Basic Theology 6

I have come to believe that God is present in the whole universe, the whole world, and in all people. This doesn't mean that he is always evident, especially in people. I also believe that he is present in all religions. This may not mean that he is equally accessible in all religions. As I have come to recognize Jesus, not as simply the son of God, but God made human or in human form, this has also influenced my perception of other religious faiths. I really believe, for example, that the Jehovah of the Jews, is really Jesus, and that Allah, of the Muslims, is really Jesus. They simply refuse, for the most part, to know this, because other religions seem to have a big bone up their behinds about who Jesus is, not simply a prophet or a teacher, but God. Horror or horrors! So, really, as a Christian, I am the one with the open mind, and not them, and I could say the same about a lot of other Christians, because they don't really seem to get it either. As God is made manifest throughout the entire cosmos, so he makes himself present throughout the world, throughout humanity, and throughout all our lame and feeble efforts to make him accessible through our constructed religions. This isn't to say that Muslims or Jews, or Buddhists or Hindus, are going to acknowledge that it is really Jesus who is being revealed to them in their religious practices. It is never going to be that simple. But because Jesus is God, then surely that also must make God Jesus, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, of course, so he is present throughout, though our awareness and our capacity are always going to be challenged and limited. Neither do I think that the church still plays a vital or privileged role in proclaiming the Gospel, and for one simple reason. The institution of Christianity is simply too corrupt to be trusted with the job that Jesus ordained us for. This doesn't entirely get us off the hook, by the way. Even if the institution of the church, particularly the Anglican version, is practically compromised out of existence, as individuals who claim to love and follow Jesus Christ, we are still commissioned with the sacred charge of making him real to the world. So then, why am I still in the church, one might ask, if I have such a low opinion of this ancient institution? Both my reasons are in the question. It is ancient. And it is an institution. Ancient suggests that there is a historical connection and context that grounds us in the historical reality of Jesus. Institution implies a sense of community or collective responsibility. Christianity is a uniquely communal faith. It is our connection to one another and our participation in one another's lives that makes real the love of God to the world. In the Jesus People we were all strongly connected, but we lacked roots and foundation, and so we didn't last. As disagreeable as I might find many aspects of the Anglican Church, there is also room to connect and grow with others, and we are still doing this in the name of the one who gave his life on the cross for us, no matter how egregiously some so-called progressive Anglicans might try to water down this beautiful truth. Anyway, Gentle Reader, I may or may not write something tomorrow. I have to leave at the crack of dawn for the airport and I will arrive in Costa Rica in the evening. I am bringing my laptop, so I will see what I can do to stay in touch over the next couple of days. Ciao.