“What is the relationship between discipleship and religious practices? The latter sustain the former… The error is to think these things are the Christian life… Insofar as prayer, reading, sacraments, and spiritual direction support genuine Christian living, that is, Christian attitudes, relationships, choices, and actions, they are useful. When they become an escape from the more difficult demands of Christian living, they are the corruption of discipleship.”
–Brennan Manning
Have you been asked to sign a petition? If not, you must live in a cave! I still remember my very first involvement with a petition. (Of course that statement is based on the assumption that I wasn’t involved with an earlier petition that I’ve forgotten about.) I was a high school student, and under the influence of an environmentally-oriented teacher. I circulated petitions for what was known as Michigan’s Bottle Bill. It was the bill that put a mandatory deposit on plastic bottles and cans and eliminated the pull off tabs from the drink cans. We young activists knew that if we gathered enough names, our legislators would act. We understood that if we gathered but a few names, they wouldn’t. In short, we knew that when it came to getting what we wanted, there was strength in numbers.
This is a principle that generally applies to all petitions. Whether it is TV viewers petitioning a network, citizens petitioning the mayor or the school board, or activists petitioning a corporate board of directors, the principle is the same. The longer the petition, the greater the chance the petitionee will grant the petition.
Look again at that last sentence. I used the word petition in two different ways. In the first instance, I used it to refer to the list of signers. In the second instance, I used it to refer to the actual request. I suspect that this dual usage of the word may have contributed to some confusion in our spiritual lives.
Note these two Scripture passages:
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (Phil. 4:6)
“I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—“ (1 Tim. 2:1)
These passages encourage us to petition God. In this instance, the word is being used in the sense of the latter usage I mentioned above. I believe that we know this. However, I fear that we functionally misappropriate the meaning of this word. We sometimes behave as if the former usage is meant. This is evidenced by the many mutations of the statement, “We need to get as many people as possible to pray about this.”
Jesus talked about mustard-seed-sized faith. James talked about the prayer of, “a righteous person,” being, “powerful and effective.” Yet some of our prayer-requesting habits suggest we seek something different. We seek strength in numbers. We behave as if God is like all the other powers that be who we petition. We behave as if it is the quantity of petitioners that matters most to God. We behave as if God is more likely to grant our requests if they are bolstered by a large number of other requesters.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not suggesting that we never ask others to join us in prayer. I’m suggesting that we not get carried away. I’m suggesting that we not insult God by attributing to him the characteristic of all those other petitionees in our lives. It’s something to cerebrate…
From time to time, this blog will include little “asides” that have no content that is really worth cerebrating. This is one of them. 😉
Blogging. While it isn’t literally true that everyone is doing it, there is a growing number of those who are.
I think there are two schools of thought on this. Some believe that no one should blog unless there is a good reason to do so. These are the people who ask themselves, “Why should I blog?” Others believe that everyone should blog unless there’s a good reason not to. These are the people who ask themselves, “Why shouldn’t I blog?”
It might be a stretch, but I think which school one belongs to is at least linked to how one values people. Those in the former group seem to focus on a person’s extrinsic value. They believe one’s right to be heard is directly tied to the quality of one’s contribution. In short, one must have earned the right to blog by being especially insightful, profound, entertaining, admired, etc. Blogging is for the gifted few.
Meanwhile, those in the latter group seem to focus on a person’s intrinsic value. They believe one’s right to be heard derives directly from simply being a person! As a PERSON, one has the right to be heard even if one is not especially insightful, profound, entertaining, or admired.
When it comes to blogging, I have in the past fallen in with those in the former school. (I consider that to be a confession.) Now, having pondered the issue, I am with those in the latter school. I think the focus on a person’s intrinsic value is both Biblical (as a Christian, very important to me), and Constitutional (as an American, also important to me). Biblically, it’s related to being created by God, in the image of God. Constitutionally (technically, Declaration of Independence), it’s related to the principle that all men are created equal…
While I’d like to think that I am especially insightful, profound, entertaining, and admired, I know better. I offer this blog, not because I have earned the right, or due to the anticipated high quality of my contribution, but because I’m created in the image of God and created equal with all others. As such, my thoughts and opinions have value.
You may not agree, but the issue of whether or not just anyone should blog is something to cerebrate…