit our beliefs. 

It’s a cliché, and oft repeated, but you truly can prove anything from the Bible.  And volumes have been written propping up bullshit theologies using the words of scripture as the basis. 

The snippet, I came upon in this insightful essay…..

Choose your contradiction. 

Because in fact, we all do.  We focus on the verses that prop up our (bullshit?) theologies and ignore, or explain away or trivialize the verses that do not conform to our beliefs. 

WE. ALL. DO. IT.

That’s because the veil has not been completely rent…and our spiritual understanding is sometimes contaminated by our carnal thinking. 

My personal benchmark for interpreting scripture is to filter everything in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation through the image of the invisible God who has been revealed to us by Jesus.

My friend annie…her filter is “God is Light. God is Love. And in Him there is no darkness.”

We all have our filters.  We all have our blinders.  We all choose our contradictions.  Choose carefully.  Choose prayerfully. 

A Sufficient Realization of Love…..

I’ve been sorting through (and compiling) a lot of old files and writings that I have stashed on various programs here and there and everywhere.  On my computer…..flashdrives…in Zoho Docs and Zoho Notebook…on this blog (published and in draft form)…saved in Evernote and Mozilla Scrapbook….and my most recent favorites, Springpad, Dropbox and Sugar Sync.

(My ultimate goal is to write an E-book…more on that in an upcoming post)

One of the benefits of going through old stuff is finding lost treasures that have new meaning, especially when combined with snippets and excerpts and original thoughts from more recent eras. 

This post is a compilation of just such a mish mash.  And it deals with the atonement.  One of my pet topics….

God may thunder His commands from Mount Sinai and men may fear, yet remain at heart exactly as they were before. But let a man once see his God down in the arena as a Man--suffering, tempted, sweating, and agonized, finally dying a criminal's death--and he is a hard man indeed who is untouched.

- J.B. Phillips, "Your God Is Too Small

Not untouched….nor ultimately unchanged. So unlike the substitutionary/penal satisfaction view of the atonement that declares a sin- offended God must extract his pound of flesh before he can forgive us. 

But God was in Christ…reconciling the world…

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends

and…..

…a sufficient realization of love breaks down all barriers and melts the hardest heart…... 

Love Will Conquer
There is no difficulty that enough love will not conquer;
no disease that enough love will not heal;
no door that enough love will not open;
no gulf that enough love will not bridge;
no wall that enough love will not throw down;
no sin that enough love will not redeem . . .
It makes no difference how deeply seated may be the trouble;
how hopeless the outlook;
how muddled the tangle;
how great the mistake.
A sufficient realization of love will dissolve it all.
If only you could love enough you would be the happiest and most powerful being in the world . . .
Emmet Fox

A sufficient realization of love will dissolve it all….

The Raven Foundation Revisited

Back in 2008, I wrote a post about a new (then) site that focused on mimesis, mimetic rivalry and Girard’s theory called The Raven Foundation.  By (divers and sundry) happenstance  I found myself there again tonight. 

My how they’ve grown!!!

There is so much information there for anyone interested in learning about mimetic rivalry.  There are a lot of links at the top of the page.  Hover over and a drop down list appears with a plethora of links to blogs, movie reviews, events, online study guides that all deal with Girard’s theory of mimesis, mimetic rivalry and scapegoating.  The focus is on how an understanding of mimetic rivalry can further the cause of peace on earth, goodwill to men. 

It really is worth a visit….but if you explore even a few of the many resources available there.  plan to stay awhile.

Oh and a side note…in my original blog post….several years ago, I linked to an article called Girard For Dummies.  It is now a dead link and unfortunately, I can’t find the article anywhere else online. 

Passing Adam food through the slot….

I'm spending the weekend at my mom's....which means "no internet access w/o a trip to McD's"  I was there for an hour or so this morning but they had the a/c so low, I was absolutely frozen when I left.  So, here in my mom’s apartment, I've been going through notes, snippets, copies of web pages, blog ideas, quotes etc. etc. etc. that I have saved on my computer.  I keep coming up with more ideas for posts than I will probably ever have time to write about. 

This one just struck my fancy, taken from a blog called the Four Mass'keteers…a Catholic leaning blog (evidenced by the name--the "Mass"keteers....which I never noticed till just now) I liked the following snippet from a recent post....that originally came from a daily meditation on The Magnificant, a site I've never visited but may....later.... when I get within broadcasting range of a wifi router......

First the snippet….

Snippet>>>>>>>>>

The Magnificat has a meditation today, as they do everyday, that one should contemplate on for hours allowing the words to touch our hearts, our souls - to melt the ice at the center of our beings...

Yielding To The Holy Spirit
Tears are the humble, created water of my heart that corresponds to the powerful uncreated water of the Spirit’s life in me. Tears are perhaps the most rejuvenating and re-creating water of all, the evidence that I have allowed grace to melt the ice at the center of my being.

As Leon Bloy says strikingly, where there are tears, there is the Holy Spirit, because the Spirit of God is always, as at the beginning, “hovering over the waters”

What areas of my life are still rigid, refusing to yield resistance and be shaped by God’s fingers? “Flecte quod est rigidum,” we pray in the Veni, sancte Spiritus.

