Moderate and liberal Christians, unite! Reclaim Jesus, reclaim God, reclaim Christianity from the evangelical Christian Right! Just as Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of Wittenberg Castle Chapel in 1517 to speak up against the abusive practice of the sale of indulgences for the forgiveness of sin, so it is time for moderate and liberal Christians alike to speak out against a new set of abuses threatening to undermine the very fabric of Christianity. In other words, it is time for a new set of 95 Theses for the 21st Century: Reclaiming Jesus.

Imago Dei 2

July 19, 2010 - 10:23am — todonnell

Last time we began a series of blogs on the meaning of the seemingly innocent Latin phrase, “Imago Dei,” by asking ourselves this simple question: what does it tell us, if anything, about our God? In an effort to answer, we decided to start God out with a blank slate and ask ourselves: What kind of God would we create if we could start afresh?

As was hinted at last time, we would probably start out from a perspective of fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of what happens when all this is over. Where do we go and what happens when we get there?

Or maybe we’d start out, not from a sense of fear but from a sense of bewilderment. Maybe we’d start out at the other end of creation. Not at the end – not at death; but at the beginning – at life. Where’d all this come from? Why is there not nothing? What happened when there was nothing? How did we go from nothing to something? And why? What’s it all about?

Wherever it is we would start out, as Christians we would soon find ourselves wrestling with this question, or a slight variation on the same theme. Have you ever wrestled with all the different ideas about God that are out there by asking yourself this question: What would God want us to believe about God?

What are some of the options? First, let’s begin with a God of Wrath and Judgment. If there is a Christian God and that God is a God of Wrath and Judgment, would that God want us to believe in that type of God? Would a God of Wrath and Judgment want us to be good out of fear? To be good in order to win a reward, or rather, to avoid a punishment? Would such a God want us to worship a Quid-Pro-Quo type of God? Do this, and go directly to heaven. Don’t do this, do that, and go directly to Hell. Do not pass GO, do not collect $200.00. Sorry, no Get Out of Hell free card, either.

A second option is, of course, the flip side of the Quid-Pro-Quo coin. If there is a Christian God and that God is a God of Grace, and Mercy, and Forgiveness, and Love, would that God want us to believe in such a God? If we dress our God up in a nice pretty package with a fancy bow and assure ourselves so long as we go to church on Sunday, confess how sorry we are for our sins, and claim our underlying allegiance to Jesus, then we are pretty much free to do whatever we want. Our one-way ticket to Heaven has already been punched. That’s what atonement theology of the Cross is all about – Jesus died for our sins. Jesus “made nice” with God. Thank you, Jesus.

Again, we ask ourselves the same question as before: would such a God want us to worship a Quid-Pro-Quo type God. Do this, and go directly to heaven. Do that, and, well, that’s OK, you’re doing the best you can. And besides, you believe the right things. That’s all that matters. So, go directly to heaven anyway. And have a nice day.

Cheap Grace, it is called. Very cheap.

More next time.

Technorati Tags:
« first‹ previous…456789101112…next ›last »