The real challenge presented by the Gospel writers is whether or not I believe their witness that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Once I accept that these accounts accurately represented Jesus' deeds and words, and thus commit to following him, I believe the next challenge is this: Do I really believe that Jesus is God in human form, so that Jesus' reveals the nature of God, as completely as I can grasp the divine nature? Will I allow Jesus to be the lens through whom I see God's other revelations of his nature (i.e., via creation and the Hebrew Bible)?
Before you answer "Yes, of course," think about this -- What do you do when these other revelations conflict with, and even contradict, who God is as revealed via Jesus' words and deeds? I mean, how does God's commanding and/or condoning violence, murder and genocide in the Hebrew Bible, not overtly contradict the "turn the other cheek," "do not resist an evil person," and "love your neighbour as yourself" Jesus' teaching and example?
As someone who professes to believe that Jesus is God in the flesh, in the last several years, I decided that will no longer ignore this contradiction. I choose to believe in the God whom Jesus reveals, the God who loves, forgives, supports, understands, patiently endures and desire all people to be saved. I choose to reject any portrayal of a god who is vengeful, spiteful, violent, is guilty of ethnic profiling and who approves of those who are.
So what am I going to do with those portions of the Bible (mostly the Old Testament, but not exclusively), that present a god whose nature is in direct opposition to Jesus' divine nature? That, in a nutshell, explains my scholarly/academic investigations over the last several years and the faith journey that I am presently navigating.
A book, written by Bradley Jersak (from Abbotsford, BC) to which I was recently introduced, is now part of that intellectual and faith inquiry. I've recently posted a couple of quotes from the Preface and Chapter 1 on my personal Facebook page, and I include those below. I love the title, because I want to believe in "A More Christlike God" and "A More Beautiful Gospel." I will post other quotes and thoughts from this book over the next few days/weeks.
Just thought I'd update the readers of my blog (and my Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/thejesuschallenge/) on the direction in which my current journey is heading. Please feel free to post comments, send me an email or message. My only request is that all our honest interactions remain exceedingly respectful. Thank you.
“Of course, the answers I suggest may leave many ‘What about this?’ questions unanswered. There will be no pretense of neat bows on tidy, gift-wrapped packages. I’d rather be suggestive and provocative than pose as the latest expert who wants to indoctrinate you. I’m speaking as a witness to what I’ve seen and heard—not as a judge with a final verdict; or as a lawyer trying to make his case; or as a defendant taking the stand. For the reader who wants to go deeper—to test and weigh the truth of these proposals—the points I’ll raise do appear in more thorough academic studies elsewhere. Solid, Christ-centered theologians are addressing the array of dilemmas we’ll look at. I’ll occasionally direct readers to their works. But for those whose lives don’t allow time to wade through molasses-thick masterpieces, this summary snapshot says, “We hear your questions. No, you’re not crazy. You’re not a heretic for asking. We’re working on it.” This is an update on what that labor is producing.”
"What the church at large needs more than anything—and what the world is more than ready for—is a more Christlike God and, by extension, a more Christlike church (because we mimic what we worship)."
No comments:
Post a Comment