In what parts of my person do I still allow the old inflexible grouch of sin to have his way?  Each one of us, according to our state in life, has different strategies for allowing the old Adam and Eve to survive in us. We may have that rascal, the decrepit old self, locked away safely, but surreptitiously we still pass him food through the slot in the dungeon door, do we not?

A couple of phrases in this short meditation captured my attention…. 

Melting the ice at the center of our being.

and…..

Each one of us, according to our state in life, has different strategies for allowing the old Adam and Eve to survive in us. We may have that rascal, the decrepit old self, locked away safely, but surreptitiously we still pass him food through the slot in the dungeon door, do we not?

"Adam doesn't want to die"....

Keith used to say that now and then when we talked about spiritual things. I didn't really understand it then...still don't really get it....not completely.  This separation in us--the true and the mistaken identity....spiritual/ carnal....adamic/christ...this “two natures beat inside my breast” concept....but I have a deeper understanding now than I did then.

So Adam doesn't want to die and apparently "we" don't want to kill him.  But he’s gotta’ go, the Bible is clear on that, and tells us to crucify "the rascal." 

If we have any hope of killing him off, we've got to stop passing him food through the slot.  I alluded to a poem above....written, I think, by Ray Prinzing....

Two natures beat within my breast

One is cursed, the other blessed

One I love, one I hate

The one I FEED will dominate......

Hmmmmmm. 

Christians gone stark, raving mad…

I came upon a story earlier today…on several blogs…outraged at Stephen Bishop, a pastor in Russiaville, Indiana.  Apparently at last week’s children’s sermon, he decided to use some dramatic methods to spark the evangelistic zeal of the church’s youth. 
Quoting the pastor on FB (page..now private and unavailable, but there are some screen shots HERE and HERE and HERE)
“Well, yesterday's sermon was a big hit! We had a mass execution of feeder fish that I pulled out of a fish tank and then threw all over the floor. The kids were in shock and then started to pic[sic] them up and put them back into the fish tank. Obviously, most of them died in the effort...the point however was made that they cared more about .15 cent feeder fish then[sic] they do about their friends dying w/o Christ.”


He defended his methods…and the non-worth of the fish…and gave a lot of lip service to justify his methods.  He also claimed that the elders of the church approved the demonstration.  There is a big, long list of comments (mostly negative) and the original post…about this pastor’s actions on reddit. 
Google it if you want to read more.  Just another example of Christians gone mad in their methods to win the world to Christ.  Geeez.  I’m sure Jesus is so proud…..

Jello Christmas…

No...not a recipe...but a story I read years ago in a Christmas edition of Woman's Day magazine.  Long before I was ever on the internet.  I think I wrote it out longhand and included it in my Christmas cards that year.  I googled it yesterday at work...after it popped into my head....initiated by a sentimental email thing that hit my inbox yesterday.  I am pretty sure it is a totally true story.  Like I said, I first happened upon it, in a hard copy Woman's Day magazine.  I still find it very touching....

JELLO CHRISTMAS

  By Sandra Bateman, American Fork, Utah

     It was but a few short days until Christmas in 1966. Two young elders of the Mormon Church walked the streets of Laredo, Texas, knocking on doors in search of someone who would listen to their gospel message. No one, it seemed, in the entire city had time to hear the teachings of the Savior, so intent were they that the celebration of His birth should suit their own purposes.

     Filled with discouragement, the two young men turned their backs to the approaching twilight and began the long walk home. Retracing their steps of the afternoon, they came upon a low, wind-swept riverbank. Jutting from its brow stood the barest means of a shelter, constructed of weathered wooden slats and large pieces of cardboard. Strangely, they felt moved to go to the door and knock.

     A small, olive-skinned child with tangled black hair and large dark eyes answered. Her mother appeared behind her, a short, thin woman with a tired but warm smile. In her rich Spanish alto, she invited the young men to come in and rest awhile. They were made welcome and seated on the clean-swept floor. The little one-room shanty seemed to be filled with shy, smiling, dark-eyed children. The mother proudly introduced each of them--eight in all—and each in turn quickly bobbed his or her head.
     The young men were deeply moved at the extreme poverty they saw. No one in the family had shoes, and their clothes were ill-fitting and in condition beyond mending. The walls of the little home showed daylight between the wooden slats, and eight little rolls of bedding were pressed tightly into the cracks to help keep out the draft until they were needed for sleeping. A small round fire pit dug in one corner marked the kitchen. An odd assortment of chipped dishes and pots were stacked beside an old ice chest, and a curtained-off section with a cracked porcelain tub served as the bathing area. Except for these the room was barren.

     The mother told how her husband had gone north to find employment. He had written that he had found a job of manual labor and that it took most of his small wage to pay his board and room.  But, she told the young men, he had managed to save fifty cents to send them for Christmas, with which she had purchased two boxes of fruit gelatin. It was one of the children's favorites and would make a special treat on Christmas day.

