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Schmidt, Jr. is inaugural holder of the Rueben P. Job Chair in Spiritual Formation and a Senior Scholar at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, IL. He is also Vice Rector at Good Shepherd, Brentwood, TN; an Episcopal Priest; spiritual director; retreat facilitator; conference leader; and writer. He is the author of numerous published articles and reviews, as well as several books: A Still Small Voice: Women, Ordination and the Church (Syracuse University Press, 1998), The Changing Face of God (Morehouse, 2000), When Suffering Persists (Morehouse, 2001), in Italian translation: Sofferenza, All ricerca di una riposta (Torino: Claudiana, 2004), What God Wants for Your Life \ufeff(Harper, 2005), Conversations with Scripture: Revelation (Morehouse, 2005), \ufeffConversations with Scripture: Luke \ufeff(Morehouse, 2009), and The Dave Test (Abingdon, 2013). He and his wife, Natalie (who is also an Episcopal priest), live in Arrington, TN. 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{"id":295,"date":"2010-12-15T14:08:09","date_gmt":"2010-12-15T14:08:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/experts.patheos.com\/expert\/frederickwschmidt\/?p=295"},"modified":"2010-12-15T14:08:09","modified_gmt":"2010-12-15T14:08:09","slug":"why-is-the-incarnation-important","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/whatgodwantsforyourlife\/2010\/12\/why-is-the-incarnation-important\/","title":{"rendered":"Why is the Incarnation important?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Why is the Incarnation important?<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve contributed an abbreviated answer to this question as part of a symposium here at Patheos:<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/Resources\/Additional-Resources\/Why-the-Incarnation-Matters?offset=1&max=1<\/a><\/p>\n

Check out the responses and chime in. \u00a0Here is the rather longer version of the answer I gave:<\/p>\n

From the beginning Christians have affirmed that Jesus is both fully God and fully human.<\/p>\n

Why?<\/p>\n

If Jesus is just a good guy, then the world has one more hero \u2014 but nothing more \u2014 and we are stuck with no way out.\u00a0 You can stack up martyrs like firewood (and many have), but while the example may change the behavior of a few, the world remains a broken, hopeless place.<\/p>\n

If God had not bothered to tell us that we are beloved by entering into our lives, then we would have been stuck with the architect of the cosmos, living at a comfortable, divine arm\u2019s length from our chaos.\u00a0 Nicely celebrated at the opening of Congress and football games, but no earthly good.<\/p>\n

The incarnation says \u201cno!\u201d to both alternatives and it is important precisely because it does.\u00a0 Its message is one of hope and deliverance.\u00a0 God is different enough to be capable of saving us \u2014 enough like us to understand our needs.<\/p>\n

That is why from the beginning Christians have also affirmed that God is both transcendent and immanent: different from us, free of our frailties and, at the same time, like us, deeply aware of our struggles, attuned to our needs, in our skin.<\/p>\n

Some have focused on a transcendent god. \u00a0Think angry old man in the sky \u2014 perfect, judgmental, clear about what a mess we are.<\/p>\n

Faced with a god like that others have argued for an immanent god \u2014 someone like us, becoming, emerging, struggling. \u00a0Think, screwed up just like us, only in charge of the cosmos.<\/p>\n

A god who is only transcendent is incapable of loving us. \u00a0A god who is just like us may care, but is incapable of delivering us.<\/p>\n

A god who is both transcendent and immanent is the only kind of God who can help us: different enough to be capable of saving us \u2014 enough like us to understand our needs. \u00a0Both are necessary to the Christian message.<\/p>\n

Jesus is Emmanuel \u2014 God with us.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"