Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Not that you asked... (except Craig Pankratz)
Tonight at 7:30 in Law School Room 120 I'm giving a talk to the Christian Legal Society. I like the posters a lot-- they feature that photo of me with some bread. I'm a little worried that they may have baking questions, which would be problematic.
Craig Pankratz has an excellent blog in which he often discusses his faith as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I check his blog regularly, because I admire his faith and enjoy reading his compelling reflections. Last week, he asked others to explain their faith in a nutshell. Below is my response (and no, it isn't "Help! I'm in a nutshell!"):
The idea of God has always been the most compelling idea of all to me. The very idea of Him is humbling and true and real, and that is something I feel more than I know. To say that my faith starts with a belief in God is, to me, not simple-- it is profound and world changing. The very acknowledgment that there is a God, and that it is not me, places me in a defined place in the universe-- below a God who created me.
From that, I realize that if God is great and I am small, there is much about His creation I won't understand. My knowledge is a thimbleful out of the ocean. My faith leads me to uncertainty more than certainty.
That said, my faith also allows me to believe that the teachings of Christ are revelations from God. That is why the Bible is so important to me. Again, this is humbling, because Jesus constantly taught not to do the things we want to do. My instinct, for instance, is to be a modern Pharisee, a teacher of the law who is so full of himself he would not recognize the Messiah. One of my other great sins is that of wealth-- I have not done a very good job of answering Christ's call to give to the poor at our own sacrifice. In short, my reading of the gospels leads me to self-criticism rather than the righteous criticism of others.
More than anything, what is at the center of my faith is also my great failing-- the call to humility. I see that in all that Christ did, from his birth in a stable to his death on a cross.
Craig Pankratz has an excellent blog in which he often discusses his faith as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I check his blog regularly, because I admire his faith and enjoy reading his compelling reflections. Last week, he asked others to explain their faith in a nutshell. Below is my response (and no, it isn't "Help! I'm in a nutshell!"):
The idea of God has always been the most compelling idea of all to me. The very idea of Him is humbling and true and real, and that is something I feel more than I know. To say that my faith starts with a belief in God is, to me, not simple-- it is profound and world changing. The very acknowledgment that there is a God, and that it is not me, places me in a defined place in the universe-- below a God who created me.
From that, I realize that if God is great and I am small, there is much about His creation I won't understand. My knowledge is a thimbleful out of the ocean. My faith leads me to uncertainty more than certainty.
That said, my faith also allows me to believe that the teachings of Christ are revelations from God. That is why the Bible is so important to me. Again, this is humbling, because Jesus constantly taught not to do the things we want to do. My instinct, for instance, is to be a modern Pharisee, a teacher of the law who is so full of himself he would not recognize the Messiah. One of my other great sins is that of wealth-- I have not done a very good job of answering Christ's call to give to the poor at our own sacrifice. In short, my reading of the gospels leads me to self-criticism rather than the righteous criticism of others.
More than anything, what is at the center of my faith is also my great failing-- the call to humility. I see that in all that Christ did, from his birth in a stable to his death on a cross.
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Thank you for your kind words. Barring any problems with my kids (my youngest has a slight cold) I look forward to being at your presentation.
-Craig
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-Craig
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