     The next morning, as soon as the local shops opened, the young men hurried to the dime store and purchased as many crayons, cars, trucks and little inexpensive toys as they could afford. Each was carefully wrapped in brightly colored paper and all were put in a large grocery bag.

     That evening the two young men took their gifts to the shanty on the riverbank. When they knocked, the mother swung the door open wide and invited them in. They stepped inside and in halting Spanish explained to the children that they had seen Santa and he had been in such a hurry, he'd asked if they would deliver his gifts to the children for him.
     With cries of delight the children scrambled for the bag, spilling its contents upon the floor and quickly dividing the treasured packages. Silently the mother's eyes filled with tears of gratitude. She stepped forward to clasp tightly one of each of the young men's hands in hers. For long moments she was unable to speak. Then, with tears still welling from her eyes, she smiled and said, "no one ever has been so kind. You have given us a special gift, the kind of love that lights Christmas in the heart. May we also give you a special gift?" From the corner of the room she drew out the two small boxes of fruit gelatin and handed them to the young men.  Then all eyes were moist. All knew the true meaning of giving, and none would ever forget that at Christmas, the greatest gift of all
was given.
    (NOTE: This story won 1st Prize in the 'Woman's Day' Greatest
    Gift Contest.)

The Problem of Good….?

Many..many times...on many, many lists and message boards, I've participated in discussions about the POE. 
The. problem. of. evil. 
Suffering. Disasters. Disease. Pain. Loss. Heartache.
In my web meanderings I came across a quote I thought was kind of interesting...looking at it from a different angle....

The older ways of talking about evil tended to pose the puzzle as a metaphysical or theological conundrum. If there is a God, and if he is a good, wise and supremely powerful god, why is there such a thing as evil? Even if you're an atheist, you face the problem: Is this world a sick joke, which contains some things that make us think it's a wonderful place, and other things which make us think it's an awful place, or what? You could of course call this the problem of good, rather than the problem of evil: If the world is the chance assembly of accidental phenomena, why is there so much that we want to praise and celebrate? Why is there beauty, love, and laughter?

To read more from the article God, 9/11, the Tsunami, and the New Problem of Evil…where this quote came from…go HERE.

And I recently posted about Greg Boyd.  In that sermon marathon I talked about in my post…that I listened to on my way to Ellwood City, there was one called The Gospel of Suffering that I thought was pretty good.  You can find it HERE.

The POE...not something we are all likely to agree upon anytime soon. 

Faith vs. Works??

Okay, changing the topic a bit....I wrote the following post a week or so ago when I was visiting my mom for a few days.....

For the past few days, I’ve been visiting my mom in a small town in Western Pennsylvania…Ellwood City. It’s economy went down the crapper back when the steel mills packed up and left and it’s never really recovered. Still it is cleaner and more thriving than many towns in this area and I’ve lived here off and on throughout my life. As a baby…as a child…even as a young adult. I would probably never move back to Ellwood, but it feels “"homey” to me in some ways.

My mom is not into technology…proof of that…..she doesn’t even own a TV. Nope, no TV…and no computer. No computer equals no internet. I’ve been without internet for four days….except for my daily pilgrimages to the closest McDonald’s. (fyi…McD’s has free wifi at most of it's locations across the country. Easy to connect to with a minimum of fiddling with the wifi settings on your computer. And they have great coffee…equaling Starbucks or Dunkin’ in quality but cheaper )

For the times, I knew I would not be hanging out at McD's, I downloaded a few websites (using a nifty free app called Backstreet Browser) to read offline. One was an eclectic site called The Nazarene Way…lots of obscure, odd writings there. The other site was Richard Beck’s blog, Experimental Theology. I’ve spent most of my offline web browsing at Experimental Theology checking out the archives. I’ve come across a lot that has resonated, piqued or stirred….and I plan to write about some of the topics here on my blog…..beginning with this one.

On Being a Practicing Christian: Orthodoxy and Orthopraxy – 6/23/06

New word for me…orthopraxy. But not a new concept to me or to Christianity. Actually, it's been the topic of much debate down through the centuries.

Faith vs. works. Right belief or right action. Faith IN Jesus or the faith OF Jesus. Orthodoxy or Orthopraxy?

The Bible is not silent on the issue. Trouble is, like most issues the Bible addresses, there are conflicting views both laid out in scripture.

James addresses it head on in James 2....

14What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? 15Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, 16and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? 17So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.

So does Paul….

(Ephesians 2:8-9) - "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast."

And so does Richard Beck on his blog

For me, beliefs are like the tides, they ebb and flow. But how I treat my neighbor, how I practice my faith, should be constant and unchanging.

"How can you be actively engaged at church, call yourself a Christian, and be agnostic?" I responded, "Easy. You're a practicing Christian." The students responded, "What? How can you be a practicing Christian? If you don't believe then you are not a Christian." I responded, "Well, what about times when your faith fails or falters? Wouldn't continuing to practice Christianity during that dark time help keep your faith alive while you struggled? If so, practicing Christianity might actually be more important, more vital, than believing in Christianity.

