HELLO!

Last week I asked readers of this daily blog if you had faith questions you wanted me to address? Be aware, I am no expert. Here are the questions I received. I have shortened and paraphrased them for the sake of space.

• If humility is a Christian virtue why is the God of the Bible so often depicted as needing displays of praise, gratitude and worship?
• Why do so many people in the United Church assume they understand what Heaven is and who is getting there, and yet there is no consensus or clear statement provided by the church on this?
• Why are there so many rules and laws listed in the Bible, and the consequences of following same so dire? Where is the love?
• How does the United Church discern the difference between translating faith for a new time and unintentionally thinning it? What are our non-negotiables? What does spiritual depth look like?

WRT Question 1. One thing we know from reading the Older Testament, when the people gathered without the presence of a benevolent monarch they struggled. God’s exasperation with this experience is obvious. Hierarchy appears to be a need that we humans are drawn toward. Thus when conceiving, articulating, or addressing God it is not surprising to me humans feel God needs our utmost praise and adoration. My own relationship with God focuses on purpose, and my fidelity to honour this.

WRT Question 2. There are many references to Eternal Life and Love in the Newer Testament but few specifics like who goes there, why, and where this space exists. Pre-scientific civilizations conceived of Heaven as a physical space above the clouds, which is why we still speak of Heaven as above, and point to the clouds when referencing it. Given that Jesus’ saving love is directed to those who need it most, that the circumstances that block and divert love are unfairly distributed (where we are born, what happens to us at an early age) and the myriad of faith claims, how could a God of love deny anyone the opportunity to inherit this promise? The fact some are not sure about this, given that we know so little about it, is not a surprise or a concern of mine. I believe faith communities are hungry to know more about the kin-dom that comes to life now, than the speculations of what might come later. I believe in resurrection, eternal love, heaven, but I have a lot more to offer in any definitive sense.

WRT Question 3. I find it interesting how the 613 laws in the Bible feel so heavy to so many 2026 believers and yet…so many church people, secular people, love rules and the details that surround them. It is no shock to me that believers, in former times, in our times, focus on rules and laws despite Jesus declaring, “The Sabbath was made for humankind and not humankind for the Sabbath”. We need rules, but there are exceptions. Love is the guide, when we lean too heavily on rules, we lack mercy. Note when Jesus is asked by a lawyer what is the most important law, he responds, love God, love neighbour, love self. He leaves out the details.

WRT Question 4. The thing people in other denominations most misunderstand about the United Church is the question of “watering down” or “thinning the truth”. We are not as concerned as some about piety, certainty about who God loves and doesn’t love, or who can love whom, but we are very righteous about justice, that God loves the marginalized. And…the Bible has a lot more to say about the poor (all the way from Isaiah to the Psalms to Micah to John the Baptist, Mary, Jesus see Matthew 25 and the early church) than swearing, heaven and marriage combined. I think it’s strange how we get tagged as “worldly” when other denominations embrace the world’s categories of success. A rich person who cares little for the poor but is pious, goes to church, has a happy family, is a role model, but someone who loves the marginalized but lives a less conventional lifestyle is “worldly” makes no sense to me.

Long blog. If you want to follow up, I am not hard to find and I get back to people asap. Remember, these are only my opinions. Peace, Kevin