Truth
LETTER BY BRIAN MORYKON
I used to wonder why the Bible isn’t more straightforward, organized, or accessible.
To Western readers, the Book of books can feel like a hodgepodge. Seemingly unimportant details are repeated. Curious omissions abound.
I’ve heard people say that the Bible is a “manual for life.” But if a writer presented an employee manual with the organizational structure of the Bible, he’d be fired.
Thankfully, God reports to no one. And, anyway, it’s not a manual.
Because God’s goal for us isn’t a constricting conformity to a set of rules. It’s a liberating conformity into Christlikeness. God wants “adult kids in the family business,” as Ted Harro likes to say — people who, with surrendered wills and baptized imaginations, partner with Jesus in surprising ways to make their corner of earth look a little more like heaven. People set free by the truth.
And how are we set free by the truth?
Well, by God’s grace, we discover it over and over again.
A truth you discover is better than a truth you’ve been told — better in the sense that it penetrates the heart and changes the mind. Unearthing a buried treasure chest of jewels is more satisfying than being given a big check. Searching increases the joy of the finding. (This is probably why rich people still go to thrift stores.)
Good parents understand this and set up ways for their kids to learn through experience and discovery. And God is a good parent.
Good teachers understand this, too, and use stories to allow a student to mine out the truth themselves (or with a little coaching). And Jesus is the best teacher.
This principle of “discovered truth” or “revealed truth” explains in part why the Bible is the way it is: a God-breathed, human-penned collaboration; a collection of stories and laws and poetry and prophecy and letters; a field with buried treasure that requires some digging.
It also explains why art can be such a powerful means of conveying truth. It “steals past the watchful dragons” of our heart (to quote poet Malcolm Guite quoting C.S. Lewis… see the link below). To use another metaphor, when our “truth tastebuds” are dulled by a familiar diet of religious activity or just everyday fare, beauty and story — whether through Scripture or sunsets or a good novel — can be the zest to surprise them awake.
Brian Morykon
Director of Communications
Sign up for Renovaré Weekly
Thoughtfully introduced Christ-centered spiritual formation resources.
Thanks for subscribing! We'll send you a confirmation email.
LET’S DIVE IN...
CURATED BY GRACE POUCH
-
1.
🎧 NEW EPISODE of Life With God: A Renovaré Podcast. Matthew Clark talks with Nate about the marks of a good story and what it means to tell the truth as an author and musician. Listen on Apple, Spotify, or the Renovaré website.
-
2.
Refresh your familiarity with the overarching drama of God’s interaction with people across the ages in this brief overview of biblical history, from the introduction of Renovaré’s Life with God Bible.
-
3.
Dorothy Sayers (mystery writer, playwright, Christian thinker, and intellectual friend to C.S. Lewis) challenges the “taint of unreality” we often cast on the real events of the Bible in this brilliant essay where she imagines a literary review of John’s gospel.
-
4.
Cry The Beloved Country by Alan Patton is a gripping fictional portrayal of God’s redemption. Read the book and/or watch the movie.
-
5.
Malcolm Guite explains that “Great works of imagination are full of truth” in this Trinity Forum interview.
-
6.
Working with your own story can be a fruitful spiritual practice. Renovaré will host a virtual workshop on November 30th called Restorative Writing: Meeting God in the Practice of Crafting Words. Join us for an time of inspiration, hands-on practice, and community sharing.
…and two bonus items from Renovaré Institute Alums
-
7.
Avo Adourian, a graphic designer and London Cohort alum, voices his admiration for the simplicity, indirection, and balance of Jesus’ communication style in this essay. Avo is also a Martin Institute Cultura Fellow and he mentioned that the Martin Institute and Jesuit Institute of South Africa are offering an intensive training program to equip spiritual directors to accompany others through the Full Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. Learn more here.
-
8.
Author and playwright Pete Peterson talked with Renovaré Institute alumna Kristy Lahoda about the imaginative task of adapting Corrie ten Boom’s The Hiding Place for stage and screen.