Comments? 

The Duty That Lies Nearest Revisited…..

I've been thinking about the tribe I wrote about in my last post.  In a land a world away, in both culture and distance, they felt moved to make a huge sacrifice to help the people of New York City.  In the scheme of things, it is really a drop in the bucket....yet, like the widow in scripture who gave sacrificially, it is huge. It seems to me that it was an act of generosity and compassion that was divinely inspired.  One of those acts Ephesians declares we were created for....

For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. NIV

A while back I wrote a post about the "duty that lies nearest."  In it, I quoted an essay on the God Quest site:

But when we are able to hear God’s voice, what will God say to us? I believe God gives every person, eventually, the ability to live in two beautifully simple ways. He gives us all the ability to be faithful to the highest that we know; and, the ability to “do the duty that lies nearest” (Carlyle) as his Spirit reveals to us individually, simple opportunities to obey him in love.

 God has given everyone a “measure of faith.” Some people apparently have more than others. Are we faithful to the highest we know? Are we willing to do the duty that lies nearest—in the “now”? God is faithful to speak to each of us in these ways as we “image” God within us with a sense of His acceptance, love and kindness for us.

Being faithful to the highest we know is to know Him! This is Eternal Life; that is, to know of God’s nature, and to let Him imbue us with it. It is a state of heart that is able to enjoy the quality of eternal life right now. After all, all we have is “now” and eternal life can be enjoyed in the present. It finds its expression in obedience: doing the duty that lies nearest. This could involve writing a letter we have had intentions of writing, a phone call we’ve been meaning to make, forgiving a person who needs our forgiveness. God is faithful to continually prompt within us “duties” that we may in turn commit as love-offerings to Him. But this requires holy imagination—the ability to see God as he is. No one who has seen God for who He is, can live; that is, live in ones former ways of selfishness and fear.

And what is the duty that lies nearest?  I don't think it is necessarily the duty that is nearest geographically.  No...perhaps it is the duty that likes nearest to our heart, as in when God "lays it on our hearts" to do something.  To do one of those good works prepared for us to walk in?  The quote about the duty that lies nearest is by Thomas Carlyle

Do the duty which lies nearest to you, the second duty will then become clearer.

Keith has said many times that being obedient to the voice of God is the main thing in our Christian walk and overshadows all the woulda' coulda' shoulda's others impose upon us (and we impose upon ourselves)


I am also reminded of a true story by Loren Eiseley...one that has been retold in many forms all of which carry the profound meaning related in the original.  It is from his book, The Star Thrower.   I will include it in this post, copied and pasted from a site called Bella Online...written by Deanna Joseph

The Starfish Story
adapted from The Star Thrower
by Loren Eiseley
1907 - 1977
Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.

 One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.

As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.
 

He came closer still and called out "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?"

 The young man paused, looked up, and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean."

 "I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" asked the somewhat startled wise man.

 To this, the young man replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."

Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!"
At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, "I made a difference to that one!"

Few stories have gained internet popularity the way "The Star Thrower" has. Most often it's sighted as "author unknown," but it is actually a classic from 1979 written by Loren Eiseley, who has been hailed as a modern day Henry David Thoreau.
 

Loren Eiseley was both a scientist and a poet, and to this day his writing is the subject of much discussion and inspiration. In this story he is the "wise man" touched by the innocence and determination of another soul.

"The Star Thrower" is a classic story of the power within each one of us to make a difference in the lives of others. And though it has appeared in many forms (sometimes it's a native american man who is throwing the starfish into the sea, sometimes it's a grandfather, or a young girl or boy) it is none the less a powerful reminder that we should be here for each other, and to seek to help, even in small ways, whenever we can.

In such turbulent times as these, when we may feel alone and small and unable to make any lasting changes we may find ourselves asking "What can I do that will make a difference?" or "What can one small person like me do?"

In reality we don't have to be rich, talented or even particularly intelligent to make a difference in the life of another. We just need to remember that we ARE here for a purpose, and that making small changes in the world eventually add up to something bigger in the life of another.

When we become throwers of the stars, we too, have the power to change the world

God is just as much in your enemy as in your closest friend…..

We’ve been busy.  We went away this weekend…back to Uniontown to a church thing at the United Christian Temple, the church our friends Susan and Galen Winebrenner pastor.  We were blessed by the fellowship and the message.  They are wonderful people. 

But I’ve fallen a bit behind in the series I was writing…

This morning while surfing about willy nilly on the web, I came upon a rather odd yoga blog…I happened upon a writing about friendship by Paramhansa Yogananda From Clarity Magazine - Winter, 2006. 

It kind of fits with what I’m writing about….by making us think about who is (or who should be) our friend.  Copy and paste of several excerpts below…

Extend the boundaries of your friendship-
True friendship is broad and inclusive. Family love is merely one of the first lessons in the Divine Teacher’s “Course in Friendliness,” intended to prepare your heart for an all-inclusive love. Extend the boundaries of your love to include your neighbors, your community, your country, and all countries.
Consider no one a stranger. Feel that the life-blood of God is circulating in the veins of all races. We are Americans or Hindus for just a few years, but we are God’s children forever. The soul cannot be confined within man-made boundaries.

