Month 10: Firm Foundation

Several times this year Zac has found himself saying that he is so glad that I have a theological background. Our conversations about language or biblical concepts or theological views don't have to begin at square one, and he has the freedom and ability to come home and talk with me about some of what he is learning and processing through in classes and readings and papers. And those two years in seminary also prepared me for some of the difficult content of the conversations that fill our after-dinner time, date-nights and any other rare chance we get to have an uninterrupted dialogue. Over the past few months, we've discussed, debated, and entertained possibilities surrounding questions such as:

Is the theology of "creatio ex nihilo" [creation out of nothing] a biblical concept?
Are Creationism and Evolution mutually exclusive? What about theistic evolution? 
What does it mean that God sometimes is connected with chaos [darkness, water]?
Did God create chaos and then subdue it only in part? Or has God always been in the process of pushing back the chaos and will one day conquer it in full?
Are the concepts of omnipresence and omniscience as characteristics of God faithful to the testimony of Scripture? And if so, what does it mean when God chooses not to intervene or does nothing to prevent?
Were Adam and Eve literal persons? Could they have been prototypes? 
Is original sin a biblical concept, or is the idea of original consequence more faithful to the text?
Is is possible that many of the Hebrew Bible books were written during the exile [later than traditionally accepted], as the style and content of the text suggests? How does this shape how we read and understand such writing?
What do we do with the Conquest? Especially considering that the book of Judges and historical evidence does not agree with the content in Joshua?
How much of the Hebrew Bible is historical (in the strict sense in which we understand history)? What parts can we understand as more figurative, like moral stories that pointed to God and his character?
Knowing what we do about textual criticism, can we call Scripture inerrant? Are there other ways of understanding "inerrancy"?

For some, such questions can lead to instability in faith, or may cause them to reject the faith altogether. For others, questioning or doubt is met with intense defense and causes great division within the church.

But for Zac and I, we've come to a point where we can question, disagree, wonder, come up with no answers and still hold to a strong faith. I've found this quote to be helpful while trying to live faithfully in community with lots of unclear or unanswerable questions:

"In essentials, unity;

In non-essentials, liberty;

In all things, charity"

often attributed to Augustine (but likely written by Rupertus Meldenius) 

Without unity in regards to essentials, we no longer have a faith, let alone a religion. We need to hold fast to the things that are certain and the things that make Christianity truly Christianity. {And that is a whole other conversation of its own.} But then there are the things that are a little more gray, unclear, or can be understood in a variety of ways and still be faithful to the text AND to Jesus. In these things we need to give each other grace; to agree to disagree and continue to walk in love; to be honest in our limitations knowing that we really don't know all the answers.

At times along my journey of struggling through a host of critical questions, I imagined my faith like a strong, beautiful stone home, with lovely rugs all around covering the hard floor. Every once in awhile, one of the rugs would be pulled out from under me. I would lose my balance for a moment, but then my feet would land firmly on the solid floor. The rugs were lovely and a part of my home, but they were not my support. And losing a few rugs here and there did not make the floor collapse or the walls cave in. My feet found footing on the firm foundation.

What is the foundation of our faith?

Is our faith built on the historical accuracy and inerrancy of the Bible? Is it sent careening out of control or locked up in fear when questioned?

Or is our faith built on a real and tangible experience of God?
Is it built on a personal and life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ?
Is it built on the visible presence of active work and daily transformation and sanctification by the Holy Spirit?

Sometimes we hold the Bible so tightly that we let our faith rest on Scripture instead of on the Triune God. Sometimes we even let the Bible become a god.

Zac once described the Bible as a beautiful marble staircase leading up to an incredible and extravagant ballroom. We are invited to come to the Dance, but some of us get so caught up in the beauty and craftsmanship of the staircase that we never actually make it to the ball!

The Bible is meant to be like a staircase, leading us to God. We need the staircase. Through the Bible, God reveals His character, reveals our need for salvation, and points to the Savior who makes it possible for us to be reconciled to Him. But the staircase is not an end in itself. Let us not get tripped up over the steps that lead us into the presence of God, or get distracted by the railings that guide us into His eternal beauty. Enter into the Dance.


As always, a little glimpse into our family life this past month:

These two are so precious. They love each other dearly. We've had a few sibling accidents - a few bonked heads, a bloody lip - and are learning to be extra careful. Zoë and Isaiah are now roommates! They transitioned pretty well into sharing a room and we are enjoying better sleep all around. Last night, Zac overheard Isaiah crying and was about to go in when he heard Zoë say, "It's ok, Isaiah" and sing him a lullaby. He stopped crying and fell back asleep. Precious, right? Only, this morning I found out that the real reason he was crying in the first place was because Zoë didn't like the noises he was making as he kicked against the crib railing and hit his hand so that he would stop. The comforting was just a cover-up! May not be as precious, but it certainly is priceless. :)

Sweet Valentine

This big girl seems so old some days that we have to continually remind ourselves that she is still three! (And give a little more grace.) She has mastered writing many of her letters and numbers and now writes her name with all letters facing the correct direction. (Which is a little sad. I'll never forget that backward "E.") She loves to read, play "hands" (drawing faces on your hand and role playing all sorts of characters), run around with friends, dress up and draw/write. Her favorite show is "Magic School Bus." I don't know why she loves it so much (the content is definitely over her head), but we are all for it! Zoë has enjoyed her gymnastics classes with Ms. Georgette and loves to show off her moves at home.

Look who is 10 months old! This little man is standing every chance he can get! He loves looking out the window and discovering new things in our apartment - like the toilet paper roll, the dishwasher, the cupboards, and the-oh-so-exciting toilet and tub! He just cut tooth #9. Isaiah's babbling has become very complex with a range of sounds and pitches. He loves making silly sounds with his lips and tongue. He is a playful little guy who enjoys peek-a-boo (will cover and uncover his own face!), loves to be tickled and enjoys blowing raspberries on your skin. Can you see that little mischievous glint in his eye? 

And SNOW. We had several snow days the last two weeks of February - the whole city shut down. We enjoyed some time playing in the lovely white powder, built a snowman with our neighborhood kids, and were entertained by watching all the cars trying to drive on icy roads out our front window. Now we are ready for a normal Texas spring so we can enjoy being outside before it gets too hot. :)

Much love from our home to yours!