There is So Much Pain

Sometimes I think about "Why is there so much pain in the world?" because I don't want to feel. It is easier for me to make a painful situation into a theological inquiry, rather than feel an unpleasant emotion.

But doesn't this have it backwards? Shouldn't our lives be lived deeply, even painfully, and when our words fail to describe what we feel, shouldn't we say, "Well that's just too bad for my vocabulary"?

I work with some people who seem (at least to me) to hold onto their theology like a security blanket. Instead of seeing theology as historical attempts to describe divine encounters, they see theology as a standardization of the religious experience, like an Elements of Style for Christians. You can deviate from the rules, but do so at your own risk.

Some of the greatest painters and sculptors worked against tradition. They did not form committees, establish commissions or write issue papers. We need more theologians who view themselves as artists: knowledgeable about the tradition, history, style, but who are eager to add their own voice and view. Right now there are too many theological Thomas Kinkade's preaching safe, pleasant sermons and remaining so far within the bounds of orthodoxy that they are uninteresting, uninspiring, and wasting our time.

Orthodox ideas are not bad. They are only bad when they are accepted simply because they are orthodox, because questioning them would make us lose our security blanket and then we might have to feel things we don't want to feel: loss, confusion, fear, anger, despair, or sometimes even hope, love, or happiness.

We need to occasionally swim in the deep end, feel emotions in the core of our being, recognize that it may not square with the majority view, and remain there, treading theological water and waiting for God to show up.