No ‘half-and-half’ God

“Those whose allegiance is divided are odious,” the Psalmist wrote (Ps. 119:113). Or, as another translation puts it, “I Hate those ‘half-and-half’ people.” These words reflect the fervent anger of a lover of God against the uncommitted — those who are forever “weighing” and “balancing” and “suspending judgment” on the meaning of life. Jesus said, however, “A house divided against itself shall not stand.” We may not pass judgment on another’s uncertainty. Moreover, out of our own experience, we are aware of the problems of a developing faith. Out of our own experience we can sympathize and empathize with the bewilderment and confusion that often accompanies the struggle for meaning. Still, we need to understand what the Psalmist was getting at when he came down so hard on the “half-and-half” people of his time. There is, after all, a “for” or “against” decision to be made by men and women who have been given the gift of free choice. A famous journalist once wrote ……