Growing older and wiser, I hope...

[Neil Heath]

Since this is the forum I moderate, I decided to post a quote I found on Facebook because I agree with the author on how little I know now:

"40 years ago in 1971 I Began my JOURNEY with CHRIST. I once had all the answers, I could respond to any question. I now have many more questions than answers. The ONE CONSTANT has been that JESUS Loved me then and HE still Loves me now. Almost everything else is vague and fluff. JESUS the Anchor has held."

[Haruo]

Yep.

[KeithE]

Interesting perspective.

Reflecting on my life, I had many questions from late HS days (late 60's). I saw that most of my cohorts at church expoused the officially endorsed answers and I wonder how many these days have come to question many aspects of theology like the quotee above.

Through study, observation and meditation, I have found what I'll call pragmatic answers to stand on. Not that I can prove them as absolute truth but that I feel comfortable with in terms of a framework for living/decisions/understanding. Chief among these pragmatic answers are
1) Situational Ethics
2) Open View of God
3) Corporate and Individual accountability to God; by "corporate' I do not mean just companies/businesses but any group of people large or small.
4) creationism (with a small c and old earth) - definitely through abiogenesis maybe biological development as well
5) a caring God who is constantly rooting for us individually (always redemptive through the Spirit) - the Individual Gospel / soul competency
6) a caring God who is constantly rooting for us corporately (small groups/families through churches and nations and the world) - the Social Gospel
7) the need to emulate Jesus

So my experience is quite different from the quotee above; but I can understand where he comes from if he was indoctrinated in early life. And I agree with his ONE CONSTANT that Jesus Loves Me and never gives up on any of us (basically point 5 above).

Ultimate truth about God is unobtainable, imo, but a theological framework for living that jives with the Spirit and learning is a necessity, imo.