Theology 2
What does a person mean if he calls himself Christian? What did Jesus mean, when he spoke of "those who believe in me?" Whom did the disciples call "believers?" Who were the Apostle Paul’s "brethren?" Is Mozartmovement really prepared for these questions? Gentle reader, please bear with me. I am not a theologian, but I’ve been reading up on the subject for 34 years. This essay, I can tell you now, will fall short of a complete dissertation. My intention is to clarify-by-musing.
Many who are adverse to aligning themselves with all of Jesus’ claims, will nevertheless acknowledge His unique winsomeness. Sensitive thinkers will custom-splice philosophies which incorporate the pleasant sayings of Jesus, while omitting the unpopular ones. "Red letter Christians" love the Sermon on the Mount, with its prospect of conquering war and poverty, but what do they do with "I am the way, the truth and the life?" Indeed, the religio-political entity known by that name calls on Government, not God-in-Christ, to answer social ills. Would they omit Acts and the Pauline letters? What a loss! Acts would be nothing without the Gospels, of course, but its breathless immediacy makes it thrilling–and timeless. Paul’s 13th chapter of First Corinthians is a masterpiece by any standard, but one cannot embrace the "love" chapter and ignore the neighboring wisdom on spiritual gifts. Understandably, thoughtful moderns wish to distance themselves from erroneous past movements, as well as current misguided leaders. But in an effort to forge a pure personal religion, one is in danger of excising the sound heart of Christ’s truth. Biblical Christianity surmounts the perceived offense of exclusiveness by offering universal opportunity for freedom and eternal joy. I'll close my musings for now, with a concise summation of the points of traditional Christian belief:
THE APOSTLE’S CREED
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:
Who was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell.
The third day He arose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, whence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.
Many who are adverse to aligning themselves with all of Jesus’ claims, will nevertheless acknowledge His unique winsomeness. Sensitive thinkers will custom-splice philosophies which incorporate the pleasant sayings of Jesus, while omitting the unpopular ones. "Red letter Christians" love the Sermon on the Mount, with its prospect of conquering war and poverty, but what do they do with "I am the way, the truth and the life?" Indeed, the religio-political entity known by that name calls on Government, not God-in-Christ, to answer social ills. Would they omit Acts and the Pauline letters? What a loss! Acts would be nothing without the Gospels, of course, but its breathless immediacy makes it thrilling–and timeless. Paul’s 13th chapter of First Corinthians is a masterpiece by any standard, but one cannot embrace the "love" chapter and ignore the neighboring wisdom on spiritual gifts. Understandably, thoughtful moderns wish to distance themselves from erroneous past movements, as well as current misguided leaders. But in an effort to forge a pure personal religion, one is in danger of excising the sound heart of Christ’s truth. Biblical Christianity surmounts the perceived offense of exclusiveness by offering universal opportunity for freedom and eternal joy. I'll close my musings for now, with a concise summation of the points of traditional Christian belief:
THE APOSTLE’S CREED
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:
Who was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell.
The third day He arose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, whence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.
2 Comments:
Another comment from Jack. I am very glad for you Sue, that you have this blog to express yourself.
You seem to hold back your faith somewhat on the forum, and I do not know if that is healthy or not.
It certainly avoids confrontation but must frustrate you.
I would love to have a platform to express my ideas on faith. I have started several blogs, but always ran out of steam. I will not post my specific ideas on the forum because they would cause confrontation.
I greatly admire your energy and zeal.
Jack
Jack,
Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
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