After being introduced to Kushner's theology, I was intrigued.
When I am intrigued, I write. The only way that I could process this all was to fictionalize the story of creation. I chose to write a story about a snow white dove called "Cee Cee." What fun I had! As a tiny bird, Cee Cee witnesses the entire earth being created and comes to her own conclusions. By the way - to fictionize sometimes demands more research then a simple essay... just saying.
Anyway, I would love to publish this novel and declare it 'truth' but I have realized over time I'm not good at convincing anyone of anything. Besides we all need to personally come to our own conclusions about God's sovereignty in the world and in our lives..
I have to admit that Cliff and I did not hold the same view. He was in some ways much more conservative than I was and had a larger capacity for faith than I did. So we would often fall into a debate over it all - never agreeing but always ending with some learnings and definitely a greater appreciation and love for each other.
This is the background story that Cee Cee came up with. This is not the actual novel but a simple description of some of Cee Cee's learnings
A long time ago, the Creator God was roaming the edges of his universe when he noticed the dark vapors of a murky, moving waste – also described as a chaotic mess.
This is the first indication that the universe was not all perfectly holy with God at the helm in complete control. There has always existed in this universe, at least this universe that we know of, something “other” than God. And it was desolate – alive and dark.
Creator God paused to hover over this murkiness. He was not horrified but rather intrigued by this moving living chaotic wasteland and decided it was the perfect place to “create” a new world of his own. God is a creator – and we know that even now creatives are not intimidated with chaos - but are, intrigued, inspired and challenged by it. It's also known that those who have a lot of control will choose to play or enter into risk in some sideline project. Was earth a sideline project?
To begin the creative process, the first thing God had to do was take care of the waste. Here in my research I came across an article by a group of scientists. In an attempt to discredit God as Creator, they searched the heavens and reported that they couldn't find any evidence of this chaos in the universe so therefore the story and the Bible were not true.
In fun, I asked God what he had done with the chaos. Surprisingly the answer I received - was that he had just scooped it up and put it in the tree. Tree? Why a tree? More research.
Trees are terribly important and mentioned in the Bible more than any other living thing except for God and human beings. Trees symbolize true goodness: they harm no one, produce oxygen, provide shade and a home for many birds and animals. They decorate the earth.
From scripture we also know that it is only goodness that can defeat evil."Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." If the tree is an extension of God's goodness, then it understandable that the tree was the only container strong enough to contain the chaos.
God then called this tree - the tree of good and evil - a tree holding the chaos of the waste and the harmony of the Creator. Actually it became a blend of the two - much like marriage because it says that they "knew" each other. "Knowing" is another word for intimacy in the Bible.
It was undoubtedly a spectacular tree with the energy of evil and goodness vibrating against each other probably erupting into a continuous spectacular display of fireworks.
With this tree at the center – the most beautiful tree in the garden - the Creator God continued to fashion the earth and eventually set Adam and Eve in the middle of the garden to manage it all.
Again, this is not a picture of a static powerful, God sitting idly on a gold throne – but one of a Creator – enjoying taking a chaotic mess and making it beautiful - and then continuing to perfect it, learning along the way. The first major learning/correction was to see that Adam was lonely and needed a companion. God became a surgeon performing the first operation in this new creation of his. God wasn't a 'know it all' he was 'an explorer!'
After the seven days of creating the earth, God declared it perfect and rested. Even this act of declaring something perfect and then resting hints at the hard work of a “learning process.” This is why we call him Creator God.
Goodness is the only investment that never fails. - Henry David Thoreau
When I am intrigued, I write. The only way that I could process this all was to fictionalize the story of creation. I chose to write a story about a snow white dove called "Cee Cee." What fun I had! As a tiny bird, Cee Cee witnesses the entire earth being created and comes to her own conclusions. By the way - to fictionize sometimes demands more research then a simple essay... just saying.
Anyway, I would love to publish this novel and declare it 'truth' but I have realized over time I'm not good at convincing anyone of anything. Besides we all need to personally come to our own conclusions about God's sovereignty in the world and in our lives..
I have to admit that Cliff and I did not hold the same view. He was in some ways much more conservative than I was and had a larger capacity for faith than I did. So we would often fall into a debate over it all - never agreeing but always ending with some learnings and definitely a greater appreciation and love for each other.
This is the background story that Cee Cee came up with. This is not the actual novel but a simple description of some of Cee Cee's learnings
A long time ago, the Creator God was roaming the edges of his universe when he noticed the dark vapors of a murky, moving waste – also described as a chaotic mess.
This is the first indication that the universe was not all perfectly holy with God at the helm in complete control. There has always existed in this universe, at least this universe that we know of, something “other” than God. And it was desolate – alive and dark.
Creator God paused to hover over this murkiness. He was not horrified but rather intrigued by this moving living chaotic wasteland and decided it was the perfect place to “create” a new world of his own. God is a creator – and we know that even now creatives are not intimidated with chaos - but are, intrigued, inspired and challenged by it. It's also known that those who have a lot of control will choose to play or enter into risk in some sideline project. Was earth a sideline project?
To begin the creative process, the first thing God had to do was take care of the waste. Here in my research I came across an article by a group of scientists. In an attempt to discredit God as Creator, they searched the heavens and reported that they couldn't find any evidence of this chaos in the universe so therefore the story and the Bible were not true.
In fun, I asked God what he had done with the chaos. Surprisingly the answer I received - was that he had just scooped it up and put it in the tree. Tree? Why a tree? More research.
Trees are terribly important and mentioned in the Bible more than any other living thing except for God and human beings. Trees symbolize true goodness: they harm no one, produce oxygen, provide shade and a home for many birds and animals. They decorate the earth.
From scripture we also know that it is only goodness that can defeat evil."Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." If the tree is an extension of God's goodness, then it understandable that the tree was the only container strong enough to contain the chaos.
God then called this tree - the tree of good and evil - a tree holding the chaos of the waste and the harmony of the Creator. Actually it became a blend of the two - much like marriage because it says that they "knew" each other. "Knowing" is another word for intimacy in the Bible.
It was undoubtedly a spectacular tree with the energy of evil and goodness vibrating against each other probably erupting into a continuous spectacular display of fireworks.
With this tree at the center – the most beautiful tree in the garden - the Creator God continued to fashion the earth and eventually set Adam and Eve in the middle of the garden to manage it all.
Again, this is not a picture of a static powerful, God sitting idly on a gold throne – but one of a Creator – enjoying taking a chaotic mess and making it beautiful - and then continuing to perfect it, learning along the way. The first major learning/correction was to see that Adam was lonely and needed a companion. God became a surgeon performing the first operation in this new creation of his. God wasn't a 'know it all' he was 'an explorer!'
After the seven days of creating the earth, God declared it perfect and rested. Even this act of declaring something perfect and then resting hints at the hard work of a “learning process.” This is why we call him Creator God.
Goodness is the only investment that never fails. - Henry David Thoreau
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