The Christian faith is not about proclaiming that we have all of the answers. It’s about acknowledging that we don’t have all of the answers, but we trust in the One who knows.
Pastor Richard Hansen suggests that paradox is a natural part of the landscape of our faith. He addresses the tension between faith and reason,
“Our reason is eventually going to bump up against things that can’t be fully comprehended, and that’s where our faith takes over.”
Digging deeper into biblical paradoxes can ultimately unveil the beauty, wonder and mystery of God.
“The very process of doing that helps us see how magnificently great and awesome God is. God is so far beyond our reason. God is so incomprehensible that we can stand back in awe and wonder of that mystery.”
Pastor Richard encourages other pastors to be honest about human limitations and the mystery of God.
“It’s actually one of the most strategic things that we could do today; to preach more about biblical paradox and that we don’t necessarily have all the answers.”
He explains a few primary reasons why it’s important for Christian leaders to discuss paradoxes in the church.
“There is a very large movement in our country now of people who call themselves spiritual, but not religious. I think they do that for several different reasons but one of the reasons is that they don’t want to feel as though they’re kind of confined in a religious box.”
“We also know that the millennial generation is far more open to things like paradox, mystery, and has kind of parted company with the rationalistic kind of faith that says we’ve got to have an answer to every question.”
Today’s society is yearning for more of a sense of mystery, and reminds us that we have an opportunity to reach people for Christ by inviting others to live in the tension and mystery of God with us.
“We Christians, I think we’re sitting on the mother load of mystery. There’s nothing more mysterious than the God we know from Scripture and primarily through Jesus Christ.”
“As the world changes, there is going to be a greater percentage of people who say, ‘Yes, but is this God big enough to be worthy of my attention?’ Preaching paradoxes; unwrapping these mysteries for people is going to be a strategic thing as we move into the 21st century.”
Richard P. Hansen (D.Min, Fuller Theological Seminary) is a longtime pastor and former missionary professor at Ethiopian Graduate School of Theology in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He has written articles for Leadership Journal, Preaching, Books & Culture, and International Bulletin of Missionary Research and received study grants from both the Louisville Institute and the Lilly Endowment.
The truth about biblical paradoxes
