Scott Freeman

On Wonder and Wisdom

I think that one of the best transitions I have made in my life has been the move away from needing to have all of my questions answered to understanding that the process is more important.

I still want answers but I know that there will always be an elusive component to my quest for spiritual meaning and certainty. Let’s face it there are many aspects about God, Scripture and the meaning of discipleship that can be troubling.

And the more I study, the more elusive some of the answers can be. God IS decidedly different in the Hebrew Scriptures from the NT. Paul can be increasingly frustrating and, at times, downright contradictory. The Gospels do give differing accounts of the same events.

As a result, apologetic arguments have been offered up that often appear to be evasive. A blind reluctance to truly engage with the text out of fear that it will lead us into uncharted and uncomfortable territory has become, for many, the hermeneutical norm. A movement that once claimed vast biblical scholarship has instead become too often a bastion of academic complacency at best and academic arrogance or laziness at worst.

Because of this we experience the danger of throttling the natural curiosity and spiritual seeking of many. When all the doctrines are pat and unquestionable then an atmosphere of legalism and oppressiveness is assured. If all things are nailed down then there is no further reason for learning, for digging deeper. For questioning.

I grew up with a lot of pat answers that have failed to stand up to the test of scrutiny. Because of our insistence in more fundamentalist circles for certainty we have experienced many of our friends and colleagues, when confronted with the apparent absurdity of some of our positions, opt for unbelief.

For me, the path to greater faith and understanding is the realization that it’s not always about the answers. Instead it is about wisdom. About wrestling with difficult questions. Of searching in community for progression in knowledge. A realization that we will never see clearly but we can continually see clearer.

What would happen if we laid bare all of our doctrines, beliefs and presuppositions? Would our faith crumble like a house of cards? Or would we find our way to restoring the sense of wonder that comes from the Incarnation?
Would we throw up our hands in disbelief or would we find true and lasting Faith?
Would we focus more on the loss of previously held beliefs or rejoice in the glorious Presence of the Divine?

For me, the answer is clear. My list of questions that cause me grief and unrest is far longer than it was just five years ago. Part of that has come from deciding that no longer will any question remain unasked. But it has largely come by focusing more on the journey to wonder and wisdom, of seeking that journey in community with company both mortal and Divine.

And in that there is true Blessed Assurance.

What questions nag at you? Which ones are you afraid to ask? Ask away. The journey is full of surprises, comfort and community. And you never know Who you might meet along The Way.

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Now playing: Melissa Etheridge - All We Can Really Do
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Now playing: Melissa Etheridge - What Happens Tomorrow
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Now playing: Melissa Etheridge - What Happens Tomorrow
via FoxyTunes