Always good when you can find a paragraph in Pink's writings that others can understand! Good words here, Chris.

The ancient Greeks used to say that what we think about is what we talk about leads to our actions, and what we will become (character). I think they were on to something there. One might ask, "What about the heart; what about desires?" Exactly, as our minds/thoughts cannot be separated from our heart desires. That's because (bethyada is right) the ancients generally saw heart and mind as interchangeable (or at least interdependent), not just in emotions, but overall volition. Perhaps it is both more complex and simple at the same time; simplex.

Maybe the question isn't, "do we have free will?" but rather "how free is our will?" And by freedom do we mean we can do whatever we please? Or that we are limited by our nature, our bent. We're not neutral, or even fully rational beings. Try being cut off in traffic and see how free your will becomes :-)

Wow. Humbling. May the church take the lead towards unity, because the Gospel frees us to love and accept those we do not agree with.
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Thanks for sharing the "Kingdom Circles" link; very intriguing. Been struggling for years with how we Evangelicals (and my fellow pastors) pit Jesus against everybody and treat other philosophies as essentially trivia games at how . Very little "equipping the saints" to know truth, move past fear-tactics to genuinely understand people, and learn to love them — into the Kingdom through charitable, wise, loving & Gospel-driven sharing our lives and His words.

A friend asked me the same question you wrestled with — so, why do Christians do anything good?

My answer was a bit lengthy but the gist is that we cannot think of ourselves as a single self. I've been joined to the Father and the Son and the Spirit, who are all about the "Other" all the time. So, why would God do anything good, then? Isn't He perfect? Because "good" speaks of its value or relationships to others — and God does incomprehensible God within the Godhead, and to us His creation. We follow His pattern, share in His nature and give ourselves away.

That we've made it acceptable to "go to church" on Sundays and then do really nothing else but consume religious goods and services the rest of our lives and call ourselves Christians is fairly ridiculous. James wouldn't have anything to do with that nonsense, and neither would Paul (read Titus), and especially Jesus who purchased a community of His chosen people who exist for the good of the world and the glory of God.

Tim,

I always appreciate your comments. You are thoughtful, smart, and are "genuinely exploring," which on the web is refreshing (and sadly, rare).

I have some thoughts on your final paragraph (in agreement):

My hope is that we and everyone else, in holding our own theological viewpoints and beliefs ... can continue to hold enough space for others with differing orientations, and that we can all strive to live by doing positive actions which help us to continue to grow and make this world a better place for everyone.

Let me chew on this a bit longer and offer a response that I think is in accordance with yours. (Will need to wait on that.)

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On a parallel note, to come back to some comments we have shared in earlier correspondence: that is why I think there is a place for the Gospel of Jesus in our pluralistic society, as the fuel for giving away our lives. Think about this: when we say that all religions are the same, it sounds on the surface quite humble and loving. Who could argue with love?! I certainly won't, at least on one level. On another level there are some intrinsic issues...

However, it elevates one relativistic viewpoint above all others (and is thus an exclusive claim). At best, it is no more exclusive than the viewpoint I've set forth. At worst, it is wrong-headed, not finding an authority in any faith tradition nor in reason. (And thus could be self-defeating.) A key difference is that while I must appeal to a higher authority — specifically the revelation of Jesus and His words demonstrated to be true in his signs — while a pluralist can only appeal to their own authority, and thus, I propose that is an arrogant claim. (I pray I do not come across as defensive here.) All religions have a prophet, a god-spokesperson who says X is what "god" wants to you know and do, and in Christianity we see GOD Himself coming to us personally. This is totally undeserved!

While it appears that most religions are for moral improvement, the message of Jesus is not that at all. (He must totally rewire our lives and we should become more like Him, inwardly and in our positive actions for the good of the world.) When we say that everyone needs Jesus it may come across as saying we are proud of ourselves and "WE" are the way, truth and the life. Living like Jesus will not any of us into God's favor (or Heaven eternally). It is obvious that I (or WE) am not the way, and have numerous flaws of character. To say we have Jesus is not the same as saying we are better than others. We must admit we are worse! Therefore we need God to initiate with us!

(Good summary here, an interview with Tim Keller on The Reason for God.)

Fun memory: Last weekend I was playing Lincoln Logs with my son (he's better at demo than construction!), and had flashbacks to playing at your house 2+ decades ago with that same game/toys. The world changes and yet stays the same.

Have a great Thanksgiving my friend. All the best to your family! It's fun to reconnect, and you give me much to think about.