Monday's thoughts

Beginning Sunday, August 10th I'm going to do a four part series on important theologians.

August 10th Friedrich Nietzsche " Do We have a Why To Live For?"

August 17th Alfred North Whitehead "What Do We Render To the Common Good?"

August 24th Abraham Joshua Heschel "Will God's Search For Us Be Rewarded?"

August 31st Salley McFague "Does God Have Gender?"


Each of these theologians have been important in the development of my thinking. Each of them has contributed something that helps me find hope and meaning and I consider it a privilege to share that with you in the sermons in August.

Nietzsche was the first to say, "God is dead". He felt our belief in God has inhibited our progress as a human race. He also had a dim view of Christianity. He believed, "Christian morality, which identified goodness with meekness and servility, is the prime culprit in creating a cultural climate that thwarts the drive for excellence and self-realization."

Of course, in some ways I disagree with Nietzsche. However, I think he is correct in his conviction that we need to take a look at what and how we believe in God. And I think most people agree there are ways in which the Christian faith is interpreted that do inhibit creativity and the drive for excellence.

I will take some exception to Nietzsche but I plan to mine his thinking to get in touch with the positive contributions he can make to our understanding of God and the Christian faith. Some of what he writes has little validity to me and no relevance. Like most atheists he has come to disbelieve in a God that I, too, find incompatible and not useful.

I hope it will be an interesting series of sermons and I especially hope you will find the sermon this coming Sunday thought provoking.

If you have some thoughts on this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net, If you are willing to have others read your responses click on the box below. I look forward to hearing from you.


Charles Schuster