Query

After reading the Bible, it seems that God has “receded” from us -- Martin Buber’s term -- relative to his level of interaction with people in the Old Testament.  There must be a reason why He doesn’t just “come out of the closet,” appear to us in a cloud of light, speak to us, etc.  But why?

Reply:

“There is no humility in refraining from asking the questions; the humility consists in believing that there may be an answer.”  --  Charles Williams, "John Milton"

On Monday we considered the strange fact that the people in the pews need to be evangelized even before other people do.  On Tuesday and Wednesday we considered two kinds of obstacle:  Those which lie in the listeners, and those which lie in the proclaimers.

But the final obstacle to evangelizing Christians lies in the condition of Christendom itself.  We are divided.  Christ’s Body is torn.

Yesterday we considered the obstacles to the evangelization of Christians which lie in the listeners.  The next variety of obstacle lies in the proclaimers.

To pick up where we left off yesterday:  Why is it so difficult to get Christians who have “heard” the Gospel in the mechanical sense to “hear” it in the spiritual sense?  The first variety of obstacle to the evangelization of Christians lies in the listeners.

If baptism isn’t just a symbol of initiation, but an initiation, then Zack was already a Christian.  God’s seal had been impressed indelibly on his soul.  The inky divine thumbprint declared, “Mine.” He was adopted into God’s family, inducted into the knighthood of worship.

... about the agnostic dyslexic insomniac?

He stayed up all night wondering, “Is there a dog?”

If you want to explain what is less clear, you must fall back on what is more clear.  Certainly there is a lot to learn from the biblical narrative, but one must interpret it in the light of the doctrinal statements, not vice versa.  To set aside explicit teachings and rely on the stories alone is just a way to pipe in one’s own prejudices and call them the teachings of the Bible.  Anything goes.

“Better real darkness than false light, say the saints; better real confusion than false clarity.”  -- Inaugural address of Fr. Thomas Hopko, Dean, St. Vladimir's Orthodox Seminary (1993)