By Amy Butler
Regular contact and conversation with my congregation is an important part of the work of a pastor and definitely one my favorite parts of my job. These days that interaction happens most usually by e-mail or on Facebook, but sometimes I still like to get really wild and drop a card in the mail.
As you might imagine, the church office’s supply closet has a large collection of flowery inspirational cards with accompanying Scripture verses printed on the inside, but, well, let’s just say that this sort of greeting card doesn’t really seem like a genuine expression of who I am. (Translation: I wouldn’t be caught dead signing a card like that.)
Thus, I’ve been on a search for funny biblical greeting cards. I’ve been looking for cards that reference biblical stories or foundational theological truths in a light-hearted (but not corny) way, because that’s my general philosophy of preaching most of the time anyway.
I have to tell you: I am not having much luck finding cards like this. In fact, so far, I’ve had no luck.
It was on one of my recent failed attempts to find such stationery that I came across a greeting card bearing a quote by 19th-century German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche: “Faith means not wanting to know what is true.”
My first thought when I saw this card was, “Exactly what occasion might call for a card like this? Death of a loved one? Graduation?” I mean, really. Who sends a card like that?
My second thought was, “I think he’s wrong.”
With all due respect to Nietzsche’s work, I would like to say that I think what true faith means is much harder than just not wanting to know what is true.
Sure, even people of faith can take the safe position of hiding behind doctrine and dogma because they are scared of the questions or even the truth. But that approach to life is not unique to people of faith; from my observation, there’s plenty of denial most places you look.
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I might say, then, that faith is less like what Nietzsche said, and maybe more like a song I heard recently on an episode of the hit Fox TV show “Glee.” While perhaps not the most traditional theological expression of the substance of faith, I think some of the lyrics get close: “What do you say to taking chances? What do you say to jumping off the edge? Never knowing whether if there’s solid ground below, or hand to hold, or hell to pay….”
The life of faith, at least in my experience, is often an exercise in taking chances and jumping off the edge. It’s trusting the God you know to be true and faithful and good, even in the face of a whole lot of not knowing at all. And I want to say that faith like that takes a whole lot of courage.
If the cast of “Glee” doesn’t speak to the deepest part of your soul on this matter, we could always turn again to those beautiful words from the book of Hebrews: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen….”
But however you want to say it, or sing it, I think I’m going to go with “Glee” over Nietzsche today — if not for a foundational piece of my understanding of God, then at the very least for the front of a greeting card.