Christ trumps all religious systems. Jesus Christ did not create a religion Jesus appears to have lived meta-religion; no religion could contain Christ. Though Jesus was Jewish, and a Rabbi, he didn’t just teach the Law, he fulfilled it. When Christ-followers brought Christ with them into the Greco-Roman world Christ transcended Hellenistic religious systems thus Christianity was deemed a threat. The life of Christ is a threat to any system. Just as God’s Reign is too large for the institutional systems of church; Christ is too large for Christianity.
Jesus refused to serve the religious structures of his culture instead chose to serve people, especially the people being marginalized by the religious structures. This is one of the reasons why Jesus was executed by those serving religious structures; because Jesus’ life demonstrated the failures and abuses of those systems. I’m wondering if way of Christ renders the “point” of religion obsolete; if Christ makes all religions antichrist… including Christianity.
The “more excellent way” which the Apostle Paul describes to the church in Corinth is Christ’s way; it is the way of love which trumps religion. As such faithful following my be the deconstruction of religion as a know it… a refusal to be religious.
Is is fair to say that God has no interest in creating a religion; rather God has always yearned to do life with people who simply live their tacit knowing/experience of Divine love. God does not want Christians; God wants humans. Christ, who is fully God and fully human invites us to abundant life, which we see most clearly in the life of Jesus. “Jesus life” is life in the Spirit of God.
Peace, dwight
Dwight,
Beautiful…thanks for these words, a brutally relevant message for me today.
Thanks for the meeting Thursday.
Ed
Right on target, as usual. We all seem to be infected with various strains that result in religiopathy. Life in the Spirit, is a powerful antibody to this invader.
This connects with me. I like it when someone takes random thoughts and feelings I have and makes them make sense.
this book caught my eye while up at holden village:
Jesus Against Christianity: Reclaiming the Missing Jesus, by Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer (Assistant Professor of Justice and Peace Studies at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN).
your entry made me think of what i understand to be the concept of the book. (i have only read a bit of the beginning of it so far, but i will be reading it cover to cover as soon as i can get my hands on a copy at the library.)
Dwight,
Good insights. Sometimes I forget (mired in my books, steeped in my dry studies), not the meaning of the term "Religion", but the implication of it. "Religion" becomes its own idol. The thing we make and worship so, at all costs, we can keep some part of us for ourselves.
Over the summer, I went home to my non-denominational, mildy-cool, sorta-fundamentalist church, and they were singing a song. I wasnt paying attention, but suddenly I heard the verse "Theres a day when religion finally dies" followed by a cheer from the crowd. For a moment this caught me, as if someone had yelled "Hail Satan!" in the middle of church, but then I remembered, religion is passing away, when the Kingdom Come theyll be no place for it. A good reminder for me, then and now.
Thanks,
Phil Tallon (Andys friend from the wedding.. remember?)
Reification, sweet Reification. Social construction makes a great dance partner for Pneumatology. Ah, what a glorious world it will be!
I so enjoyed our all-too-brief moments at Andy & Hannahs wedding.
Peace, dwight
Dwight,
Your post got me thinking. A friendly response can be found at http://www.livejournal.com/users/1_peach_2_peach/
I hope you\re well and that my entry is not too out of place.
Ryan Pettit (another friend from Andy\s wedding 🙂
Dwight,
Thanks for your insight. I feel both challenged and affirmed by them. As one who serves the institutional church (Im a pastor), I find its easy to forget that Jesus had other priorities: healing the lame, giving sight to the blind, preaching good news to the poor, etc, instead of being bogged down by bureaucratic procedures. I often muse on that when Ive spent a whole afternoon filling out paperwork or sitting in meetings until 10:00 pm trying to find ways to circumvent our constitution because its getting in the way of ministry.
But I think that can be overstated and often is. Jesus didnt have a beef with traditional Judaism; he just didnt like the hypocrisy of some of the religious leaders and the compromises many of them made with regards to Roman-pagan influence in the temple. Jesus did go to the temple to pray, despite the obvious corruptions, and he attended synagogue. He was a faithful Jew. Im not convinced that he wanted to replace one form of purity law (Mosaic) with another (institution-free love). I think his compassion swelled from his knowledge of the ambiguity of life and relationships.
Just some quick thoughts. I may be wrong. Its been known to happen from time to time.
Thanks again for a thoughtful blog post.
Grace and peace,
Kevin
hi dwight. i liked this post. you should give "Against Christianity" by Peter J. Leithart a read sometime. its pretty short. judging from your "emerging" and "ekklesia project" links, you may notlike the last chapter, but its worth the read. question: do you support the ekklesia project? what are your thoughts on it?
What do you base this, statement on: "Christ refused to serve the religious structures of his culture…"?
He came to fulfill the law of the Jewish culture/religion that He was born into.
Although, anything can be abused and misused it doesnt make that thing (religion) bad. Just because people fail in their practice of religion doesnt mean the religion itself is bad; although one might question the beliefs of the person and/or that persons living of Truth. Religion is a cause or principle held to with ardor and faith. If a person has faith in Jesus Christ and holds as a cause or principle the tenets of Holy Scripture, that person has a religion.
Those who meet with the same purpose in mind such as to worship Jesus have "religion" and are serving the religious structures of a culture. That doesnt make "religion" a bad thing.
Your curious Sister in Jesus Christ,
Sheryl
I liked the way Sheryl worded her objection. I agree that religion in itself is not bad, if in Christ. Even if mistakes are made, if in Christ, grace covers and fruit will come. I might come across as legalistic to some but I as a person am not, I believe in a Spirit led walk, and this walk must align with scripture. Jesus abolished some rituals but also created some and built upon others, namely communion, baptism, prayer etc.; most would call this religious structure. The more excellent way is the way of Christ, which is love, but this love for man and God is encouraged to be shown in specific ways, orderly ways. Legalism is horrible and hated by Christ, but so is disorder. Pure Christianity, which is found in scripture, offers a holy structure to be led by the Spirit. Certainly a professing Christian could be an Anti-Christ but calling Christianity a possible Anti-Christ is blasphemous, Christ is the Church.
There are so many things wrong with this, I dont even know where to begin.