The Arrogance of Faith

"Jesus is/was/always will be,God. There have been many people who have lived their lives with great dignity, for the promotion of peace, who've taught by example...but they were not God."

I'm responding to this quote that came my way regarding my "Ghandi" article. I actually strongly agree with the latter portion of this quote. However, I think the former argument in it reveals an obvious assumption that we humans have access to celestial knowledge of the holy in so much that we can determine who is God and who isn't God. I think it's painfully arrogant to claim that any "I" has obtained this godlike information.

Yet I will concede that there is a sort of normative arrogance in making any faith statement such as, "Jesus is God." In fact, I think it's quite impossible to say anything concerning faith or the lack of faith without having some quantitative "arrogance" attached to it. I say this because every faith statement I make, whether it's a theistic or atheistic one, is derived by staking a claim to some divine knowledge whether that knowledge is divinely theistic or divinely atheistic.

Does this mean that I am being arrogant by claiming that the person that wrote the quote is arrogant? Probably so. This leads me to wonder at what point does an arrogant idea become "too" arrogant of an idea? I think that line can be drawn particularly when some person decides who is or isn't the "I am."

The Empty Tomb Doesn't Matter

Recently I had a conversation with a friend from emergent village about the empty tomb. We were discussing fundamental preoccupations with it as well as personal occupations concerning it. Because I have not asked this individual for permission to share their part of the conversation, I will simply share my reply to them.

Let me preface this by saying I'm not a theologian and I have limited academic studies concerning this topic. But this is my opinion at this point in my life:

"Now, I have not really flushed out a lot of my ideas on the ideas of the empty tomb. I'm sure there is some theological word for those who think the tomb is a null point, but I sure as hell don't know it. So let me step back and try to explain how I think the tomb is a moot issue and still maintain more traditional values of Christianity. I'll start with a question. Why does one need to believe Jesus was the son of God in order to be saved? Why does one even need to believe Jesus is the son of God in order to be a Christian? I will explain it in the best way I know how; I think my traditional Christian values told me that the genealogy of a deity is more important than the love of that deity. Or, voiced in another way, the resurrection of a dead man is more important than that mans loving life. That seems to fly in the face of the message of Christ. I don't think that is a humanistic view point. I believe it to be scripturally and traditionally sound in many ways. However, I know it's not a popular opinion in many Christian circles."

There are some major gaps in the argument that I'm not addressing, such as vicarious atonement, the reciprocity of the blood in Old Testament theology and the like. However, I feel like the empty tomb is a good place to start.

I appreciate any comments on this issue. It is a heavy topic, but let us approach it with humility and concern.

Christian salvation from "Life of Pi"

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.

Sincerely

I'm going to write a quick response for those kind words from people all over this country who listened to my testimony on emergent village. I didn't expect such a response; although I can't say I'm surprised that there are many out there with stories like mine. Young evangelicals who grew up in the mega-church back alley of the West are bound to face these questions at some point or another. The emergent community is an honest place to not only face these questions but sincerely engage them.

My thanks are hopefully well expressed since I don't encounter a Christian community in my day to day life, and this week many people have encouraged me with personal e-mails and blog comments. Thank you. It means a lot.

Sincerely,
A.J.


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A.J. Stich's postmodern testimony