Opus 2023-073: Social Evolution

Progressive revelation is the idea that God revealed eternal truth a bit at a time.  Noah was not filled in on the Law.  The Sermon on the Mount was not delivered by Jeremiah.  The trinity was cloaked in mysterious ways even though Genesis 1 uses a plural name for God and mentions the Spirit.  Even now the prophecies about the end times are open to many interpretations (with apologies to those who think they have it figured out).

Why?

Probably for the same reason you don’t explain where babies come from in great detail to a four year old.  You start kids with T-ball not 100 mph fast balls on a full sized diamond.  My daughter started her culinary adventure with Kraft Macaroni and Cheese not some of the exotic stuff she comes up with now.  

Just as we are not ready, humanity was not ready.

He could have delivered it in one lump sum but most of us have a hard time reading the entire sermon on the mount at one time.  Admit it.  How often do your eyes glaze over when the pastor insists on reading an entire chapter of Romans at the beginning of a sermon?  Since I hate to be read to I tune out early.  My world is full of squirrels and rabbit trails.  Every time I make chili or jerky I need the detailed recipe in front of me.

So God had mercy on us as individuals.

It takes time for our cultures to adapt to new truth and it must be a natural adaptation for it not to be just better robots.  Take the issue of the place of women in God’s plan.  We tend to gather on one of two extremes.  Either we mimic the Muslims and treat woman like inferior creatures or we go woke and portray them as superior in all ways at all times.  Will we ever get to the Biblical balance?  I am willing to hold my breath but not until it happens.

Society evolves slowly.  That should be obvious since we resist learning as individuals.  Hang on.  Do your part.  Live as an example.  Leave the pace up to God.

homo unius libri