Christianity is Changing
Christianity as a religion, the religion that never should have existed, is undergoing a profound process of deconstruction. Long held assumptions about dogma and doctrine are challenged, church attendance is declining, entire geographical areas have become post-Christian. Some want to blame this demise on the rejection of the Bible as the Word of God. Some claim that humanity is in thrall to a mythical devil. The reality is that it is the Gospel itself that is deconstructing Christianity for it is the Gospel that has the power to demystify our concept of the satan and to demystify our concept of God. And these need demystifying.
We can no longer afford to live in a world dominated by supernaturalism, as though human existence was determined by forces external to ourselves. It is the gospel that is forcing us to examine ourselves and take responsibility for all of the anguish, pain and heartache we see in human history. It is the Gospel that makes us human. And this is the emphasis of the Gospel, for the Logos, the structuring principle of reality was made flesh. The nonviolent God has entered our violent world and we have rejected Her. We slaughtered Him on a Roman cross. This God, in dying proffered forgiveness, in resurrection announced “Peace” and in ascending took our humanity and gave it hope.
Those who look away from the Gospel, into themselves, into history, into the metaphysical, into worlds beyond, will always fail to be converted to the good news. They will always fail to see that by justifying and participating in violence, retribution, justice and vengeance they are still stuck in the matrix of that which is the origin of all human culture and religion: sacred violence.
Followers of Jesus are those who, having touched the Word of Life, reject all forms and manner of retaliation and positively express forgiveness to those who hurt them, love those who hate them and who do not impose ‘holiness codes’ as though divinely given.
#thebibleisdeconstructed #thesatanisdemystified #GodisrevealedasLove
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