The antidote to all hatred-
There are people you see each day for whom you feel no sympathy. Learn to adapt to them, and to love them. Always practice loving those who do not love you, feeling for those who do not feel for you, and being generous to those who are generous only to themselves.
To be a true friend to all, you must learn to see that God is just as much in your enemy as in your closest friend. Constant contact with the Infinite in meditation will fill you with divine love, which alone enables you to love your enemies.
The heart’s love is the antidote all hatred. If someone is broadcasting hatred to you and you are tuned to that hatred, you will receive it, but if you are tuned to love, the hateful vibrations will not touch you.
You need not fawn on your enemy, but silently be of service to him whenever he is in need. If humility and apologies on your part bring out your enemy’s good qualities, by all means apologize.
The person who can do this will have attained a certain spiritual development, for it takes character to be able to apologize graciously and sincerely. Do not, however, encourage a wrong doer by being humble and apologetic.

And the really, really hard part…..

To be a true friend to all, you must learn to see that God is just as much in your enemy as in your closest friend. Constant contact with the Infinite in meditation will fill you with divine love, which alone enables you to love your enemies.

Teshuva - when you are the perp....

Another Hebrew word dealing with forgiveness is T'eshuva ...

I came across the following definition somewhere in my journeys but forgot to copy the source. ooops...

T’shuva has 8 steps, each of which starts with an “R” word.

regret, remorse, repent, resolve, right thing, restitution, rehabilitation, restoration.

1. Regret. Have regret for what you have done wrong.
2. Remorse. Express your remorse to the person you have wronged.
3. Repent. Decide not to do the hurtful behavior anymore.
4. Resolve. Express your resolve to the person you have harmed.
5. Right thing. Do the right thing and apologize, ask for forgiveness.
6. Restitution. Compensate the person for the wrong as best you can.
7. Rehabilitation. Change your behavior.
8. Restoration of relationship. If the person forgives you and chooses to reconcile.

Which reminds me of a fairly recent book coauthored by Gary Chapman who most folks know as the author of the well known "5 Languages of Love" books.  He sums up apologies...teshuva...in the following 5 ways:

1. Expressing Regret — "I am sorry."
2. Accepting Responsibility — "I was wrong."
3. Making Restitution — "What can I do to make it right?"
4. Genuinely Repenting — "I'll try not to do that again."
5. Requesting forgiveness — "Will you please forgive me?"

And another more consolidated list by Rabbi Shraga Simmons at aish.com. 

The process of teshuva involves the following four steps:

Step 1 - Regret. Realize the extent of the damage and feel sincere regret.

Step 2 - Cessation. Immediately stop the harmful action.

Step 3 - Confession. Articulate the mistake and ask for forgiveness.

Step 4 - Resolution. Make a firm commitment not to repeat it in the future.

And so...in the ebb and flow of life...sometimes we are the perp...sometimes we are the one "perpetrated" against.  Both have their own unique angst...yet both are remedied by the same solution....forgiveness.  

"With a little time, and a little more insight, we begin to see both ourselves and our enemies in humbler profiles. We are not really as innocent as we felt when we were first hurt. And we do not usually have a gigantic monster to forgive; we have a weak, needy, and somewhat stupid human being. When you see your enemy and yourself in the weakness and silliness of the humanity you share, you will make the miracle of forgiving a little easier." Lewis B. Smedes -Forgive & Forget: Healing the Hurts We Don't Deserve

"Forgiveness is the only way to break the cycle of blame--and pain--in a relationship...It does not settle all questions of blame and justice and fairness...But it does allow relationships to start over. In that way, said Solzhenitsyn, we differ from all animals. It is not our capacity to think that makes us different, but our capacity to repent, and to forgive." Philip Yancey

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Interview with Rene' Girard....

I digress...again.  This morning I followed a link on someone's facebook page to a you tube video of John Dominic Crossan discussing the differences between literalism and fundamentalism.  From there I clicked on some of the you tube videos in the side bar...always an eclectic mix there....and eventually ended up at a site called Fora TV.  I watched an interview with Rene' Girard....a recent interview that mentions text from his most recent book, Battling to the End.

He is difficult to listen to because of his strong French accent. I think that may be the reason his books are difficult to read.  They begin if French and are translated to English so they sometimes seem a bit stilted or awkwardly phrased.  I have gotten a lot more clarity from the writings of those who write about the anthropological discovery of Girard....mimesis and mimetic rivalry that leads to scapegoating. 

And Girard seems to be a "glass half empty" kind of guy too. He seems to have a pessimistic view of how it will all eventually work out.  In the interview he says:

Mankind has the truth and the reality of Christianity....and the truth has been there for 2000 years, but instead of moving ahead and becoming more widespread it is becoming more restricted.  Christianity is less and less popular every day.  It is accused of all sorts of things that smell very much like a scapegoating process.

He does not focus on positive mimesis which seems to me might work just as well as the negative.  Since we are mimetic creatures....born with this propensity to unconsciously copy the desires of others...it  enables us to participate in positive mimesis. 

