This is an excerpt about Christianity from Yann Martel's Man-Booker Prize winning novel, "Life of Pi":
"Christianity is religion in a rush. Look at the world created in seven days. Even on a symbolic level, that's creation in a frenzy. To one born in a religion where the battle for a single soul can be a relay race run over many centuries, with innumerable generations passing along the baton, the quick resolution of Christianity has a dizzying effect. If Hinduism flows placidly like the Ganges, then Christianity bustles like Toronto at rush hour."
May I simply say, Christianity, as we many evangelicals know it in the America, truly seems to have birthed from the West.
In this quote, I'm reminded of how my ideology of salvation has changed from my early twenties to my later-early twenties. My traditional views of salvation were rooted in Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus whereby he instructed him to be born again. It seems as if protestant evangelicals in America latched onto that verse,for one reason or another, to explain the magic like prayer that needs to occur in order for one to be saved from hell in an instant; the sinners prayer, that Pi inferences, seems to have metamorphed from this portion of John.
Since emerging from the salvific romans road formula of salvation, the word has lost its expedientness. I now see salvation as very foggy and progressive, a constant evolution of the soul. Beyond that, I don't know how to unpack my ideas regarding salvation. In the New Testament, it seems like Christ has a different answer for everyone regarding the issue. To the rich young ruler he says, "sell whatever you own and give it to the poor." To Nicodemus he says, "You must be born again." And to the woman at the well he explains, "If you knew who I am, you would be asking me and I would give you fresh, living water." All these anecdotes I've grown up associating with the sinners prayer salvation formula. Now I am wondering if instead of references to salvation from hell, they maybe references to the kingdom of God that Brian McClaren expounds on in his book The Secret Message of Jesus.
2 comments:
dude, i have lived your life, but just about 15 years ahead of you. good that you began to unpack this stuff now - it will free you and save you many wasted years. mclaren is a great guidepost - brian will take you on and off the reservation and back again. enjoy the ride. the bible is genuine people writing about their sincere faith in God. they do it imperfectly. i am convinced that when God reads it, he is like WTF???!!...I NEVER said that or commanded that or want you to believe that...!!! welcome to right love. round-file the doctrine, theology, bs. i can save you 15 more years by telling you to drop the deconstruction bs too. there is a really happy place called: "I don't know how the F*#@ this all works." enjoy the mystery, embrace the chaos. we are in a trench and bullets are flying (disease, death, typhoons, cancer, etc.) - build solid relationships and really enjoy them. fall in love. help those kids.
A.J.,
I just finished Life of Pi during a hospital stay and was bowled over by how much of what Martell's ideas about narrative is exactly the stuff I see emergent and other pomo-sensitive Christians talking about.
Anyway, I just went Googling for reviews by emergent Christians (emergent "life of pi") and yours was the first relevant link. I'd love to do more discussion of this book via our blogs if you're interested.
Also, if I may ask, what general part of TN are you in? I presently live in Memphis, which is occasionally thought to be part of the same state.
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