glad to be back

Well I've been out of it for a few days, class requirements have taken up 4 hour chunks of two evenings and I've been beat, but I'm so glad to be back to reading, thinking, praying, and reflecting. There have been some excellent posts over the past few days, even those with which I can't wholeheartedly agree.

Today I was struck by the concept and history of the Apostle's Creed. I had the (mis)fortune of having to see Marcus Borg lecture at St. Columba's last night. The man has some great ideas for what the Christian faith should look like, namely a transformative relationship with God. However I do think he throws the baby out with the bath water. Apparently believing in right doctrine was a product of the Enlightenment and as such we aren't really required to believe that the Bible is God breathed, or that Jesus rose from the dead, etc. I guess that's all well and good, I mean America is such a wonderful place to live (contrary to popular opinion) and we are all free to practice our own religions. It makes me wonder then why people like Dr. Borg insist on being called Christians, when they are free to be whatever it is they actually are.

So as I read the ancient creed, and thought about the church councils that created the (gasp) "fundamentals" of the Christian faith some 1600+ years ago, I wondered if maybe St. Paul was right. Maybe the Good News of God in Christ (and him crucified) is again a stumbling block for us, but why then throw it out, why not allow God to open our eyes so that we might see, our ears so that we might hear, and our minds so that we might know the redemptive and transformative love of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!?!

A post script: Cassie says this post is too judgmental, and I think she may be right. Who am I to judge who is on the inside and who is on the outside? Dr. Borg would question whether there was an inside or an outside, but we'll leave that for others to debate. I guess I just get nervous when people begin to throw out huge chunks of tradition and start breaking the Scripture leg of the great Anglican stool leaving just reason (note its promince post-enlightenment) to its own human devices. So my apologies to Dr. Borg and those of his theological ilk. May God continue to bless his creation, and may we all be open (ears, eyes, minds, and hearts) for Christ's redemption and transformation through the power of the Holy Spirit.