


“Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” (Genesis 4:6-7)
“…if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15)
“…anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.” (James 4:4)
Where do you find your theology? “In my Bible, of course!” might be our first response. But I find theology butting in constantly in unexpected places and unanticipated moments. Many years ago (I am amused and alarmed to realise that I can truthfully say ‘last century…’) I studied the works of John Steinbeck for my Sixth Year Studies in English. I was 17 and theologically illiterate. This century I reread Steinbeck’s ‘East of Eden’ and realised that the whole book is an exploration of the story of Cain and Abel and, specifically, an exposition of a single word in Genesis 4:7.
In Steinbeck’s own words: “We have only one story. All novels, all poetry, are built on the never-ending contest in ourselves of good and evil. And it occurs to me that evil must constantly respawn, while good, while virtue is immortal. Vice has always a new fresh young face, while virtue is venerable as nothing else in the world is.” (Steinbeck, J. ‘East of Eden’ 1952 (p.493 Penguin Books 2014 reprint))
Steinbeck’s story is of a multi-generational family constantly reliving the Cain/Abel relationship through brothers Charlie/Adam and then through their sons Caleb/Aaron. The crux of Steinbeck’s story is the interpretation of the Hebrew word timshel in Genesis 4:7. While Hebrew scholars may (and do) debate the nuances of Steinbeck’s premise, he makes a fascinating and compelling point. Our English translations almost universally translate timshel as a command: “sin…desires to have you, but you must (timshel) rule over it”). This sets us in an eternal, all-consuming battle against sin as an implacable foe. Steinbeck’s research hinges on the possibilities of an alternative translation of timshel as a choice or an option: “sin…desires to have you, but you may (timshel) rule over it.” This puts the power of decision into our own hands: we can choose to give in to sin or we can choose simply to reject it. The decisive power of victory is in our own hands: we can choose to surrender to sin or we can choose to fight it.
For fans of ‘The Matrix’ franchise: timshel is that moment when Neo realises he can choose to put up a hand and stop in mid-air the bullets being fired at him. (And there’s another place that is replete with theology!) In Steinbeckian theology, sin loses its power when we consciously choose ‘good’ over ‘evil’, when we opt for the way of salvation over the way of damnation. Churches and Clergy are not treated kindly in Steinbeck’s story, but Scripture is, and it is handled with considerable depth and respect. Ultimately, ‘East of Eden’ becomes a glorious story of salvation and redemption.
So, where do you find your theology? In the Bible, of course. But be aware that it can also be found all around us: in the words of our hymns, in the reports in our newspapers, in the dialogue of our tv soaps, in our relationships with family and friends, in our casual conversations over coffee, on the advertising posters at the bus stop, in the books we read and the films we watch, in our idle people-watching while waiting for a train or a flight, in the detached snatches of conversation we overhear as others pass by.
Where do you find your theology? And where does it lead you…? Timshel: choose.