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Is God a puppet master who pulls our strings or are we like Pinocchio, who cut his strings and ventured into the world on his own? Most of us want a middle ground where we can count on God to be in control-but only when we need it. But a middle ground is elusive. For us to rely on an all-powerful, all-knowing Creator is to relinquish freedom. On the other hand, what does it mean for a sovereign Creator if we can go our own way when He wants us to follow Him? The essays in Free to Obey embrace the paradox this raises. To get there, we occasionally set aside the either/or logic of the Western world in favor a feature of the Zen practices Scott followed in his teen years. It is not the Buddhist religion or philosophy that adds value to the debate, but the both/and thinking that Zen employs. However, while Zen makes a case for both/and reasoning, it is not foreign to Christianity-especially in the ancient church that continues in the Orthodox tradition. The essays identify what we can know and then peel away what is unknowable to outline a realm where paradox is the norm. This takes us to where one of the greatest mysteries exists: a place where God gets what He wants and we get what we want. This is not a middle ground but an entirely different view of reality. Scott Duncan lives in Edmond, Oklahoma, with his wife of 49 years. They are blessed that their son, his wife, and 3 boys; and their daughter, husband, and 2 girls and a boy all live nearby. Scott took a break from graduate school to earn some money in financial services, with the idea of returning to school in a few years to complete his Ph.D. This hiatus has continued for more than 40 years. With the exception of earning a Masters in Finance, he never returned to academia; his career has been dedicated to financial planning. Scott has taught many industry seminars, but his joy is teaching at churches and Christian workshops. He only occasionally wonders what life would have been like if he had followed the academic path.
