God is the name that we give to things that we do not understand
The universe, its origin, purpose and the process by which we are, all are this mystery.
Evil is taking delight in the misfortune of other
The cosmos suffers immeasurable harms because of evil,
and the ‘natural working balance’ deteriorates
Sin is a resultant consequence of a world forced to deal with evil
Goodness and light and order - the foundations of a cosmos without evil, and thereby our understanding of God’s nature -
dictate to us that we resist Evil in all it’s forms
Too many people are hung up on their own sin, that of others, or the concept of morality to see that Evil is the enemy.
Ethics, namely: “Thou shalt not/do that which all others given the same circumstance must also not/do” is the prime directive of existence.
The Bible is a collection of writings preserved over many thousands of years which are the record of people's understanding of the events around them. The bible is not without factual errors, or intentional edits - and indeed this fact shows us that we are within the narrative of what it attempts to be even today.
The Imago Dei is the spark that gives us conscience and points us toward good inately
Ekklessia is the gathering of believers with purpose (by all means available) to affect good against evil.
there is no worse evil than perpetrating evil in the name of God.
This is also the teaching of Jesus.
A little exercise never hurt anyone...
I once set out, to write a heresy of my own, but much like Chesterton, I found that everything I could say had been said in various ways in many volumes already. There are some volumes however that I turn to again and again because of their keen instructive wisdom. The first theological book I ever had, and by far the best (I've read many times over the years, it is very short) has been "A Little Exercise For Young Theologians" by Helmut Thielicke.
This work has been a backdrop, in front of which I have played, a foundation on which I have hoped to build something meaningful. For within it's pages of advice, lay a sound doctrine of revelation, knowledge, scripture, mission, calling, stated with such ease, as if by a concert master reciting the notes of a scale. Although it was intended for theology students, and is probably most suited for them, it has the ability to speak to those outside the esoteric world of academia, in that it seeks to make a mutual apology for holding in tension the views of both.
If you've never read this gem, I recommend it highly; if it has been a while, read it again.
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