the intrinsic commission of natural revelation

In the past I have addressed the difference(s) between natural and special revelation, but to be sure:

Natural Revelation – what is revealed of the relationships between God, Creation, and Humanity through Creation itself by God; considered accessible to all, through all. (Sunrise, seeds growing, parenthood, life…etc)

Special Revelation – what is revealed of the relationships between God, Creation, and Humanity through special instances of God’s explicit action; normally through individual Humans or events in Creation. (authors/prophets of the Bible, miracles…etc)

The idea behind natural revelation is that all humanity would come to a realization that at the very least, someone or something is ultimately that on which all things rely. Humans rely on crops; crops rely on rain; rains rely on seasons; seasons rely on sun, moon and stars; sun, moon and stars rely on some unseen forces…etc. Why, even the self-awareness of humanity is a natural revelation. We are gifted, there is no denying, above other creatures to reason. Humanity is blessed and cursed with a psychological ability to create, discover, learn, develop, adapt…it is an obvious thing to note that those who do not run miss out on something we were built to do; the same may be said of our creative, linguistic, reasoning abilities among a myriad of others.

It is no large leap then to come to the understanding that this natural revelation comes with some responsibility, some weight, some sort of intrinsic commission. In the same way the Sun is commissioned to govern day, the bird is commissioned to flight and song, the soil to bring forth vegetation, and the cool springs to revitalize and refresh, humanity is commissioned to care for and learn from Creation.

So we come to it, the intrinsic commission of natural revelation will lead us question, listen, respect, reap, sow, and savor Creation. What is that gut wrenching feeling you get when you see starving children from Africa, or the suffering after a natural distaster? What disturbs you about abused and starving animals or an oil spill that kills or mames all life for hundreds of cubic miles? Perhaps a better question may be, why does it disturb you that you are not disturbed by these things? These things do or should disturb us because they denote a failure to take our commission seriously.

Finally, I would like to point out that this is where I find the sciences in my faith system. For example, you are welcome to be a seven-day creationist, you may excuse your way out of recycling or giving to a charity, and you may certainly busy yourself to the point that you never stop to “smell the roses,” if you will; however, do not be so diluted as to think you are even attempting the intrinsic commission of natural revelation. A faith that is at odds with the sciences ends up being an ignorant faith that dismisses the very basic commission to all humanity. May you find yourself answering this intrinsic commission to the challenge and ultimate maturing of your faith. May your understanding that comes from special revelation be ever deepened and supplemented by the knowledge and understanding that comes from answering this intrinsic commission of natural revelation.

perhaps it is time…

In my junior year of college, I met a girl. I was serious about my relationship, and felt a bit of apprehension when I realized that our parents would be in the same town, free to share a meal to meet. Preparing for the coming embarrassment, I was asking my mother what I should be sharing about myself as we were growing in the relationship. The words my mom had to offer were lacking in encouragement when she replied, "You should make sure she knows that you aren't going to make much money; I mean, you'll most likely only be able to provide a lower-middle class house." Thanks mom. When I told my girlfriend this, she scoffed, "I was planning on probably living in mud hunts anyway, since I'm called to the mission field." Needless to say, this was not the girl I married (she found a good guy in the future though).

There is little to convince me that my mom had malice for my future in her advice; as a matter of fact, her forthcoming comments convinced me of her better intensions for my life than I had! Point being, my mother loves me, wants the best for me, and many times that has taken on a form of apparent cynicism.

No one calling you to a higher standard, a more selfless way of life, a more adequate Christ-likeness, will be seen as an optimist by the majority. Those who receive the critique, and struggle with the blemishes, they will find themselves in the place of the prophet. They will find that all along, what the prophet sees is a potential that is not being reached, an ideal within reach, a beauty misunderstood.

Whether a football coach correcting my undisciplined routes, or a drawing teacher challenging me to draw a different way, the result is not a sense of bewildered folly, but the ghastly and humbling realization that I was not right. Church, you confess too late, you only soundbite the critiques you agree with, but misunderstand. Church, you see too many shepherds (which makes for enablers, coddlers, and babysitters) and not enough prophets.

That day, when my mother shared what she really thought, she risked what it would do to our relationship, and my self-image. A coach risks players reacting poorly to the guidance. A teacher risks reputation and the student’s abandonment of the craft altogether. For the prophet, the voice of critique and optimism, the risk is a loss of life, the chance that some may desert, and burned bridges. I fear that without risking much in the near future, I will become a useless, coddling, enabler in the distant future. Perhaps it is time…