Sunday, November 13, 2016

Which God do you believe in?

So it comes down to this: Which God do you believe in? The intoxicating, exclusionary, vengeful and ultimately inauthentic God-stereotype that I rejected in my Kol Nidre sermon, inspired by Donniel Hartman's new book, "Putting God Second?" Or MLK's Arc of the Moral Universe, which "is long but it bends toward justice?" I'll put my money on the arc. That's how those who truly believe that love trumps hate can move ahead with confidence and faith. The arc is long, and we never know what's just around the bend, but the macro picture tells us that our world is much more oriented toward justice, equality, compassion and reverence for innocence than ever before.
Let me put it in these terms. When I roll a Torah from one end to the other, as I did just a couple of weeks ago, every ten columns or so I need to pause and back up a few columns to tighten the scroll. Otherwise it becomes messy and unruly. That is what is happening here. The progress on social justice issues has been swift and remarkable. For the next few years we might be tightening the scroll. But the arc won't stop its bending. Let's keep our eyes on THAT prize.

No comments: