a christian joke!

“The children of God present nothing peculiar, nothing new, nothing that exercises a compelling power. And so, after standing for a moment in amazement before the comedy of an unreal communion with God, the children of the world turn away supported and confirmed in their knowledge that, after all, the world is the world. With proper instinct for the truth, they do not permit themselves to be imposed upon, and they are thus protected against any turning towards the ‘God’ of the pious man. Whenever men ‘adopt a point of view of God’; whenever he is not everything and they are nothing; whenever they desire to be and to do something in co-operation with him; then, however stimulating their ideas, however noble their actions, God becomes—a notion. When only the empty canals of God are visible, objections and protests against ‘God’ are wholly justified” (Barth, Romans, pp. 74).

Somewhere else, Barth talks about how religion, including Christianity, is the “canal” where the original river, the original revelation, flowed. I have, I think, a better analogy: God’s revelation, the original event let’s say, is the meteor. What religion is, including Christianity, is the crater. If the meteor isn’t there, if the power isn’t there, if what made the impression is missing, then it is empty religion, and that is a comedy. And too often I feel I’m living in that comedy! And further: Christians often take scorn as undeserved persecution only to be expected as Christ’s humble followers. Barth’s point should be taken: scorn may be well deserved when the power isn’t there! We may actually BE a joke!