Saturday, June 25, 2011

Peace of God

"Jesus described the peace of God as different from anything the world has to offer. St. Paul similarly said, "The peace of God...transcends all understanding" (Phil 4:7). Yet many Christians appear to recommend-as I think the secular world does-a formulaic version of peace, based on acquiring the right knowledge. If we just get the right answers to questions such as, "Does God exist?" or "Is the Christian God the one true God?" or "Why does an all-powerful, all-loving God allow suffering?" then we can find peace. These are important questions, but would having the answers really bring peace when the questions arise from the pain of our own bewildering circumstance? Sound theology and accurate thought processes are helpful. But does God's peace come by knowing the right answers? I don't think so. We can have all the right information and the best understanding of Christian doctrine and still experience great pain, loneliness, and inner unrest. Even Scripture makes it clear that God's true peace is beyond the grip of human comprehension" (page 13)
Paradoxy by Tom Taylor

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