The Boiler Room Boys

I end The Boiler Room Boys (TBRB, p 153) with: “Together these two verses [Ro 12:2 and 1 Cor 13:2] came together to help me realize that love exists as surely as the physical world exists but that love exists beyond that physical world.” This is the basis for our freedom to change through Jesus. What I don’t specifically address is the need for self-control in walking out that freedom. Dann Farrelly recently commented that we need to pursue a level of self-control sufficient to match our level of influence.

I have experienced several conflicts where responsibility has not matched influence, some within churches (see TBRB p 89-90). The conflicts can be catastrophic. This can occur when individuals aspire to promotion prematurely or step (or are thrust) into leadership vacuums. In my case I did not know at the time which was the case for me, but I wondered “if I had done the right thing or if I was just responding to my own fear of authority.”

Dann Farrelly pursues the Biblical basis for the connection between freedom and responsibility in his book Kingdom Culture (see also www.bethel.com/core-values) where he states: “We are responsible for partnering with the Holy Spirit to continually develop the foundation of our character so our character can support our growing influence and anointing.” He references several Biblical passages, for example: “. . . make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love” (2 Peter 1:5-7).

Peter’s sequence from faith back to love is clear. My own growth came when I realized that I had long had an issue with authority that limited my level of responsibility, my self-control; dealing with that in a healing context would be part of me taking responsibility for my freedom (TBRB p 144-6). Can you identify when and how your growth in responsibility came?

I have recently published a book by the title The Boiler Room Boys: An Underground Story of Science, Religion, and the Faith that Fuels Both. I have created this website for those interested in continuing to investigate the relationships between science, religion and faith, and intend to write about my ongoing study of issues raised in this book that I was not able to adequately address.

The most important issue that I address in this book is freedom. This is the essence of my understanding of Jesus’ teaching and his sacrifice, to give us freedom to act and to change. A crucial Greek word to describe what freedom means is parrhesia, meaning:

the speaker uses his freedom and chooses frankness instead of persuasion, truth instead of falsehood or silence, the risk of death instead of life and security, criticism instead of flattery, and moral duty instead of self-interest and moral apathy

Michel Foucault, Discourse and Truth, at https://foucault.info/parrhesia/foucault.DT1. wordParrhesia.en/.

Freedom has always been threatening to some, and too often I for one chose to give up my freedom rather than raise the rath of those who felt challenged by my questions or ideas. Looking back over my life, I identified many ways that I sacrificed the freedom that Christ gave us.

The important question to me is how to step forward in that freedom when so many are threatened by our exercising it? This is one topic that I will pursue here.

Your comments and suggestions are welcome.