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Managing Assumptions

Posted Nov 30 2010 by Jonathan Brink in , with 23 Comments

Recently I’ve been in dialog with a few people about my book, Discovering The God Imagination.  And I’m recognizing that much of the conflict that it creates is in the assumption many bring to the table about it, before reading it or hearing about it.  And what follows is not a dialog, but a process of then managing the assumptions that people have about it. I spend a lot of time breaking down what people think it is before we can begin to have a dialog about what it is actually saying.

Sometimes its frustrating.  Sometimes its healthy tension.  Sometimes it gets just plain old.

I recognize that part of what I am trying to do with the book is about changing a paradigm.  And I get that people begin with assumptions.  That very idea is a huge part of my book.  When we change the assumptions, we change the conclusions.  And sometimes people just don’t want to change the assumptions, even when they don’t work.  I have to be respectful of that.

So much of the process of dialoging with people is not about changing someone’s mind about it, but coming to terms with the tension that we won’t see it the same.  The other will not embrace it the way I have.  They won’t validate my opinion about it.  And to be honest, historic Christianity has a ton of tradition behind it.  A friend recently said to me, “Do you actually think that over the course of 1,700 years and the millions of hours of theological debate, we could get it wrong?”

Yes, I do.

The very nature of the human problem is to get it wrong.  The very nature of sin is to cast the problem outward, away from the individual, so as not to be seen.  And it produces blindness that captivates the individual.  It’s why when Jesus came to the synagogue, his focus was on restoration.

Luke 4:17-19 - and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

The ability to see the problem is part of the problem.  And it’s just easier not to see it, because to wrestle with it holds the possibility that God actually doesn’t love us.  We’d rather live in a state of unknowing than actually know.  All I did was wrestle.  Instead of pouring over our conclusions, I listened deeply to the assumptions that informed those conclusions.  I listened to the story that informed those assumptions and came to a different understanding, one that spoke of abounding grace AND truth.

I’m beginning to learn that its not my responsibility to change people’s minds.  It’s simply my opportunity to shed new light on a very real and important dialog.

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About the Author

Jonathan BrinkI am an business development and communications consultant. I am also the senior editor and publisher for Civitas Press. I recently published, Discovering The God Imagination: Reconstructing A Whole, New Christianity. (Civitas, 2011)View all posts by Jonathan Brink →

  • David

    Jonathan, Thank You ….We are like fish swiming in dirty water and don’t know it. I do think many Christians have it wrong…All we have to do is look at the Gospel of John and see what was on the heart of Jesus. Loving each other, being connected to Him, being examples to others, Loving God, People and His Creation. rnrnI wonder what happened along the way that a simple issue like John 13:34-35 seems unreal and not practiced and why after all this time we don’t understand it ?

    • http://paradigmshift-jmac.blogspot.com/ Joe Machuta

      David,nnWhen you say that you think many Christians have it wrong… it sounds like you think that some Christians have it right… did I understand you correctly?

      • David

        Sure did Joe ! I know some very dear people who are really Christ Followers that trurly Love God and people. They are not perfect but know one is. But they are very loving people and dispaly that by living out their faith in Jesus. rnrnI’m not about to try to judge anyone here nor would I desire to go down that road. I happen to think that Jonathan makes a lot of sense and has some very interesting things to say. I need to listen to more of what he’s saying and try to understand. I find myself wondering why we as Christ Followers don’t stand out more against the background of our culture in a way that demonistrates the kind of Love Jesus talked about and showed. rnrnProbably a long way of say yes, I know some dear people who do display this but I know there are many who claim to be Christ Followers who don’t. The Bible talks about that we will know them by their fruit. I think thats true. rnrnI’m encouraged by people like Jonathan, and others who comment on this Blog; I think trying to know Jesus better and demonistrate his Love more and more. rnrnBut I have more than enough baggage myself to try to determine issues for others. But I do desire to know more about Gods Love and how to know Him better.rnrnHoep this answers your question Joe. Thanks for asking

        • http://paradigmshift-jmac.blogspot.com/ Joe Machuta

          Yes, it does clarify David… Thanks. You are saying that some are truly following Christ in love and not that some one denomination or orthodox dogma group has it right. Thanks for that clarification…. I agree by the way.

