Tweet

Comments (19)

Related articles and links |  1 of 3

Once upon a time, there was a man who said to himself, "I think, therefore I am." It was a revolutionary statement, because up to that time, people didn't think this was the way to begin. "In the beginning, God. …" Yes. "In the beginning was the Word. …" Yes. But now, for the first time, someone was saying, "In the beginning, I."

It didn't take long to catch on. Pretty soon everyone was saying it, and saying it in their own way. "I feel, therefore I am." Or "I experience, therefore I am." Or "I am mystical, therefore I am." Or "I am creative, therefore I am." Even "I am religious, therefore I am."

Eventually, someone said, "I am, therefore I am." And everyone applauded, because it seemed to be a stroke of divine genius.

Then, away from the maddening crowds, far off in the wilderness, a voice was crying out, "Prepare the way of the Lord." But people no longer had ears to hear that sort of thing. It sounded faint, quieter than a whisper. To most people, it sounded like gibberish. Others listened really closely and thought they could make out the words. But they just frowned, disappointed with the result of all their efforts, saying, "But what does this have to do with me, with my problems?"

A remnant could still hear that whisper of a voice in the wilderness, and hear it distinctly. They understood it, and they believed it with all their heart—well, at least as much of their heart that didn't believe "In the beginning, I." But they believed it enough to recognize that something needed to be done. People needed to hear the message in all its wonder and revolutionary power.

But how to do that? They lived in a world where everyone woke up with this prayer on their lips, "I am, therefore I am," and went to bed with this scripture running through their minds, "In the beginning, I." Where should they begin?

Some bright fellow came along and said, "We need to start where people are at. We need to make this message relevant to their concerns, their problems. Then we can introduce them to the revolutionary words, 'Prepare the way of the Lord.' "

This made sense to nearly all of these believers. So they resolutely began their preaching and teaching and writing and seminars and conferences by talking about problems that people had, and then once they had everyone's attention—because they were talking about their problems, after all!—that's when they would mention how the Lord was someone who could solve their problems.

The "I am" people loved this. They were fully committed to the "I am" way of life, but they realized lots of challenges and problems were tying them in knots. They were having a really hard time dealing with their problems on their own. As they thought about it in this new light, it only made sense that there might be a Power greater than themselves that could help them solve their problems. I mean, what else would this Power be interested in if not in helping people solve their problems? It's not like he had to worry about problems of his own.

This approach caught on. Soon churches were established all across the land dedicated to finding a need and filling it. Some concentrated on psychological needs, and created churches that helped people see how the Lord could fulfill their needs and desires. They wrote books and held conferences about how the Lord could really make a difference in people's lives. As a result, many people spoke enthusiastically about how "I'm being transformed," and "I am now the me I always wanted to be," and "I have my best life now"—always adding, of course, "But I couldn't have done it without the Lord!"

next page... |  1 of 3

April (Web-only) 2010, Vol. 54

Displaying 1–5 of 19 comments

See all comments