How Mitch Albom Found "Faith"

November 23, 2011 by Timothy Dalrymple

Continued from Page 1

I also appreciate the journey metaphor here. The Hebrew people, collectively in the case of the Exodus and individually in the cases of Abraham, Joseph, Moses, and others, undertook journeys that have become icons for our own spiritual maturation. And Jesus himself often described the kingdom of God in traveling parables. As Rachel Monroe writes at Hollywood Jesus:

Vibrant faith is a journey. Jesus said that only a mustard seed was needed to see the greatness of God manifested. In Mitch Albom's "Have a Little Faith" we see that sometimes we can be the mustard seed for someone else. Sometimes the starting point for God's greatness, in someone else's life, is the time and care we take to share His greatness in our own.

Rabbi Lewis and Reverend Covington, wiser and more experienced travelers on life's journey, took the time to share the path with a traveler who was just beginning. Their efforts have borne fruit. And so I have to question myself: With whom am I sharing the journey? To whom am I giving fellowship along life's way?

Thankfully, the movie does not end with a Big Lesson. As one of the characters says, Albom is a "double-dipper" in Judaism and Christianity. Of course, the point is not simply to have faith. The object and Subject of our faith should be rightly identified, rightly honored, rightly understood.

Judaism and Christianity make competing truth claims, and we cannot let the question of truth fall by the wayside.

But perhaps our culture, or at least a part of it, must reawaken to the possibility that faith can be good and beautiful before it can awaken to the possibility that it can be true. Perhaps faith must become possible again before it can become persuasive.

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About Timothy Dalrymple

Timothy Dalrymple is the CEO and Chief Creative Officer of Polymath Innovations, a strategic storytelling agency that advances the good with visionary organizations and brands. He leads a unique team of communicators from around North America and across the creative spectrum, serving mission-driven businesses and nonprofits who need a partner to amplify their voice and good works. Once a world-class gymnast whose career ended with a broken neck, Tim channeled his passions for faith and storytelling into his role as VP of Business Development for Patheos, helping to launch and grow the network into the world's largest religion website. He holds a Ph.D. in Religion from Harvard's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Tim blogs at Philosophical Fragments.

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