Written by Derek Bisset.
"I don't wish to know that."
The line is a catch phrase regularly uttered by a character in an old show when he was told something he didn't want to hear because it made him uncomfortable. It is something we all do a lot of the time. We probably could not survive without the ability to shut out the pain presented to us daily, but it can have consequences when it leads to living in a comfortable bubble where we can deny intrusion to all the ills of the world. I think church people are less inclined than many to deny the pain of others, but there is an area where denial is common and it is a difficult one to penetrate—the area of personal belief.
Living the Questions brings together the thoughts of a series of theologians of different Christian faiths who want to shake the comfortable pew.
Here is a short summary of the questions raised in the first seven DVD sections. Questions raised in the Living the Questions DVD Series 1-7.
Question 1: Are we ready to accept faith as a journey rather than a place of comfortable truths?
Question 2: How do we relate to a Bible we can no longer take as literal truth?
Question 3: Can we feel comfortable in discussions that can result in ambiguity and uncertainty?
Question 4: How do we handle the conflict between the Genesis story of creation and our modern understanding of origins?
Question 5: How do we arrive at an understanding of a Jesus who has such a wealth of images and interpretation built up over hundreds of years?
Question 6: How can Paul have useful directives for the modern church when his writings are meant to apply to the early church in very different times?
Question 7: Does religion have any special quality to bring to concerns about the poor, social justice, inclusivity, idolatry of wealth, and fear dominating our culture when so many secular agencies have the same concerns?
The series bears a warning that it is not for anyone with a literal unquestioning belief in the Bible, the early church doctrines, or believe that we are losing members because we are not orthodox enough.
I would also warn that it makes for uncomfortable discussion and the need to integrate difficult ideas into personal beliefs.
The Skeptics will be continuing with the series on Friday evenings in January.