The Scientist & Jesus: Sharing the Devout Temper

William James once remarked that while scientists often possess no religious creed, their temper is devout. In other words, most scientists are deeply awed by the majesty of the universe. Thus they approach their work in a way that is earnest, patient, and humble before the face of the world’s grand complexity–regardless of whether or not they possess a religious faith.

These days it often seems that only the scientist retains a devout temper. A coarsening of discourse and temperament has invaded not only our popular media and politics, but our workplaces and even, at times, our churches–with preachers letting their egos get the better of them and using the power of the pulpit not to guide parishioners toward the Christ within, but to transform themselves into what Mark Twain might have called the braying ass.

If humankind is indeed a microcosm of the universe, we need to begin approaching our friends, neighbors, colleagues, and family with a devout temperament equal (if not surpassing) that which the scientist shows his work–recognizing that there is a grand complexity at work within each and every one of us, and that it is our calling to assist and be a part of the smooth working of that system–to grease the wheels, as it were, and not throw wrenches into the gears. Today we have become more or less a society of wrench throwers, and we are paying the price in our economy, or families, and our communities.

Jesus said that the most important commandment was to love the Lord thy God with all our hearts and minds¹ because this is an act which creates a devout temperament; and a devout temper is the first step toward making his Father’s Kingdom Come.

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To read about Jack Kerouac and what Beat means please go to: God is Pooh Bear.

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1. “Teacher, what is the great commandment in the law?” 37 His answer was: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” 38 This is the great first commandment. – Matt 22:36-38 [↩]

Worship Services & How Progressive Christians Worship

When Progressive Christians talk about How We Worship, the discussion usually centers on the goings-on inside the Church walls. While Sunday worship services have an important role to play, what matters even more is the worship that happens during the course of our every-day lives. This daily interactive worship with our immediate neighbors and our inner divinity (Christ) concerned Jesus more than the performance of rituals.

Washing the feet of others (i.e. humbling ourselves in service to our community) is the kind of worship activity that mattered most to Jesus–much more than public hallelujahs¹ and orthodox practices such as recognizing the Sabbath or submitting oneself to formal baptism, a ritual which he told John that they must “suffer” for religion’s sake² not because God demands it–because, after all, rituals only point toward spiritual truths; they are not truths in and of themselves.

When we Christians focus too much on worship rituals in defining “how we worship” we run the risk of elevating the metaphor to God-ordained law, just as the Pharisees did with the Sabbath. Progressive Christian Reverends should begin using the power of the pulpit on Sunday mornings to begin talking more about the daily bread of worship: worship that includes being better stewards of the Garden; caring better for the bodies God has granted us; listening closer for the sound of the Holy Spirit as it struggles to make itself known within us and others; and attending more generously to the needs of family, friends, co-workers, and community as a whole.

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1. “When you pray, you are not to behave as hypocrites do. They like to pray standing in the synagogues and at the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. There, I tell you, is their reward! – Matthew 6:5 [↩]
2. “Suffer it be so for the present,” Jesus answered, “since it is fitting for us thus to satisfy every claim of religion.” Matthew 3:15 [↩]