I have read several articles that focus on the positive....and plan to write about it.  It is in the queue.

There was nothing really nothing startlingly new in this interview.  He pointed out that people not only imitate each other in their desires, but that they imitate each other in their dislikes and their feelings.  So when one member of a community caught in the throes of escalating violence caused by mimetic rivalry identifies one they feel is guilty of causing the crisis, it can spread quickly among the community.  It finally reaches a point where the community unanimously selects and converges on the scapegoat who  must be killed, banished or gotten rid of in some way. 

He also pointed out that even though in the ancient world the objects of desire were different, the structure of desire, the triangular relationship of desire object, model, subject are the same today. As is so rightly penned in Ecclesiastes which also seems to take a pessimistic view of thing...

What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.

Back to the spiritual side of Islam and the Quran...soon.....

God On Trial...

Another digression from the current series...a digression that was initially birthed as a digression from a series I was writing several months ago.  I started this post about "God on Trial" after watching the movie with Keith...but never got around to finishing it.

Imagine that.

I feel compelled to post it now because otherwise, it could get lost among the topics I want to post about someday....and also because it goes along with the posts I've written lately about Bonhoeffer.

  Like Bonhoeffer, the characters in God on Trial are in a Nazi prison camp.  They also have lots of unanswered questions.  True, the characters are fictitious but their questions are not.  They are as old as time.  Almost everyone has asked these same questions at some point or another. They have been whispered in imploring prayers.  They have been shouted angrily to the heavens. They have been used as proof by skeptics.

This movie is for anyone who has ever questioned the God of the Old Testament, the book of Job, the God who allows suffering and evil to exist in the world.  It tackles free will, and atheism, humanism, the covenant with the Jews.  This is all set against the bleak backdrop of a Nazi prison camp.

There is an interesting cast of characters.  Some are believers.  Some not.  Some are Jews.  Some not.  Some are honorable men. Some not. Among them are rabbis, fathers, sons, thieves, businessmen, craftsman, con men. 

During a morbid kind of lottery...where the group is separated into two smaller groups, half of them chosen for the gas chambers the next day.  The prisoners can only guess which group will live and which will die when morning comes.  It is the last night for some of them. 

How do they spend the night?  They put put God on trial.  They seek to decide for themselves, once and for all.... If God is good and all powerful, why is there evil?  If he can stop evil and does not is he good?  If he wants to stop the evil but cannot, is he all powerful? It is riveting

Following is a YouTube video...an eloquent 10 minute summation, given by Akiba, an old-fashioned Rabbi from the countryside. He is a Melamed, or religious teacher, and a healer who has committed holy writings to memory. Although quiet for most of the trial, when Akiba eventually speaks, everyone is drawn to him.

And does he ever say a mouthfull. He recites a a laundry list of many of the atrocities and unfair, cruel doings attributed to the God of the OT.  One does not have to look too hard to find many, many atrocities. 

Particularly poignant, is his comparison of their plight to the plights of some of the people Adonia's wrath was vented against in the OT.

He muses:

For the Egyptians, the Amalekites...what was it like for them when Adonai turned against them?  It was like this.

He asks (knowing full well the answer)

Today there was a selection, yes?  When David defeated the Moabites, what did he do?

Schmidt a well-educated Rabbi appointed the Father of the Court, replies:

He made them lie on the ground in lines and he chose one to live and two to die. 

Akiba continues:

We have become the Moabites.  We are learning how it was for the Amalekites.  They faced extinction at the hand of Adonai.  They died for his purpose.  They fell as we are falling.  They were afraid as we are afraid.  And what did they learn?  They learned that Adonai, the Lord our God, OUR God, is not good.  He is not good.  He was not ever good.  He was only on our side.

He goes on to talk about the Flood, God's demand of Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac.  He repeats the sad conviction he has come to about God...

He is not good...he has simply been strong.  He has simply been on our side. 

And he's not finished....

When we were brought here we were brought by train.  A guard slapped my face.  On their belts they had written  "God is with us."  Now who is to say he is not?  Perhaps he is.  Is there any other explanation?  What do we see here?  His power, his majesty, his might.  All these things...but turned against us.  He is still God...but not our God.  He has become our enemy....

That's what's happened to the covenant.  He has made a new covenant with someone else.

 

 

Plot spoiler...God does not fare well in the final verdict. 

I rewatched parts of the movie tonight.  It is available in its entirety in four parts HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE. 

Akiba's number is among those called to go to the gas chamber.  When another prisoner, one who has declared he does not believe in God, is also called, he panics and implores of Akiba, "What do we do now." And Akiba's answer?

Now, we pray...

And they covered their heads with their hands and prayed....and they continued to pray as they were led into the gas chambers to die...

Without quoting the chapter and verse, they demonstrated by their actions....as Job did....

Though he slay me, yet will I trust him.....

About Bonhoeffer's Religionless Christianity

So what exactly did religionless Christianity mean to Bonhoeffer?  He didn't have any hard and fast answers.  He was in the pondering stage.

