While we may wish for a clear, perspicuous text, that’s not what God gave us. Instead, God gave us a cacophony of vices and perspectives, all in conversation with one another, representing the breadth and depth of the human experience in all its complexities and contradictions.
**
In the Bible, wisdom is rarely presented as a single decision, belief, or rule, but rather as a “way” or “path” that the sojourner must continually discern amid the twists and turns of life.
**
I was once challenged to sum it (the gospel) up in a tweet. But it strikes me as fruitless to try and turn the gospel into a statement when God so clearly gave us a story – or more precisely, a person.
Indeed, in Scripture, no two people encounter Jesus in exactly the same way. Not once does anyone pray the “Sinner’s Prayer” or ask Jesus into their heart…..The gospel is like a mosaic of stories, each one part of a larger story, yet beautiful and truthful on its own. There’s no formula. No blueprint.
I’ve followed Rachel Held Evans for a long time now, but never actually read one of her books. I’ve started, but not finished. Until this one. Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again was exactly what I needed right now.