I am intrigued by this video book promo for a book by this title. Peter Rollins is suggesting that we reduce God to an idol when we turn God and faith and life into a system that works, that makes sense. He is urging us to embrace mystery, dissatisfaction and uncertainty, to admit that life itself as it is does not fit into a neat system. “Life is rubbish, we don’t know the secret.” Instead of be discouraging or defeating, he sees this as liberating, we can finally let go of our feelings of inadequacy and failure because our lives do not seem to fit, or measure up, to the system of God or faith.
It has been my experience that often people give up on God or faith or even life because they do not seem to fit, they cannot seem to make them work. Certain personality types prefer the systematic approach, and perhaps they have defined faith over the years, leaving a whole group of people feeling inadequate or like failures? Often I have appreciated those who struggled in life, who didn’t have the neat, orderly life, as being more honest more real.
I do find something compelling about this, and challenging to me and my ‘system’ of faith. But is there something missing? Is there order behind the uncertainty and mystery, that is beyond us because of our finite nature? How much of this is because we are finite, and how much of this is because we are fallen?
Tell me what you think?