truth like the 53 bus

i am not good at philosophy. really, i am not, and i have proof. it was one the only c's i received in my college career. my brain easily gets tangled in a complex web of thoughts, ideas and feelings. i often find myself paralyzed after only a few short minutes of contemplating anything remotely complex. the ironic part of this is, i love it! it is frustrating not doubt, but i can't stop! so this brings me to my "thoughts for the day."

truth has many dimensions. like n.t. wrights writes: "the sort of thing we could and should mean by "truth" will vary according to what we're talking about. if i want to go into town, it matters whether the person who has told me to take the number 53 bus is speaking the truth or not."

but not all truth is like that - we know this. yet in many of my discussions we want to take this "53 bus" approach - "is the number 53 bus going to town or not?"

think of the questions we ask as we search of truth. recently i was asked these below 3 questions:

1. Can angels fall now/today?
2. Will we have free will/be able to sin in the new creation?
3.(a new one but along same lines) Does God have a free will? Can he tell a lie?

we think all truth is reducable to the "53 bus" approach.

but what about our experiences with love and beauty? how do i get to the truth of how i met my wife (god led me by the way) and the love we share and continue to share? how do i begin to articulate or talk about the different dimensions of love and grace i experience with my kids?

"does bus 53 go to town?" just isn't very helpful here. the amazing thing about how jesus taught was he was always pointing folks to these "deeper truths." this was his whole approach to teaching. "what must i do to inherit eternal life?" someone asked him. remember his response? "the kingdom of god is like...." and then you have all the parables. we aren't to "mine" the parables for more facts about god. we are to "enter" into the story being told and allow it to change us. we are to "unpack" all the many and "mini" truths to be found and cherished.

tons more could be said, but i can feel my brain beginning to slow with all the twists and turns.

i will leave you with another quote from wright to help understand how we can begin "knowing" the "deeper kinds of truths" - "it's a kind of knowing in which the subject and the object are intertwined, so that you could never say that i was either purely subjective or purely objective."

that kind of truth has to drive the "bible scientists" nuts!!