The Boy has become a conversationalist. He still talks a lot of nonsense (really...a lot) but it has become increasingly clear that he prefers conversation to communication and chit chatter.
Chagall
We have a lot of theological discussions. He thinks about these things.
Our first was last year during a thunder storm. I half jokingly tried the God rearranging his furniture line...as a segue to explaining that God is an immaterial being. He laughed and then, in a very matter of fact, ohhh Daaaady, tone he explained to me that God doesn't need furniture because he doesn't have a body. Well then...
There's been quite a few conversations about the fully Human nature of Christ...conversations and observations.
"Jesus had a..."
"Yeah son I reckon he did"
I think that was established at the little known, actually entirely unknown, Council of Ephesus in 327. Jesus did have a penis (or wiener if you prefer) and yes he did go potty. Fully God....Fully man.
If fully man....then there is a possibility that The Boy could have beaten Jesus in a foot race. Maybe he wasn't that fast...that was an exciting possibility.
This week's talk was different tough. A much beloved security guard at his school finally succumbed to cancer. It's been a few weeks since Mr. Joseph passed but it perturbed his thought a couple of days ago while he was putting on his shoes.
"Why does God give people get cancer." You could hear the irritation in his voice.
I was taken aback and honestly a little excited...he's pondering these things. If he doesn't think about them he'll never hold them True or dear. He'll drop it like a bad habit or even worse just spend his life going through the motions...or horror of horror's end up at some Six Flags Over Jesus, listening to contemporary Christian music...wondering in a panic why the Holy Spirit hasn't moved over him like an epileptic fit...or why God hasn't blessed him with a Rolex because God wants his followers to be rich...or God only knows what.*
First, I gave him a Christian answer...God doesn't give people cancer. The world is fallen because of Sin but God by his grace has provided a way out. That is what I believe and I hope that is what the Boy believes but, that is not a very satisfactory answer to the question...it's a conclusion to be drawn after considering and thinking through a series of questions about Evil and suffering, etc.
The first thing we have to do is establish the fact of Evil...or Good for that matter. I started to ask him why it was bad for someone to get cancer...but, he was satisfied for the moment (we will return to it I'm certain) and went on a rant about Adam, Eve and Judas....he really dislikes Judas right now. Now I'm trying to explain that Judas is not responsible for Sin in the world but....
"Ok Daddy first thing we have to do when we get outside is go down the water and make sure the Japanese aren't attacking by boat." Our backyard has been battled over more times than the last Twinkie and The Boy has fought gallantly against Yankees, the Imperial Japanese, Pathans, the British, Zulus and the French Foreign Legion.
When we got to the water he determined that the Japanese had already come ashore and were to our rear...between us and our base (the deck). He assessed the situation like a salty veteran would...
"Dammit."
Salty indeed.
"You're not gonna tell Moma are you?"
*There is of course the rainbow, social justice, liberation theology option...where he agitates for some new legislation because Jesus came to establish the modern coercive welfare state....where he admonished his followers to feed the poor with threats of violence and incarceration...but, that's highly unlikely around here.
I think of all these options being forced to listen to contemporary Christian music would be the most punishing.
