One response to “Eid, Pride and Abraham’s Sacrifice”

  1. Tim Avatar

    As one who grew up(?) in churches leaning toward the view “it’s a tough story for a tough world, how else would God be just?” in varying degrees, I agree the face-value-narrative understanding of the story is repellant.

    One thing stood out for the first time during Sunday’s reading: the plurality in Abraham’s line – “…and we will return to you”. I’ve been idly wondering about that since.
    It doesn’t make the story wholly acceptable as Abraham still ploughs on ever closer.
    But if one’s goal is to find a “by faith, Abraham” in there, better to say it’s the prior confidence that things will somehow work out well (which I thought was how Hebrews was trying to define it), than to locate the commendable quality in violence (which, by rabbiting on about resurrection, Hebrews does).

    In the absence of other clear & wholly mitigating contexts in which to place the story, certainly it’s simplest, easiest and probably best to file it under “that’s how they saw God back then” and move swiftly on.

    Oofft.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Previous Posts

  • Daily Service

    You can find a recording of St Mary’s Choir singing the music for the Daily Service here for seven days. They were singing in a rather empty sounding Wellington church.

  • Shelly Marsh

    Just back from the delights of seeing Shelly Marsh installed as the Rector of St James the Less, Bishopbriggs. They are a lucky congregation indeed – she is very special. It was the first time I had been there. Someone said beforehand that it was like being in a Berni Inn. I know what they…

  • Daily Service

    Don’t forget that St Mary’s choir is on the Daily Service on Monday morning. You have from now until then to work out how to tune in on 198 Long Wave.

  • What are these tardises?

    [Is tardises the correct plural of tardis?] Anyone know what the strange tardis-like aluminium things are that are appearing on the streets of Glasgow? There is one not far from here and another on St George’s Road. I keep expecting the Doctor to appear from one of them. Mind, I’ve never been a Dr Who…