To Flout Old Ends (Much) Further

"Jesus is my friend, Jesus is my friend.
He took me far from this land, He took me by the hand.
Jesus is my friend, Jesus is just alright with me."
-Doobie Brothers, Jesus is Just Alright

How about THAT for universalist lyrics, huh? With a name like Doobie Brothers I can't help but think of an aging stoner sitting outside his trailer with a blunt saying those lyrics in a hazy, hallucinogenic fog (DC Talk also covered it, but I digress). It seems that for every new thought pattern or ideal there has to be a sobering corrective, and Kierkegaard is the total package. When the church (again) relapses into stale, unfeeling dogma, Kierkegaard is the man to pull them out and show them the passion and glory of God. When those same people start to treat Yahweh less like a God and more like a common buddy, however, Soren must once again set the record straight. He says in Fear and Trembling that "he who loves God without faith reflects upon himself, but he who loves God in faith reflects upon God." (94)

First (no, I will not be using bullet points, that kills Kierkegaard apparently) is that to love and serve God requires absolute dependence and trust, not logic (or bullet points). I love me some apologetics, but I feel like Kierkegaard would spit in the face in all that and say "oh, ye of little faith!" A lot of times apologetics helps my personal understanding because I feel like I'm seeking wisdom by trying to understand God. It has nothing to do with the Miltonesque idea of justifying the ways of God to man. I just want to learn more about Him in the most logical way I know how. Yes, faith is absolute dependence, but in any relationship you need to learn about the other person and keep learning every day-that requires faith, that is faith.

Second, and this brings me back to the above song, I respect that Kirkegaard is genuinely afraid of God, AND HE SHOULD BE! So many times we think of God as someone who won't judge us, won't condemn us, and accepts us just the way we are. There is a terrible heresy circulating the pews suggesting that, because God made everyone in His image, that we are perfect just the way we are and don't need to change (Born This Way, anyone?). So what if you're a homosexual, porn addicted, masochistic, cynical, foul-mouthed, liar? As long as you believe in Jesus, apparently that's all you need and that's how God made you to be. WRONG. The same God that asked Abraham to kill His son despite His hatred of murder, that can bring up and destroy kingdoms in a single day, that holds the entire universe in check, that sent His Son to die on the cross to REDEEM you-Kirkegaard says that obedience to Him and conforming to His way is the only thing to do. How can you love God but not fear and obey Him? How can you remain in your sinful ways and claim you are perfect already when Jesus died for so much more? There must be correction against personal individuality and for Christian individuality or the whole thing is ruined.

That's my spiel for now, be sure to comment as you please. Thanks for reading. BTW, I commented on Will Drake's Queasy Yet?

So true, you hit the proverbial nail on the metaphorical head. Anxiety is more than just fear of the unknown, but also is the sinfulness inside of you wanting to be free. To be anxious for something screams that you want something and to be in control, which explains why Phillipians tells us to not be anxious or worry about anything, for He truly will provide the desires of our hearts. That's what grace is.