"The Kingdom of God is a dwelling place for men. What else can it signify but a condition in which human existence is not only tolerable but joyful -- because it is open to infinity..." -- Morris West (from The Clowns of God)
A "Facebook Friend" recently had a post in which he pointed out (what I call an evident weirdness) that the ancient Christian Creeds (specifically, the Apostles and the Nicene) are each statements of belief in Jesus. All of the "core stuff" is there: his unity with the Father, his incarnation, the Holy Spirit, his death and resurrection. But, as my friend pointed out, the creeds completely skip over his teachings. In my words, the Creeds are an affirmation of belief in Jesus, minus anything that would give credence to anything of which he spoke...
It is as if the early Church leaders had deliberately rejected his rEvolutionary ideas...
In other words, Christianity became a religion: complete with a system of domination dependent upon observant followers who would be taught to focus on their sinfulness and thereby be easy to manipulate: promising an afterlife of either heaven or hell only confirmed the necessity of belief in Jesus... The of part became a thing exclusive to saints: something only meant to edify and inspire us, very seldom to emulate (usually only by other saints), and virtually never to advocate as a Way of Life, let alone as a means for social transformation and organization...
Isn't this the great failure of Christianity? [And parenthetically, I must add, isn't this similarly true for every religion?]
Nowadays, it is frequently observed that conservative Christians want the Ten Commandments prominently displayed in their homes, offices, and in public spaces -- I guess to counteract the influence of secular culture. But even though I "religiously" pour over a variety of news sources, I can't seem to recall any story of a conservative Christian wanting the Beatitudes of Jesus displayed in any public square -- and how many homes have them in a frame on a wall? Conservatives are all about right belief and faith in Jesus... Being in love with Jesus -- and saved by him -- is the ticket... Is your ticket stamped?
On the other hand, there are the words of Jesus. Perhaps one could look about the world and justly conclude that it is a pretty wild place, perhaps even a wilderness of sorts, in which case the Kingdom (Queendom) of God could be described as a Garden-in-the-Midst-of-the-Wild... The words of Jesus clearly indicate his fascination with the idea of this Kingdom of God, like a Garden, already in our midst. And all of his words indicate the means for cultivating the soil of this Garden that it might feed all of us: that it might become our loving home: and that it might seduce the wild into coming inside...
Think about it: love your neighbor as yourself, feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, live simply that others might simply live, be merciful, be poor in spirit (certainly not rich), be just in all your dealings, be extravagant with sharing, renounce violence, pass no judgment, and acknowledge that prostitutes and sinners are always welcomed into the Garden! This is being "of" Jesus! It is not the flag on the lapel or the Cross on the wall that matters: rather, it is by opening our hearts and our hands to everyone, to everything, and out into infinity that the "soil of the Garden" is renewed, and that the Christ will join us for supper... After all, as Morris West points out, human existence is not meant to be merely, or at best, tolerable. It is meant, exactly, for joy...
A "Facebook Friend" recently had a post in which he pointed out (what I call an evident weirdness) that the ancient Christian Creeds (specifically, the Apostles and the Nicene) are each statements of belief in Jesus. All of the "core stuff" is there: his unity with the Father, his incarnation, the Holy Spirit, his death and resurrection. But, as my friend pointed out, the creeds completely skip over his teachings. In my words, the Creeds are an affirmation of belief in Jesus, minus anything that would give credence to anything of which he spoke...
It is as if the early Church leaders had deliberately rejected his rEvolutionary ideas...
In other words, Christianity became a religion: complete with a system of domination dependent upon observant followers who would be taught to focus on their sinfulness and thereby be easy to manipulate: promising an afterlife of either heaven or hell only confirmed the necessity of belief in Jesus... The of part became a thing exclusive to saints: something only meant to edify and inspire us, very seldom to emulate (usually only by other saints), and virtually never to advocate as a Way of Life, let alone as a means for social transformation and organization...
Isn't this the great failure of Christianity? [And parenthetically, I must add, isn't this similarly true for every religion?]
Nowadays, it is frequently observed that conservative Christians want the Ten Commandments prominently displayed in their homes, offices, and in public spaces -- I guess to counteract the influence of secular culture. But even though I "religiously" pour over a variety of news sources, I can't seem to recall any story of a conservative Christian wanting the Beatitudes of Jesus displayed in any public square -- and how many homes have them in a frame on a wall? Conservatives are all about right belief and faith in Jesus... Being in love with Jesus -- and saved by him -- is the ticket... Is your ticket stamped?
On the other hand, there are the words of Jesus. Perhaps one could look about the world and justly conclude that it is a pretty wild place, perhaps even a wilderness of sorts, in which case the Kingdom (Queendom) of God could be described as a Garden-in-the-Midst-of-the-Wild... The words of Jesus clearly indicate his fascination with the idea of this Kingdom of God, like a Garden, already in our midst. And all of his words indicate the means for cultivating the soil of this Garden that it might feed all of us: that it might become our loving home: and that it might seduce the wild into coming inside...
Think about it: love your neighbor as yourself, feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, live simply that others might simply live, be merciful, be poor in spirit (certainly not rich), be just in all your dealings, be extravagant with sharing, renounce violence, pass no judgment, and acknowledge that prostitutes and sinners are always welcomed into the Garden! This is being "of" Jesus! It is not the flag on the lapel or the Cross on the wall that matters: rather, it is by opening our hearts and our hands to everyone, to everything, and out into infinity that the "soil of the Garden" is renewed, and that the Christ will join us for supper... After all, as Morris West points out, human existence is not meant to be merely, or at best, tolerable. It is meant, exactly, for joy...
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