Faith without Perfect Understanding

I finished up the Miller book, Searching for God Knows What. The book is good in that it challenges me and it forces me to think through a number of issues.

Miller's fundamental premise is that God/Christ calls us to a relationship rather than laying out a propositional or formulaic theology. It contends that Christianity is not primarily "idea" driven and that the Bible doesn't particularly explain a theology. He contends that man is fallen/separated from God and that what we need most is to return to him and be in relationship with him.

I understand what Miller is saying.

He uses some really great metaphors in the book to explain our nature. A short version of the metaphor is that we live as though we are in a life boat. The challenge is that while there may be 10 in the life boat, there is reason to believe that the life boat might really only support 7 or 8 of us. Therefore, we are in a constant state of fear causing us to compare ourselves to everyone around us..... and desiring to move up in the pecking order based on some cultural value system. He says we do this because we get our definition from others - from outside ourselves. He even seems to say that this is proof that we were made to be given our definition by others and that when we lost our intimacy or relationship with God we turned to look for another source.

I think his metaphor is a good picture of our psychological make up. I sense that same fear and desire to compare and rank and compete against others. However, while I observe the phenomenon in myself and others, I don't know that it is separation from God that produces this state. It might be, but the proofs are actually "faith" or "belief."

Miller also spends a fair amount of time describing what it will be like to be back in perfect relationship with Christ/God in heaven. While it may be true that this is what will happen, I simply can't understand what that state might be like, regardless of Miller's descriptions.

For if man is fallen and separated from God.... what would prevent man from falling again after entering heaven? If our understanding of free will is in any way accurate, then do we all freely choose to submit completely to God in heaven? Or does free will not exist for us in heaven? And if not, then what will we have become? Not human in any sense that I can understand. And if free will has never really existed, then what is the story of the fall all about and why did God establish creation in this fashion? So, I always end up back at the impossible when I try to consider the whys behind creation, heaven, sinfulness, redemption, grace, and more.

And I can't make my mind "believe" things I can't begin to understand. However, that doesn't mean that I don't have faith. Faith in things unseen and faith in things not understood.

On a personal note, this is the 2nd of Miller's books that I have read. In this one I miss his sense of humility and willingness to "not know" everything. This time he lays out a belief system that sounds as if it is completely certain of understanding God/Jesus' desire for redemption through a relationship. His conviction is admirable, but also a little oppressive in his use of absolutes.

In the meantime, I picked up a novel that is on my shelf and is one of my favorite stories of all time. I have read War and Remembrance by Herman Wouk multiple times and still enjoy it each time.