1. Activist Outreach
Rick Hershey writes:
Colburn and I handed out 2400 CVA booklets mostly to kids at Simmons Bank
Arena in North Little Rock for Winter Jam. The crowd was friendly as usual.
2. Narratives That Can Guide Us: What Is God’s Essence?
Last week, I explained why I thought it was important to humanity as well
as theologically sound to describe God as having a single essence. Service
to God, then, would involve reflecting that essence. Ideally, non-religious
people could also regard this essence as an ideal principle.
I suggest that the divine essence might be seen as love. By love, I mean a
genuine desire for the well-being of one or more individuals. Of course,
divine love should extend to everyone and everything. A loving God would
want all sentient individuals to experience pleasure and avoid pain and
suffering. I think a loving God would also want to preserve nature, in all
its grandness and beauty. Nearly all secular systems similarly encourage
kindness and caring. Indeed, the Golden Rule, encouraged in nearly every
religion and secular ideology, accords with the view that we should address
the world with loving-kindness.
As I discussed in the prior essay, a monotheistic theology is incompatible
with God having opposite essences. The opposite of love is hatred or
hurtfulness. However, if God is love, as John declared (1 John 4:8, 4:16),
then where does suffering, hurtful behavior, and death come from? It is
crucial to explain why there is evil if we are to hold that God is love. I
will start to explore that next.
Stephen R. Kaufman, M.D.
3. From All-Creatures.Org Ministry
We hope you enjoy this week's newsletter.
All-Creatures.org Newsletter for April 19, 2023
In the Love of the Lord,
Frank L Hoffman
All-Creatures.org
and
Kindness,
Tams Nicholson
Executive Directress
All-Creatures.org