Both/And, Yet Again

WED., MAR. 3, 1993, 8:50 AM
OFFICE, PULLIAM HALL

As one who has grown up, accepting the education of your culture, which has a strong flavor of either/or to it, you are doing well with My Teachings, to you, which tend to emphasize both/and thinking. If you search with some diligence you should be able to find enough Teachings for your/Our next issue of Ruminations. You hadn’t selected a theme, and it’s March already, so accept this as My commission. You know already that it will be a good one, embodying a nice dash of controversy.

My first Principle, in recommending both/and thinking, is to establish a few absolutes. Like unto your oft-repeated maxim, Moderation in all things, including moderation, you must not favor relative thinking absolutely. There must be some absolutes as the firm basis for relative views of issues.

I offered you some of these absolutes, the most important ones, as you walked back from the morning study group at the church. The first of these is that I, as Almighty God, did create and allowed to be created, ALL that is, was, and will be. I also am absolutely in charge of this realm, and indications that I am not, are merely reflections of My conscious desire or willingness to let situations and conditions develop “naturally”, even displaying evil. Nothing happens that I don’t cause or allow. In human/earth terms this is a mighty task, but I created it well within My limitless capacities.

My absolute desire for each human, for I do see and of you as an individual, is spiritual growth. Then I depart from one absolute Way and say that I have created and allowed many spiritual paths and then affirm, as another absolute that any path, any situation, any circumstance CAN be a means to such important growth. Not all that is potential actually helps growth. Some actually bring about regression. Humans do have choices and are allowed to make “bad” ones.

Thus, you see, any state of being can be one of growth and can be one of loss. A church congregation can be a means of grace and growth to some members, “just another group” to some, and a terrible spiritual experience for a few. The death of a family member can be both a cause for honest mourning and a blessing. You are happy and fulfilled in your university position, while your son suffers in his somewhat comparable one.

You chafe at some of what you read in this book by My servant Peter, for his path, even though Christian, is different from yours. Among those who class themselves as Biblical scholars I judge quite a range. Some of what is written is truly inspired, while, at the other extreme, some is silly to blasphemous. You heard Me right… I selected no rabbi or Scriptural scholar to be a Disciple… absolutely. Paul was educated in the Jewish faith, but a major task of his conversion was to preach against some of that Pharisee tradition and help Gentiles see that I wanted them in a new covenant.

As I have told you I do lead scholars, as well as less published Christians, down different paths, some of which do emphasize more… or different… absolutes. This author espouses heaven and hell as opposites… beatitudes and sins as opposites… one or the other. Some know quite clearly what is sin and what is righteousness. But such may have to waffle when it comes to grace and forgiveness. Is forgiveness once and for all, or quite situational, “something” continuously given and taken away?