Wonder in a Cynical Age
As professor of Bible, retreat leader, and preacher, I regularly read scholarly works. I enjoy discovering new insights from subject experts. But sometimes I run across an author who touches my soul. Abraham Heschel is such an author. His work God in Search of Man, is a masterpiece. His short book Sabbath offers timeless wisdom on the subject. While Heschel’s theological insight always inspires, what I find most attractive is Heschel's winsome faith. He comes across as a rabbinic Gandalf full of wisdom and joy. Consider this simple but profound statement: “Wonder, not doubt is the root of all knowledge.”
I could use more examples of winsome faith these days. Christianity in our age too often seems characterized by skepticism. Suspicion and cynicism are often passed off (or even celebrated) as “wrestling with God.” Scripture certainly validates and even encourages authentic grappling on our spiritual journey. The Psalms of lament in particular invite us into honest dialogue with God. But the Psalmist’s questions always sprang from an abiding trust in the goodness and faithfulness of God. In the face of deep struggle, pain, and suffering, the psalms of lament typically end with a statement of trust in God followed by a call to praise God. The psalmists did not seek to deconstruct faith or undermine trust in God’s revelation. Instead, they always sought to deepen faith in God and his revelation found in the Torah.
It is no surprise that Heschel, a Jew immersed in the psalms, would present a challenge to the spirit of deconstruction that has a grip on the soul of so many who identify at Christian. Heschel’s insight is much needed today. “Wonder, not doubt is the root of all knowledge.” I find his perspective refreshing – and biblical.
We live in a disenchanted world. Today many voices speak from a hermeneutic of suspicion rather than a mind enthralled by the wonder and mystery of God. If we are not careful, our faith may be guided by a deep-seated mistrust rather than a sanctified imagination. Heschel writes, “Mankind will not perish for want of information; but only for want of appreciation. The beginning of our happiness lies in the understanding that life without wonder is not worth living. What we lack is not a will to believe but a will to wonder.”[1]
Perhaps this is what the author of Proverbs had in mind when he wrote “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” “Fear” understood as reverent awe or wonder, is the catalyst of faith. It seeks to build up rather than tear down.
In his early life C.S. Lewis operated with a divided mind. His “imaginative life” stood over against his intellect. “The two hemispheres of my mind,” he writes “were in the sharpest contrast.”[2] Thanks to the works of George MacDonald, Lewis’ imagination was later enkindled and wonder at the beauty and majesty of God began to inform his reason. Lewis came to see that reason and sanctified imagination work together to perfectly to steer one toward a robust faith in God and away from a dark cynicism that undermines faith and trust.
Many voices today beckon us to question everything and deconstruct our faith so that we might reach a higher plain. But I believe Heschel’s rabbinic wisdom points in a better direction; “Our goal should be to live life in radical amazement.... get up in the morning and look at the world in a way that takes nothing for granted. Everything is phenomenal; everything is incredible; never treat life casually. To be spiritual is to be amazed.” This may sound childlike, but Jesus himself said “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3)[3]
I’ve never found it difficult to live in the wonder and mystery of God and his creation. For those who are not naturally inclined toward such a perspective, Heschel’s testimony speaks profoundly: “Never once in my life did I ask God for success or wisdom or power or fame. I asked for wonder, and he gave it to me.” May he grant such wonder to all who seek Him.
[1] Abraham Joshua Heschel, God in Search of Man: A Philosophy of Judaism
[2] C.S. Lewis, Surprised by Joy
[3] Jesus goes on to give a strong warning to those who lead his followers from the faith: “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. 7 Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come! (Matthew 18:6-7).