July, 2026
Dear Friends –
It is clear to even the most ardent fundamentalist that Christ is bound up with human suffering. Yet traditional theism has argued that God is beyond suffering. Thus we have a doctrine called impassibility. In this idea the Father could not have suffered in the dying of Jesus because this would mean God was changing in some way. Change in God was simply not possible. In popular theological expression this is where the “omni” words show up; e.g. omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, etc.
The more I did my research for writing The Transforming Fire of Divine Love (2025) the more I saw how wrong this emphasis on the nature of God had to be. I now believe that the suffering of God is faithful to the Bible and good theology. Theologians like Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Jürgen Moltmann added much to my understanding as I came to see the errors of these ideas in theology. I believe God suffers with us in our suffering. I find this liberating and empowering.
I have often thought of Christ’s suffering in our/my sufferings over my latter years. During the recent gathering of The Initiative (June 15-18) in suburban Chicago this truth came home to me in a fresh way. During this meeting George Koch and I were asked several questions by Scott Brill. (George was the chair of our board when The Initiative was formed in Green Lake in 2019. In fact, the name and core ideas of The Initiative were shaped by his amazing insights in understanding our friendship and my dreams of deeper relational openness to God and one another.)
At one point I most felt the Spirit’s presence among us as George and I reflected on our journey into our senior years duing a time of profound chaos. Scott asked us both how we avoided cynicism? George answered that he experienced deep sadness and this sadness helped him avoid cynicism. Before he even said these words I was thinking in the same way. This answer seems incongruous at first. Yet I believe it is the only answer that gives us reasonable hope! You must admit that cynicism seems the only way to respond to much that is happening in our culture and modern world. While Christians themselves quarrel over their (minor) differences, and the church continues to decline in members and influence, where can we find real hope? Along with George, I do not get hope from crowds or events. I knew these for decades. Now I find hope in God, particularly in the joys and sufferings of my brothers and sisters.
Our hope is not in human systems, whether political or religious. It is not in our doctrines or special teaching. And it is not in our particular expression of the church. It is in the love of God itself. The Initiative was called into existence to show how this happens. The Initiative is a small community of Christians from Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant backgrounds, both mainline and evangelical. Together we feel a call to enter into deep friendship in the love of God.
When I retired on July 1, 2019, I wondered if this tiny seed that we planted together would actually produce what we thought God was leading us to do. In this year’s meeting I saw how our dream was coming to fruition.
God willing I plan to share in this annual gathering again, June 28-July 1, 2027. I hope some of you will plan on joining me.
In the love of Christ,
Some of the attendees from The Initiative national gathering 2026
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