I have a passion for applying theological insights to contemporary events and ethical dilemmas. Send me your questions and I'll do my best to put things in perspective. The answers to selected questions are posted on this page. My sources of inspiration include scripture, prayer, reflection, experience, and the Holy Spirit. That mix can often produce surprising results as God turns the tables on life.
Q: Reading in Matthew 25, can you give the interpretation of the parable of the talents?
Without a doubt, my favorite interpretation of the parables is the trilogy by Robert Farrar Capon (Parables of the Kingdom, Parable of Grace, Parables of Judgment). These books are published by Eerdmanns.
The parable of the talents is a parable of judgment, in Capon's scheme. As such, it is subject to Capon's overarching interpretive principle of inclusion before exclusion. Capon believes that God never excludes anyone. We exclude ourselves. Hence his conclusion that heaven is filled with forgiven sinners. And hell is filled with forgiven sinners. The difference between the two? In heaven, people appreciate, value, and celebrate God's grace. In hell, people denigrate, reject, and bemoan God's grace. Since they have to go somewhere, hell is a place that God graciously sets up for people who refuse to come the party. It's an open argument as to whether we can ever get out of hell alive.
In this particular case, the excluded one was given a talent and told to do business. He wasn't told to make money. He was told to take a risk. The master wanted him to venture out in faith. The master wouldn't have given him a talent if he didn't expect him to use it -- and if he wasn't prepared to lose it. The master would not have freaked out in judgment if the servant had, in the process of using the talent, lost the talent.
The master was angry over the inability of the servant to act like a steward. Instead, he acted like a frightened child. "I knew you were a hard man, so I kept this talent all bright and shiny, wrapped in a handkerchief in my bureau drawer."
NO! says the master. That is not what I want of my servants. My judgment is hard not as to the results you produce but as to the risks you take. Take no risks and you will reap the consequences. My grace is given to you for a reason: to give you the courage to fail. Nothing ventured is to deny the gift of grace itself. Once we know there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord, then we are free risk everything!
In the end, he gave the one talent to the servant with ten talents in order to demonstrate, once and for all, that the issue of stewardship was not about justice, fairness, or accountability. It was not about results. It was about process. When we live by grace and grace alone, we can be very bold in our approach to life.
Q: This week I listened to someone who was upset by the fact that you referred to God as "our Father" and "our Mother." How do you respond?
A: I would start by listening to what this person has to say. God-talk is intensely personal with many associations that go back to early childhood and beyond, to what Jung called "the collective unconscious." What is this person afraid of? What is this person losing? How does this person view the matter?
For some people, there is a lack of understanding. These people will benefit from considering the nature of God-talk. In my sermon on "The Fatherhood of God" (see Sermon Archive, Three Controversial Subjects) I make the point that all language about God is analogical and metaphorical. It is never ontological. We have no direct knowledge of God. There is no difference between the following two statements: "God is our Father." and "God is like our Father." There is also no difference between these two statements: "God is like a Mother Eagle." and "God is a Mother Eagle." (Deuteronomy 32:11) Even as God is not literally a Mother Eagle, neither is God literally a Father. We are trying to describe the indescribable. And our images are never sufficient. That's what happens when we move outside our element.
For other people, there is a lack of familiarity. These people will benefit from a gradual introduction to the richness of our tradition. Scripture uses a vast panoply of images to describe God but Christians have seldom used these images in prayer and worship. "Father God" has become the predominant motif. When other images are used, whether they be scriptural or inspired by the Spirit, people react as though they are being given a strange food to eat. I remember visiting Japan and being served Octopus Soup at a restaurant. Needless to say, it didn't go down very well. Over time, however, I developed my taste buds and learned to appreciate a variety of foods.
For still other people, there is a lack of feeling. To say "Our Father, who art in heaven," brings up many close and affectionate feelings. Jesus called God "Abba," which means "Daddy." He felt intimately connected to the transcendent God. This may, in fact, be a part of the scandal which led to his execution. He got too cosey with the Great One. "Father God" continues this tradition. For many people, the name "Father" makes God approachable and personable. Any other names leave them empty and cold. For others, however, "Father" has the opposite effect. It is off-putting and offensive. We need to honor whatever draws people close to God.
There is no quick and easy way to respond. But I wish this person would give such images a try. God is so much larger than our simple constructs and formulas. We need to open ourselves to mystery and wonder.
Q: Why do you affirm what so many churches condemn?
A: Good question! We are certainly different than those churches which are quick to decide who's "in" and who's "out" with God. My open and affirming posture goes to the heart of my understanding about the Spirit and the scriptures. The Spirit moves where it will, without human direction. It is blasphemous to put limits on God. When God wants to move, God can, has, and will use whatever and whomever is available. We dare not close the door to anything or anyone.
This Spirit was manifest, over and over again, in the person of Jesus Christ. In fact, this Spirit is exactly what got him executed by the authorities. He would eat with tax collectors and sinners. He would go to the homes of religious leaders and be followed by the untouchables of his day. Jesus never met a stranger! He welcomed everyone and invited them all to the banquet table of heaven. Jesus' willingness to accept people -- right where they are, just the way they are -- proved to be too much for the legalistic society of his day (or most days).
The apostle Paul put it best when he said, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1). This is not a statement about the rewards of faithfulness; this is a statement about how the faithful are to view the mystery of life. We are to be filled with grace because God is filled with grace. It's that simple; and it's that hard.
Q: Who's your favorite theologian?
A: Robert Farrar Capon. Start with his trilogy on the parables of Jesus (The Parables of the Kingdom, The Parables of Grace, and The Parables of Judgment) then move on to Health, Money, and Love & Why We Don't Enjoy Them followed by The Mystery of Christ & Why We Don't Get It. All of his books are published by Eerdmans.