I have the intimidating pleasure of proclaiming the good news of salvation to many people who have heard it all before, and who have proclaimed it "more better" than I could imagine. One such listener is my new friend Edward Fudge.
Edward is one of the most interesting people I have ever met. "Quirky" doesn't quite describe him. He's right down my alley. But when Edward asked me to read his newest book, I thought, "Oh, dear God. What if I don't like it? How do you tell a new friend it was just an 'ok' read?" Plus, I'm not that crazy about most Christian writing these days. (That's another story.)
So I sat down, sighed, and cracked open Edward Fudge's new book, The Divine Rescue. When I looked up, a few hours had past, and I had read it in one sitting. It was just like I was in college all over again and lost track of time in the ACU library only to be kicked out by the recorded voice saying, "The library is now closing." Plus, at ACU they always kicked you out by playing "The Lord Bless You and Keep You." Acappella, of course, thank you very much. But I digress.
Where was I?
Oh yeah, Edward's book. I could not put it down. Lost track of time.
The book is suited to one of my particular tastes, not the least of which is retelling the story. Just telling the story. After all, we preachers would do better to spend more time simply telling the story of an active creator, and less time trying to convince everyone we have "answers" for the church. That's the beauty of Edward's new work.
But one particular slant early in the book informed the way I read for those few hours. An old rabbinic tradition about the creation narrative describes our inclinations as two-fold: On one hand, we are inclined to do good; on the other hand, we are inclined, not toward doing evil, but toward self-preservation.
How could I have known that I would read something this morning that just might inform my theology in such an impacting way? I do not believe in original sin, or that we are "born bad." But the perspective that the fall awakened our self-preservation instinct, and that the saving creator who sent his son redeems us from such a posture... well... this is just awesome.
"For this Creator God who acts is also the God who speaks; and, throughout the Rescue Story, he regularly tells his people what he intends to do and, later, the thing that he has done." (89)
God is active in our lives.
God communicates with us.
God is in the business of redeeming you today.
God has already sent his son.
I don't often recommend these kinds of books. I think most of them are trite. But this is great scholarship put in such a way that it lives up to its billing as a proclamation of a gripping drama. However, the reason I like the book and will share it with others is not because of its writing or its writer. I recommend it because it does what good preaching is supposed to do: It tells the story.
Today, as we live in the "until" time between the "already, but not yet"... Today... As long as it is called "Today"... Today we live with new hearts, and God has given us a new spirit.
Today.
