In my post college, post-evangelical days, mourning a loss of faith and identity, Michael Gungor’s book meant a lot to me.
Maybe for someone of you it can help as well, no matter what chapter of the spiritual journey you’re on.
Discussion
It’s so sad that American Evangelicalism often teaches a cruel dogmatism about God that makes atheism feel like the better alternative
What’s the summary thesis?
It’s kind of a personal journal/reflection on his faith deconstruction journey from evangelicalism with its rigid boxes of what god is to THIS MOMENT being what god is. And that god is everything and bigger than any comprehension. Breaking free of narratives we tell ourselves as constructs. It’s also far from a post-truth hard atheist story (which I had that phase as well) and more of a reimagining of what god is and life is in a very hopeful way.
I mean, this moment is temporal, which is precisely the opposite of what God is, namely Eternal.
The paradox is that the human mind can’t understand this truth “intellectually”. But it can sense it when the mind is very very still….🙏🏻
Looks somewhat similar to Peter Ralston's, Book of not knowing.
Einstein, when asked about God, said "I believe in Spinoza's God, who reveals himself in the lawful harmony of all that exists, but not in a God who concerns himself with the fate and the doings of mankind."
As important as the stories and traditions are in cultivating values, community, a moral compass, and a sense of awe, I've long felt that it's equally important to recognize that, as Marshall McLuhan taught us, the map is not the territory (or as Lao Tzu teaches, that the Tao that can be told is not the true Tao), and to come to an understanding of the Truth that is behind them all. We don't need to discard them, as they carry valuable information on multiple levels, but likewise, we needn't allow them to enslave us, particularly as power structures arise with perverse interpretations. Some of which may have been adaptive in the conditions they arose, and maladaptive in the conditions we find ourselves in now.
The Universe is in a state of perpetual flux. It's a joyous dance, and if you give yourself the grace to improvise and not worry you're doing it wrong, you'll likely have a better time.