August 23, 2002
Gregory: Yes, it’s supposed to be tongue-in-cheek. Not really a quiz which is meant to be taken, as much as a farcical way for me to try to work out some mighty odd ideas about God which I’ve encountered in some people. The answer to #5 is definitely A. You make a good point on #4. “Belief” in Abraham’s sense was really a mixture of “belief plus trust”, as opposed to the demons who “believe”. Actually, the demons probably “believe IN”, where Abraham simply “BELIEVED”. So many Christians will say they “believe IN God, or Jesus”. They ought to be simply saying “I BELIEVE HIM” when he talks to me- through the Holy Spirit via the bible and prayer. “Beliving IN” opens a whole can of worms- “what does it mean to believe IN? la la la ti da. Nope—just BELIEVE HIM. Hear, obey. No questions asked. On #7- C is the answer, of course. But today’s “Christian”, who is in almost every way indistinguishable from the world, would probably say “just don’t question anyone else’s beliefs, because nobody’s belief is any better than another”. Pah.
Of course, the “rightest” set of answers is the last one—the set most likely to confound and puzzle the world at large, and provoke them to charge us, as Nero did, with “hatred of humanity”.
Mike nailed your ethical conundrum I think. I was about to pick up the old lady. The concept of “woman of my dreams” was so alien to me that it didn’t even register, since my wife is the most perfect woman on the planet. However, a nubile Satan’s spawn would be interesting…
Michael S: Perfect. I think this is what “circumcised heart” means- that the new birth only takes place in those who God has brought to a sense of utter ruin and helplessness. The more “pop” Christianity I see- “Christ will make your life better”- the less I blame such phenomena as “postconservatism”, openness theology, etc. on the ones who are openly espousing it, and the more I realize it’s our fault as a church. The church’s most liberal enemies are simply using what we say- our own hollow promises, our own false hopes. The person who most wants the world to NOT believe in Hell is the devil.
