We westerners don't like tension very much. We try to create a dichotomy between "grace Christians" who understand we continue to fall short of the mark and "holiness Christians" who take Jesus' commands and promises of perfection and sinlessness seriously. Saint Matthew, in presenting these two teachings of Jesus side-by-side, asks us to hold both truths in tension.
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Over the past two months, I have taken part in a spiritual formation class designed to “introduce students to classical exercises of the spiritual life.” During these two months, I have been practicing spiritual exercises of daily devotional reading, daily and weekly patterns of rest, and active engagement with the people of my community. “Practice” and “exercise” are especially apt words. I am not a master of any of these practices. I am a learner who makes mistakes and, at times, fails. Through the process, I have learned some things about God and about myself, about the importance...
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For years, the solution to my problem was to do as much "good" as I could. I knew the Ten Commandments and I knew the rules especially esteemed by my particular church. If I went to church every Sunday, attended Bible Study during the week, served in ministry, and was nice to old ladies, maybe the good I did would outweigh the bad in my life and God would accept me. Admit it. You've thought the same thing. We might not think of it as quid pro quo - we know we'll never do enough to equal out what we...
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"My name is Caedmon. I am an alcoholic." Eight simple words in the liturgy of recovery. One complex mess of identity and theology. My name is simple enough. It's the second sentence that has caused me - and many others - so many problems. I am an alcoholic. Not, "I suffer from the disease of alcoholism," or, "I am in recovery from addiction to alcohol," but "I am an alcoholic." It is a statement of identity, a statement of being, encompassing my past, present, and future.
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