How this religionless Christianity looks, what form it takes, is something that I'm thinking about a great deal, and I shall be writing to you again about it soon. It may be that on us in particular, midway between East and West, there will fall a heavy responsibility.

.......but he did say some things about it.  For one, he thought it would be religionless but not faithless.  

It will be a new language, perhaps quite non-religious, but liberating and redeeming as was Jesus' language; it will be the language of a new righteousness and truth, proclaiming God's peace with men and the coming of His kingdom.

That's pretty cool, don't you think?  Quite "non denominational."  In prison, he was drawn to the non denominational.....the religionless....

I often ask myself why a "Christian instinct" often draws me more to the religionless people than to the religious, by which I don't in the least mean with any evangelizing intention, but, I might almost say, "in brotherhood."

One thing that strikes me again and again: here one meets people as they are, away from the masquerade of the "Christian world", people with passions, criminal types, little people with little ambitions, little desires and little sins, all in all people who feel homeless in both senses of the word, who loosen up if one talks to them ~ a friendly way, real people; I can only say that I have gained the impression that it is just these people who are much more under grace than under wrath, and that it is the Christian world which is more under wrath than under grace .

It occurs to me that much of the Christian world is under wrath because they put themselves under wrath....with their "do this, don't do that, can't you read the sign"  theology. 

I've picked Beth up a couple of times near a run down "church" called "Freedom House." It advertises "spiritual deliverance" and "spiritual counseling." 

Somehow, I think freedom is not on the agenda at Freedom House.  There is this heavy aura surrounding it. The place gives me the creeps. 

Only half in jest, I told Beth she should not dilly dally when she passes by Freedom House...with her blue hair, tight, low riding jeans....octopus tattoos, a skull ring on her finger....wearing her "your God is dead" t-shirt.  Oh...and carrying a long board. (kidding...kidding....just using a bit of poetic license.  Her hair is not blue anymore.  It is a respectable shade of damaged brown.  And she hasn't worn the "dead God" T-shirt for ages...but we certainly made some memories with it in its heyday)  I think Freedom House might consider her a perfect candidate for a dose of spiritual deliverance...

But I digress.....

Bonheoffer goes on to say.....

While I'm often reluctant to mention God by name to religious people - because that name somehow seems to me here not to ring true, and I feel myself to be slightly dishonest (it's particularly bad when others start to talk in religious jargon; I then dry up almost completely and feel awkward and uncomfortable) - to people with no religion I can on occasion mention him by name quite calmly and as a matter of course. 

So it seems Bonhoeffer was looking beyond traditional Christianity and has been called a heretic by some. I think his faith remained to the end even though his foundations were being shaken.  The Holocaust and a year in a Nazi prison camp tends to rattle one's beliefs hard enough so only what cannot be shaken remains...

Last Bonhoeffer post tomorrow....

Verses from Isaiah....

On EU, Chris has suggested we do a Bible Study on the book of Isaiah.  He is leading a study at church and would like our (heretical :) perspectives.  He posted yesterday that as he read the first few chapters of Isaiah it seemed to be more of the same old, same old "repressive, theocratic religion"

Chris went on to say:

But then I was digging through some of the EU files and found this:  “I was sought by those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me…” (Isaiah 65:1).

Following is my reply....posted here not because it was brilliantly written or wittily worded...but because it contains wonderful verses from Isaiah...some that are echoed in the New Testament as well.  Post follows.  More on Bonhoeffer to come....

 

    

 

That verse goes on to say:

To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, 'Here am I, here am I.'

I love that.  Some of my favorite verses are in Isaiah...

Isa 25:8  He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it.

This same verse is repeated in Revelation....TWICE.  These are my favorite 3 verses in Scripture....

Rev 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

Rev 7:17  For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes

and another hopeful...universalist verse in Isaiah.....

Isaiah 45:22 Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.23 I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.

which is also repeated twice in the New Testament....my "second favorite" verses in Scripture...

Romans 14:11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.

Philippians 2:9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

And more from Isaiah.....66...

        3He who kills a bull is as if he slays a man;
        He who sacrifices a lamb, as if he breaks a dog's neck;
        He who offers a grain offering, as if he offers swine's blood;
        He who burns incense, as if he blesses an idol.
        Just as they have chosen their own ways,
        And their soul delights in their abominations,

And Isaiah Chapter 1:

  11"To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?"
        Says the LORD.
        "I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams
        And the fat of fed cattle.
        I do not delight in the blood of bulls,
        Or of lambs or goats.
        12"When you come to appear before Me,
        Who has required this from your hand,
        To trample My courts?
        13Bring no more futile sacrifices;
        Incense is an abomination to Me.
        The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies--
        I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting.
        14Your New Moons and your appointed feasts
        My soul hates;
        They are a trouble to Me,
        I am weary of bearing them.
        15When you spread out your hands,
        I will hide My eyes from you;
        Even though you make many prayers,
        I will not hear.
        Your hands are full of blood.

