I thank God for you daily. I have read three of your books, A New Kind of Christian, Finding Faith, and...
...A Generous Orthodoxy. I am now re-reading A.G.O. with a highlighter! You hit the nail on the head when you wrote, “I just seem to be able to get the tune out of my head and onto my lips a little before others do.” I have had these feelings for a while but not words for them. I like your analogy of tunes and lyrics.
I have several friends that meet once a month at a local pub to discuss this new orthodoxy and the challenges we are facing with post-whatever. In our ongoing email conversations I had a friend make the statement, “I believe people can come to Jesus through just about any religion" and someone else questioned him. What follows is a sample of how I responded:
“Now, let’s play a game and substitute “Gentile” with Muslim or Buddhist or Wiccan and substitute “Jew” with Christian and see what we get?
If you are a (CHRISTIAN), you are relying on God's law (of grace) for your special relationship with him. You boast that all is well between yourself and God. Yes, you know what he wants; you know right from wrong because you have been taught his law. You are convinced that you are a guide for the blind and a beacon light for people who are lost in darkness without God. You think you can instruct the ignorant and teach children the ways of God. For you are certain that in God's law you have complete knowledge and truth. Well then, if you teach others, why don't you teach yourself? You tell others not to steal, but do you steal? You say it is wrong to commit adultery, but do you do it? You condemn idolatry, but do you steal from pagan temples? You are so proud of knowing the law, but you dishonor God by breaking it. No wonder the Scriptures say, "The world blasphemes the name of God because of you." The (CHRISTIAN) ceremony of circumcision (baptism) is worth something only if you obey God's law. But if you don't obey God's law, you are no better off than a (MUSLIM or BUDDHIST or WICCAN). And if the (MUSLIM or BUDDHIST or WICCAN) obey(s) God's law, won't God give them all the rights and honors of being his own people? In fact, (MUSLIMS or BUDDHISTS or WICCANS) who keep God's law will be much better off than you (CHRISTIANS) who are circumcised (baptized) and know so much about God's law but don't obey it. For you are not a true (CHRISTIAN) just because you were born of (CHRISTIAN) parents or because you have gone through the (CHRISTIAN) ceremony of circumcision (baptism). No, a true (CHRISTIAN) is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision (baptism) is not a cutting of the body but a change of heart produced by God's Spirit. Whoever has that kind of change seeks praise from God, not from people.
“We tell people about the Law of Christ, but we DON’T OBEY IT. What is the Law of Christ? The “Jesus Creed”? It is “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. And love your neighbor as yourself.” Sadly, the “Christian religion” today has become the Pharisee’s of Jesus’ time. Now, granted, some things have changed. There is still a “right knowing” or “orthodoxy” involved. But I think Paul made a VERY hard argument there in Romans 2. Honestly, I didn’t think about that chapter until the Holy Spirit dropped into my brain. I feel that right there is where the “Christian religion” is right now. We have all the answers. We “know what God wants.” We “know right from wrong because we have studied” the Bible or orthodoxy or whatever. We are “convinced that we are a guide for the blind and a beacon light for people who are lost in darkness without God.” But, in all honesty, we are blind. We are the ones in darkness. IF...IF...If we think that we have God all figured out and that we have all the answers. I believe that the Bible clearly shows that people CAN “come to Jesus through just about any religion.” We shouldn’t hinder them from finding him. After they have found him, then our job is to tell them about the person they are worshipping.
My question to you, Brian, is this: Am I understanding this correctly or did I miss it? Have I misunderstood your meaning? Have I gone to far to the other side with the pendulum?
Answer: Whether or not you’ve articulated my meaning, I think you’re raising questions that would be good for readers to consider. I hope you’re overstating the case. For many wonderful Christians, I’m sure you are. But perhaps there are sectors of the Christian community for whom your words would have the same relevance as Paul’s original words had for some of his Jewish (Jewish-Christian?) readers.