          • http://www.livinginabeautifulmess.blogspot.com/ Cheryl Ensom

            How did I miss this post??? Strangely relates to what we’re talking about on the other one. rnrnSo…rnDo some Buddhists “get it right?”rnDo some Muslims “get it right?”rnDo some Hindus “get it right?”rnDo some Atheists “get it right?”rnDo some Agnostics “get it right?”rnrnIf it’s all about LOVE, and “getting it,” does it really matter WHAT we believe, as far as doctrine is concerned?rnrnIf the answer is YES, it does matter, why? If you have assent to a certain set of doctrine to “get it,” then that means my kids don’t “get it,” and I’d have to argue with that. They know EXACTLY what unconditional love is and “get it” better than I do!rnrnJonathan, I think we are look at other assumptions because deep down inside, we know that it’s not as simple as mentally settling on a set of assumptions that a bunch of guys decided were “it” (remember, there were no women involved in Nicea! That all by itself precludes, for me, that decision being “perfect,” but that’s another discussion!). Our minds are wired to challenge assumptions! But we also know that if we challenge assumptions, as you say, we will end up running the risk of arriving at a different “conclusion.” Evangelical Christianity has set it up so that if you do THAT, you are in danger of going to hell. So…since we really don’t like the idea of burning in hell forever…and because a lot of us are part of families/friendships/communities/marriages that NEED us to arrive at that specific conclusion, we “turn off” the part of us that challenges assumptions. And then we make up NEW doctrines about why God would have us do THAT! rnrnBut we’re still human. It’s never going to “sit right” to shut off that part of us. I just got tired of that fight with myself. No more.

          • http://www.livinginabeautifulmess.blogspot.com/ Cheryl Ensom

            That was supposed to say, “Jonathan, I think we are AFRAID to look at other assumptions.” :)

          • http://paradigmshift-jmac.blogspot.com/ Joe Machuta

            Cheryl,nnI may be only speaking for myself but, I suspect after reading 90% of Discovering the God Imagination that Jonathan has a similar view to mine. I have a personal relationship with God via Jesus of Nazareth. That is my experience. I do not have the same relationship with Bhudda or Mohammad.nnNow, this is where my ideas are unique to me and I am not even suggesting that I am speaking for Jonathan. I am a universalist…. I believe that all people are children of God and that they will over time conclude that they want a relationship with Him. I do not believe in the concept of heaven and hell as it is set forth in Orthodox Christian Doctrine. However, I do believe that many people’s lives are hell.nnI believe that since the physical universe shows that there is a cycle of matter and life that it makes sense that there is also a cycle to spiritual life as well. Jesus, redemption, God the Father all fit into this cycle from my viewpoint. I believe that in viewing the history of this planet it becomes obvious that humanity has a pathology that needs to be overcome. I also believe that the gospel provides the best solution for overcoming human pathology. When properly believed it provides a spiritual catalyst for transformation. It transforms us from fear to perfect love. There is a lot of information offered about this transformation in the bible that is not present in any other religion…. Having said that faith in the basic goodness of God will help transcend fear.nnIn my view, a restructured Christianity would go a long way toward bringing the kingdom of God on the earth and would usher in the new heavens and earth.

          • http://jonathanbrink.com Jonathan Brink

            Joe, I think one of the things about the narrative in Scripture is that when we define the problem correctly, it is so obvious in our human pathology as to be unconsciously obvious. It’s so true that we miss it.nnAnd I forgot to add above that Christianity has one element that no one else has, which is grace.

          • David

            Jonathan….One other main issue about Christianity…We have a Savior a Risen Savior that overcame Death it’s self.

          • http://jonathanbrink.com Jonathan Brink

            Cheryl, I would say this. I’ve studied most religions on a surface level and Buddhism/Islam on a deeper level. All religious systems have some element that manifests truth. Every single one has some element of the Golden Rule. The difference for me is the over arching nature of the story Christianity presents. nnWhat I love about truth is that it resides within creation. Our ascent to it doesn’t make it true. It makes it true in our world.

          • http://paradigmshift-jmac.blogspot.com/ Joe Machuta

            Cheryl,nPerhaps the best way to kick off our discussion is to post my blog review of the book… http://paradigmshift-jmac.blogspot.com/2010/12/book-every-thoughtful-christian-should.html

      • http://jonathanbrink.com Jonathan Brink

        Joe, I would tend to agree with David on this one. I think some people do engage love, which is the Gospel lived out. As much as I can shed light on the hypocrisy, I am consistently reminded that some do just focus on love, and I think that is what David means by “right”.

    • http://jonathanbrink.com Jonathan Brink

      David, I met with some friends last week and the dialog was on the church and spiritual development. And we talked about why love is so uncommon as opposed to religious duty or things of that nature. And the consensus was that duty is easier to grasp. Love is much hard because it requires thinking and engaging, and living.

