I’ve been reading a bunch of Biblical Theology this summer. Something that I am beginning to question is what Paul, Mark, Matthew, John, et al thought they were inviting people to when inviting people to follow Christ. I’m pretty sure they didn’t think of what they we living as a religion.
Certainly Paul’s missiologicial approach seems to almost trump religions in such a way that the Christ-way becomes the hermeneutical key to finding full life regardless of one’s religious system. It is a “more excellent way” as Paul suggests to the Christ-community in Corinth – a more excellent way than what? It doesn’t seem to matter if worship the God of the Jews or Aphrodite or any of the Greek pantheon the way of Christ is other. Almost a meta-religion – or something like.
In this way I think Joseph Campbell may have missed the point in his wonderful book, “Hero with a Thousand Faces.” Christ is the unhero.
Could it be that any religion bearing the name of Christ is false? Could it be that to create a religion based on Christ is to miss the Christ invitation altogether?
Even as I type this, and find it somewhat compelling, I cannot shake the human socializing process – it echoes in my head. The creation of “Christ-ianity” seems inevitable – we reify so quickly. Reification surely is one of the chief methodologies toward the creation of religions. Yet Luther’s plea for constant reform is not strong enough to counter the tide of reification, for “reforming” itself becomes a type of religion (case in point Protestantism).
peace, dwight
Good thoughts, and challenging. We are supposed to be made in his image after all, not he in ours. We need to be constantly reminded of what Barth also pointed out, about how we corrupt anything we touch, and only Gods grace can purify it.