        16"Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean;
        Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes.
        Cease to do evil,
        17Learn to do good;
        Seek justice,
        Rebuke the oppressor; F8
        Defend the fatherless,
        Plead for the widow.
        18"Come now, and let us reason together,"
        Says the LORD,
        "Though your sins are like scarlet,
        They shall be as white as snow;
        Though they are red like crimson,
        They shall be as wool. 

Isaiah was farther along in progressive revelation than some of prophets that came before him. 

What About Dietrich Bonhoeffer?

Jack urged me to seek out more about Dietrich Bonhoeffer.  I spent a lot of the weekend doing just that.  I was intrigued by several things about him.  One, of course, was his self sacrifice. He had several opportunities to save himself. For a period of time during the Nazi rule, he lived in New York...and could have stayed, but he chose to return to his own country.  During his imprisonment, arrangements were made for his release...but because he feared it would endanger his family and his fiancee' he let the opportunity pass.  Quite courageous. 

Bonhoeffer is often referred to as a martyr.  He did not hide himself away and was an outspoken opponent to Hitler's regime. As early as 1933 when when he was only 26 years old while delivering a national radio address, he warned that a leader who makes himself an idol is a "misleader."  Before he could go on, they pulled the plug on the broadcast...and he established himself as an opponent of the Fuhrer.  He knew that (to coin his phrase) that the church might be called upon "to fall into the spokes of the wheel" to stop Hitler's war machine.  Sadly, that was his fate. 

Yet, although he was committed to his role in carrying out the assassination of Hitler,  he was never truly at peace about it.  Prior to the political upheaval and subsequent atrocities, he was a pacifist. 

The following snippets are from an online (free) e-book called The Third Testament that I happened upon while researching all this stuff.

His own position was the classic pacifist one. As late as 1934, at the Fanö ecumenical conference, he delivered a powerful address in the course of which he said, “Which of us can say he knows what it might  mean to the world if one nation should meet the aggressor not with weapons in hand, but defenseless, praying, and for that very reason protected by a ‘bulwark never failing’?”

And from Bishop Bell, a fellow conspirator...spoken at Bonhoeffer's memorial service

Of those solemn last talks I had with Dietrich I will say nothing further but this: deeply committed as he was to the plan for elimination, he was not altogether at ease as a Christian about such a solution. “There must be punishment by God,” he said. “We do not want to escape repentance. The elimination itself,” he urged, “must be understood as an act of repentance. Oh, we have to be punished, Christians do not wish to escape repentance or chaos, if God wills to bring it on us. We must endure this judgement as Christians.”

Yet, earlier in his life, in a conversation with his brother he said:

"There are things for which an uncompromising stand is worthwhile. And it seems to me that peace and social justice, or Christ himself, are such things" from a Testament to Freedom.

In one of his letters from prison he wrote:

May God in his mercy lead us through these times; but above all, may he lead us to himself.

His story is well known...it is not a plot spoiler to write about the end of the story...when God did lead Bonhoeffer to himself when he was executed by hanging in a Nazi military prison.  H. Fischer- Hullstrung, the camp doctor of the Flossemburg concentration camp gave the following account of his death:

Through the half open door in one room of the huts I saw Pastor Bonhoeffer, before taking off his prison grab, kneeling on the floor praying fervently to his God. I was most deeply moved by the way this lovable man prayed, so devout and so certain that God heard his prayer. At the place of execution, he again said a short prayer and then climbed the steps to the gallows, brave and composed. His death ensued after a few seconds. In the almost fifty years that I worked as a doctor, I have hardly ever seen a man die so entirely submissive to the will of God

But it wasn't just his bravery....I was also intrigued by his morphing views and incessant questions...many of which mirror my own questions about God and religion and Christ.  And pondering these questions was the gist of many of his letters from prison...which appear, at least on the surface, to indicate he lost his faith.  But that is only the surface view...for those who are only willing to take a superficial look at his writings.  Perhaps for those who have never pondered some of the difficult questions of Christianity...of faith, it could seem that he wavered in the end.  (A year in a Nazi prison could have that affect) but his death proved otherwise....

There is quite a bit of information online about Bonhoeffer!!!  I found some book length writings about Bonhoeffer at the site "Religion Online" (which is a great site with so much information in the form of original writings by recognized religious scholars and theologians, Bible studies, Counseling, Homiletics, Worship, Missions, Ethics, History and Sociology of Religion and more. One could spend a few years reading there and not run out of stuff to read!!)  There are five writings there about Bonhoeffer...two full length books.  I read some, not all, of the writings. 

I also found excerpts from his famous Letters and Papers from Prison...the first correspondence with his parents, and letters to his best friend about a "religionless" society and his state of mind after the attempt on Hitler's life had failed.

And I found a really interesting blog....the depths of which I have not explored but that is totally focused on Bonhoeffer and what we can learn from him today....very cool.

There is also a resource page from a public radio broadcast about Bonhoeffer that has some really interesting quotes and info...plus some links to some podcasts.  (which I did not listen to)

In my next post...hopefully...I will write about some of those incessant theological questions that he asked...and in the post after that I will write about what I think are the answers he found.