God, Violence, and American Power w/ Dru Johnson

Drew, you're giving us, uh, an invitation to recognize our own finitude.

The questions that we are presented with on our screens or talk radio or cable news, uh, lead us perhaps to the arrogant assumption that I'm capable of forming a wise-

Hmm

... and loving opinion about everything I'm presented with before the end of the business day.

And what I hear in your invitation for us is to recognize that one of the bits of wisdom that scripture gives us is we can't know.

Hmm.

Which is we're not God.

We can't...

I mean, I'm even struck by the Exodus account, the end of Genesis and then on into Exodus.

There's that bit where Joseph is like this hero-

Right

... because he helps, uh, you know, he gets all the grain-

Right

... uh, in this, what, seven years of plenty, and then there's seven years of famine.

Famously saves Egypt.

Yeah.

Saves Egypt, but then there's these bits where it's like, and the way that everyone got their food is they sold their own selves into slavery, so by the end of it, Pharaoh has conglomerated so much power, you know, un- under, because of Joseph.

So it's like-

Under Joseph, and specifically Joseph directed them to sell themselves into slavery.

Uh-huh.

Yeah, yeah.

So, so, so is that good? Uh, is it wise? And, and, and even just that, that shifting that question from is this good or bad to is this wise or unwise-

Yes.

Yes

... and then even the modifier based on the information I have right now.

Drew, you're giving us, uh, an invitation to recognize our own finitude.

The questions that we are presented with on our screens or talk radio or cable news, uh, lead us perhaps to the arrogant assumption that I'm capable of forming a wise-

Hmm

... and loving opinion about everything I'm presented with before the end of the business day.

And what I hear in your invitation for us is to recognize that one of the bits of wisdom that scripture gives us is we can't know.

Hmm.

Which is we're not God.

We can't...

I mean, I'm even struck by the Exodus account, the end of Genesis and then on into Exodus.

There's that bit where Joseph is like this hero-

Right

... because he helps, uh, you know, he gets all the grain-

Right

... uh, in this, what, seven years of plenty, and then there's seven years of famine.

Famously saves Egypt.

Yeah.

Saves Egypt, but then there's these bits where it's like, and the way that everyone got their food is they sold their own selves into slavery, so by the end of it, Pharaoh has conglomerated so much power, you know, un- under, because of Joseph.

So it's like-

Under Joseph, and specifically Joseph directed them to sell themselves into slavery.

Uh-huh.

Yeah, yeah.

So, so, so is that good? Uh, is it wise? And, and, and even just that, that shifting that question from is this good or bad to is this wise or unwise-

Yes.

Yes

... and then even the modifier based on the information I have right now.