  • http://paradigmshift-jmac.blogspot.com/ Joe Machuta

    When I finish writing my book :) … it will likely be called *the great deception* or at least that will be in the title description. If you look at the timeline I developed you can see that we went from essentially two denominations through the 1300′s… The Reformation birthed a few and, in the last fifty years we have over 30,000 denominations many that will not fellowship with others, many that will not accept the salvation and doctrine of the others.nnOf course, over the last two thousand years we got it wrong more times than we got it right. Orthodoxy makes it difficult to change paradigms. Interestingly, orthodoxy and heterodoxy are merely two words… one meaning following an accepted norm and, the other rejecting the accepted norm.nnYou may be mortified to find out that I am reading your book and Geddes MacGregor’s book *Reincarnation in Christianity* concurrently and quite frankly… your view of the fall… one that I intuitively think is indeed correct… is more compatible with the eastern religions than anything we have had so far. The concept of theological change embraces karma and a long purgative process. Redemption and the God Imagination work nicely with a much longer redemptive period. What say you to that? :)

    • http://jonathanbrink.com Jonathan Brink

      Joe,nnOne of the interesting things I pondered in the story is the idea of reincarnation. I don’t land on it nor talk about it in the book because I thought it was too much of tangent to worry about. But I thought about it.nnThe basic thread of the story begins with a judgment (in the Tree) and ends with a judgment. I make the argument that when Jesus says, “All judgment has been given to me,” he’s arguing that humanity holds the role of judge, not God. So the final judgment is Jesus “separating” not judging the sheep and the goats based upon one’s own judgment. The final image is of a kingdom who’s gates are OPEN, not closed. But no one who is evil will enter. There’s a new heaven and a new earth. It leads right back to the beginning to the same question. What is the judgment we make of the self? So it does suggest kind of a cyclical nature.nnBut the idea is kind of like the rapture to me. I can’t change it even if it were true. So I recognize that my part is to begin living in the here and now answering the question for myself.

      • http://paradigmshift-jmac.blogspot.com/ Joe Machuta

        Yes, getting God’s original judgment right (we are good) is definitely a here and now thing. I am thinking in terms of eternal life and, what happens prior to and after our sojourn on planet earth… how we progress toward our self realization of the sons of God… is perhaps better dealt with in the concept of reincarnation than heaven and hell and one go around.

        • http://jonathanbrink.com Jonathan Brink

          How does MacGregor deal with it?

          • http://paradigmshift-jmac.blogspot.com/ Joe Machuta

            I am still reading and am not far enough yet. I am almost finished with DtGI but, have just begun the Reincarnation book. He seems to be objective so far… more academic explaining the pros and cons. He flat out states that re-incarnation is at odds with the traditional idea of the fall and total depravity.nnInterestingly, I still see total depravity as a possible result of the lie. I’m sure that I cannot properly explain what I mean in a few paragraphs here.

  • http://paradigmshift-jmac.blogspot.com/ Joe Machuta

    When does the process of changing the paradigm go past illumination to revelation? Could some people be writing scripture? or, would Paul, John, Peter et. al, be mortified if they knew the way we treat what they wrote as scripture?nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

    • http://jonathanbrink.com Jonathan Brink

      I would answer your question like this. Who’s to say what anyone writes isn’t revelation. I’ve read many books that have God’s fingerprint all over them. The Shack, for example, was one of them for me. It fundamentally changed the way I see God because it gave me some incredible questions to wrestle with regarding condemnation and grace. And who is to say that the flower in my front yard is not revelation.nnI think what the Council of Nicea did to create Canon had just as much cost as it did value. It closed down our understanding of the way God speaks to us and limited it to the books of the Bible. Yet those books tell an amazing story of redemption and love, so what they did was important. I just think we miss out on so much more of how God speaks to us when we think its only that.

  • Annie

    I feel like this is directed at me. I didn’t realize reading the book was a requirement for commenting on the blog? Maybe that’s not how you intend it but it has occurred to me that maybe it is…? In which case, I don’t feel like I’m welcome at the party until I pay the price of admission. nnAbout our last exchange here, I also absolutely stand by that evolution is not language I would choose to describe salvation, for a whole host of reasons. And I would stand by my statement that evolution is a discursive construction, but that’s just my postmodernism talking.nnThat said, I don’t think I actually disagree with you that much. I don’t think the story of the Fall is about judgment, although I also don’t think duty and obedience are opposed to love. I see salvation as a process of healing but it’s more than a restoration of status. It’s nothing short of theosis as we become more fully the image of God, as Jesus was. But that’s where obedience comes in because being fully human means being perfectly obedient to the will of God–again, as Jesus was.nnSo I don’t disagree but I am not engaged with some of the same polarities you address because I’m accustomed to a different set of conversations. Many of these binary oppositions strike me as false dilemmas, like the choice between duty and love. They are the same as far as I’m concerned. But I come at this from a completely different angle. nnMy point is that I do feel addressed by this post but I don’t think I’m unwilling to rethink my assumptions. It’s that I’ve thought through some of the same issues and reached a different conclusions. And I haven’t read your book. nn

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Business development and communications for growing businesses.