This quote struck me deeply when I came across it today.
"Truth seduces us very easily into a joy of possession: I have comprehended this and that, learned it, understood it. Knowledge is power. I am therefore more than the other man who does not know this and that. I have greater possibilities and also greater temptations.
Anyone who deals with truth—as we theologians certainly do—succumbs all too easily to the psychology of the possessor.
But love is the opposite of the will to possess. It is self-giving."
-Helmut Thieckle, A Little Exercise for Young Theologians
Wow! What a fantastic quote. I've read plenty of Helmut T. but I've never seen this quote. Unfortunately, I can relate to it--way too much. As a pastor, I saw how easily it is to allow this seduction to take place. It's especially tempter to the preacher: after studying a passage of Scripture and then preaching on it, I felt that I had learned it and understood it. It's taken me three years to unravel this "psychology of the possessor." Thanks for sharing this Paul.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing, Matt. I think that any one hungry for knowledge can relate to it. Unfortunately, us theologians are particularly broken in the area of "possessing" knowledge.
ReplyDeletePerhaps our problem is that we do not let certain knowledge possess us.
Love that book.
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