What Mr. Bogart did or did not say in a film made 60 years ago probably has little effect on me philosophically. It is a misquote or a lack of attention to detail that matters little. But that is not always the case. It is good to pay close attention to what some people actually do say.
Here are some examples from the New Testament. There are dozens if not hundreds of others, but I humbly offer but two.
St. Paul did not say "It's all good" (or "It is what it is" for that matter). There exists a denial-tinged optimism in some Christians that adamantly insists that everything is good. And that our response to all things should be "Praise the Lord." I actually kind of agree with that, but without insisting that all things that happen are good. What St. Paul actually said is that "all things work together for good for them that love God and are called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28) Splitting hairs perhaps, but it saves me the inauthenticity of manufacturing joy over things that are patently bad. I am very poor at that. St. Paul's statement is an affirmation of the sovereignty of God and implies that all things, good and bad, are used by him and woven into his perfect purpose. That I can get behind. Because, frankly, it's not all good.
Second example. Same theme of sovereignty, but with more subtlety. I was reading this earlier this week:
Now in putting everything in subjection to him (Jesus), he (God) left nothing outside his control. (Hebrews 2:8, items in parentheses are mine for clarification.)
The problem with this one is not that we misread it, but that we stop reading it and miss its context. This statement alone is challenging to reconcile with my own experience for, if only in the unruly devices and desires of my own heart, it does not seem that Jesus has control of everything. The assertion that God is in control, a common proclamatory tidbit of American Christianity, is hard to swallow in the face of real and apparently meaningless tragedy. But the writer to the Hebrews goes on and acknowledges what is obvious to us all:
At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him.
(Hebrews 2:8 also, but without clarifying parentheses).
This makes sense in light of what I see and experience. But he also does not go on to say, we will, at such and such a time, see everything in subjection to him. His "yet" confirms that we will at some point see it, but he discloses no timeline for it. And the writer, I suspect knows that, as Proverbs 13:12 says, Hope deferred makes the heart sick. So he goes on further. We do not yet see everything in subjection to him, but we see him. Please note the present and not future (or past tense). It is not, we will see him, or we have seen him, but we see him. We are seeing him now.
Both of these texts were written to Christians struggling with difficulty, affliction and persecution. That which sustains us most in those times is Jesus himself. The remembrance of what was and the promise of what will yet be help us, but they cannot hold a candle to him. Himself seen, loved and adored.
Alex Cameron, I refuse to address him as the Reverend because he does not deserve that title. I only found out several weeks ago after returning to St. Timothy that he lied about a very small incident that occurred between a member of the church, a young cocky Navigator lay reader, and myself twelve years ago. Twelve years ago, I questioned the Navigator lay reader about a prayer he said one Sunday when he was permitted to give a sermon and, of course, he ended with this questionable prayer. When I asked the Navigator Lay Reader my question he became unhinged so I ended my short conversation. Immediately, he went after my husband and grabbed a tray out of my husband's hands (we were at a picnic and my husband was helping to clean up) in anger against me for questioning him and said a few unkind words which my husband didn't understand because he didn't know what was going on. I e-mailed the Navigator Ministry as the cocky young Navigator definitely had an anger management problem and I felt that they should know. At first, the Navigator Ministry supported him and I dropped the issue. However, later I received another e-mail from the Navigator Ministry apologizing for his behavior and that I was correct. Evidently, he told a story to Alex Cameron who then told Bishop Murdoch his lying version of the story. Cameron states a discipline was issued to me in person followed up by a letter confirming it which never happened. Now comes something even worse I was told that I could not return to the church without repenting. I don't need to repent for questioning a prayer, but Alex Cameron needs to repent for his lying which I am certain I am not the first person to experience his sick and evil ways of attempting to destroy God's people. Fr. Michah gave me a letter stating that I was told personally that I was asked not to return to the church until I repented. I will be putting this on Yelp and hopefully it will be accepted and every other website I can find as this diabolic priest needs to be punished. My final words are what about my due process and why wasn't I contacted. The new Bishop and former Bishop need to hear my story. This will be my testimony for the remainder of my life because I don't want good Christians taken it by the likes of Cameron. It can destroy their belief in trusting their pastor. It isn't going to destroy mine because this injustice will be told everywhere and to everyone I know and don't know the rest of my life. Janice D. White
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