Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Don't blame Beethoven...

Philip Yancey is one of my favorite authors.  His book, Where is God When It Hurts got me through a time when I was too angry to read my Bible.  He says the things many people think but are unwilling to say.  I love his titles - Church: Why Bother, What Good is God, Prayer: Does It Make a Difference, Soul Survivor: How Thirteen Unlikely Mentors Helped My Faith Survive the Church, ...

I came across this Yancey quote concerning the kinds of people God uses.  I think it also works as a commentary on the inadequacies of the church.
Thinking back over the Christian personalities I’ve known, as well as those featured in both Old and New Testaments, I’ve come up with the following principle: God uses the talent pool available.

To adapt an analogy I heard recently, when the Pueblo, Colorado, Symphony Orchestra plays Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony—don’t blame Beethoven.  On the other hand, the only way many Coloradans will ever hear Beethoven is through that struggling ensemble.  Unlike Christopher Hitchens and the defenders of non-religion, I can still hear strains of the Good News wherever I go in the world, which is why I keep writing about it.
 

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