Worldly Wisdom and Foolish Grace. Barbara Carnegie Campbell

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      Ps (pl. Pss) Psalms

      Prov Proverbs

      Isa Isaiah

      Lam Lamentations

      Ezek Ezekial

      Younger Testament

      Jas James

      Eph Ephesians

      1 Cor First Corinthians

      Rom Romans

      Matt Matthew

      Other Abbreviations

      BCE Before Common Era

      CE Common Era

      GLBTQ Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual, Transgendered, Queer/Questioning

      NRSV New Revised Standard Version

      PCUSA Presbyterian Church in the United States of America

      POTUS President of the United States

      Yhwh Yahweh

      Introduction

      Worldly Wisdom and Foolish Grace

      Saul of Tarsus persecuted the followers of Jesus during the early part of the first century CE but had a dramatic change of heart, they say, as he was traveling one day toward the city of Damascus. Christian tradition claims that his name was changed to “Paul” shortly after that experience. Paul became one of the most well-known itinerant preacher and evangelist in the history of Christianity as he spread the message of Jesus to the Gentiles.

      Many of the words of Paul and those who worked with him are recorded in the Epistles of the Younger Testament in the form of letters, or epistles, to the followers of “the Way,” as the first century communities of those who followed Jesus were called. In a letter to followers of “The Way” in the city of Corinth, the man who we now call “The Apostle Paul” wrote about the foolishness of God’s grace which stands against the wisdom that the world perceives.

      For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.” Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe. (1 Cor 1:18–21)

      . . . God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are. (1 Cor 1:27–28)

      Each of the lessons from Abraham’s Tent in this book begins with an exploration of what this “worldly wisdom” typically has to say on the subject of that lesson. I am using the phrase “worldly wisdom” in the same way that the Apostle Paul used the phrase, with sarcasm, to refer to the often trusted, taught, and passed down understanding of the secular cultures we live within.

Such “worldly wisdom” is not necessarily truly wise, helpful, or effective. Webster’s Ninth Collegiate Dictionary defines “wisdom” as, “1 a: accumulated philosophic or scientific learning: knowledge b: ability to discern inner qualities and relationships: insight c: good sense: judgment 2 a wise attitude or course of action 3:the teachings of the ancient wise men.”1

      “Worldly wisdom” often does not lead to the best ends or the best means, but the “foolish grace” taught by Abraham, Jesus, and Mohammad, peace be upon them, is often exactly the discerning path of understanding that creates real justice and wholeness. Islam respects all prophets equally. A traditional way of showing this respect is to bless the prophets by saying “Peace be upon him (or them)” every time their name/s are spoken or written. I offer this blessing now to all prophets referred to in this study, as a way of blessing them throughout this book while not interrupting the flow of the reading by adding a typed blessing at each reference to a prophet.

The term “foolish grace” was coined when Paul wrote that “the message of the cross is foolishness.”(1 Cor 1:18) The message of the cross of Jesus is unmerited, unconditional sacrificial love rather than submission to the injustices of Roman oppression. The cross of Jesus can be summed up as the ultimate metaphor for grace. Webster’s Dictionary lists as its first definition of grace, “unmerited divine assistance given man (sic) for his regeneration or sanctification.”2 Grace is the recognition of unmerited gifts which bring peace, wholeness and goodness.

      “Foolish grace” points to the fact that such unmerited favor is often seen as unwise or unbelievable by cultural standards. In truth, though it may seem foolish to those whose goal is personal security or betterment and who often believe that there is a scarcity of goods to go around, such “foolish” grace is the way to abundant and true life as opposed to the path of life that is “dead.”

      During the United States presidential campaign of 2016, the divisions between the right and left wings of religion and culture in our country became dramatically deeper and more confusing. What once felt like common etiquette and common, civilized behavior was suddenly ignored in public everywhere.

      The moral values that most of us held dear, regardless of which side of the political and religious fences we were on, values such as kindness, compassion, understanding, and caring for others, were threatened; truth seemed to prevail only in the eye of the beholder who began to self-select the truth that fit best for them; the goals of justice and equality were replaced by goals of personal and national wealth, security, and priority.

      Although the wisdom of the world is diverse, we once generally felt our particular culture pulling us toward a common understanding of the right way to behave. Instead, we (and our children) are now pulled by media messages, commercials, movies, television, and the conversations of our family, friends, and neighbors to so called “wisdom” that does not improve human life. These messages include ideas such as:

       “You should fear the stranger.”

       “You will be happier if you are wealthy and own lots of stuff.”

       “You are more lovable if you are young and have a prescribed and preferred body and appearance.”

       “You must use violence to protect yourself from your enemies.”

       “Women and children are weak and less valuable in our society.”

       “People with different speech or skin color or religious belief are dangerous and therefore not to be trusted.”

      The values of most faith traditions may seem “foolish” to those who trust in the “wisdom” of the world today but we have seen for ourselves, we know from experience, that values such as compassion, nonviolence, and humility are the only forces that have given real success to struggles for peace and justice throughout human history.

      Lessons from Abraham’s Tent

      The Abrahamic Tradition of faith is often referred to as “the children of Abraham” or “Abraham’s tent.” Within Abraham’s tent we find СКАЧАТЬ