Folks, you have been summoned to serve as members of a jury this Sunday at Nexus. As we explore the tensions we experience with God, this week we want to explore the question: is God cruel?
To do that, we are going to put God on trial for the cruel story of God asking Abraham to sacrifice (kill) his son Isaac. Is God guilty? The answer may seem obvious. Anyone, or any deity, that asks a father to kill his son, seems guilty of cruelty, at the least. Case closed.
And yet, this Sunday I will be acting as the defense attorney for the story. I intend to bring forward evidence that would suggest, beyond a reasonable doubt, that something is amiss here. Further, I intend to showcase that while the story may seem grisly on the surface, a closer look might reveal there is some actual good news to be found.
Now, you can thank Kristen for sparing you from my flair for the dramatic. I intended to show up in my best Columbo costume (raincoat, cigar, ill-fitted suit, and thick New York accent) but she thought the idea corny. While I disagree, she made me self-conscious, so you are just getting plain old Brad serving as defense lawyer.
You folks get to serve as the jury. Now, if you want to be prepared jurists, a simple reading of Genesis 22 should do the trick. As it reads on the page is all the prosecution needs to make their case. Can I prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that this grisly story on the surface might be good and welcome news about God? You be the judge.
Everyone is Searching (S15 Episode1)
State Of The Faith Address (S14 Episode34)
A Theology of Conflict (S14 Episode33)
I Don't Know What To Do With My SELF (S14 Episode32)
All That We Have Lost (S14 Episode31)
Sex On A Ladder (Season 14th Episode30)
How Does One Follow The Jesus Path (And Not Get Taken Advantage Of)? (Season 14 Episode29)
Marriage On A Ladder (S14 Episode28)
A Brief History of Marriage (S14 Episode27)
Easter in Seven Movements (S14 Episode26)
The Grotesque Beauty of the Cross (S14 Episode 25)
The Moral Arc (S14 Episode23)
Church Actually (S14 Episode22)
Freedom (S14 Episode21)
The First Sexual Revolution (S14 Episode20)
Devils and Dust (S14 Episode19)
Gladiators, Garbage Dumps and the Poison of Pitty (S14 Episdoes18)
Life's Too Short To Pretend We're Not Religious (S14 Episode17)
Revisionist History (S14 Episode16)
Even Better than the Real Thing (S14 Episode15)
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