Today’s Readings: Psalm 38; Exodus 32:1-20; Luke 18:15-30; Romans 16:17-27; Psalm 53
One of the most challenging issues for modern progressive folks is to work through issues of Christology. Christology basically has to do with an understanding of who Jesus is in relation to two concepts: his divinity and his humanity. People with a high Christology tend to emphasize Jesus’ divinity while people with a low Christology tend to emphasize Jesus’ humanity. The vast majority of people in our society assume that the only way to be Christian is to have a high Christology. This belief comes from the language of the creeds that emphasize Jesus’ divinity. Lots of folks are unaware that there have been branches of Christianity rooted in low Christology since the earliest days of our tradition as well. Today’s gospel reading includes a piece that individuals with low Christology tend to emphasize – it’s a portion where Jesus draws a distinction between himself and God when he says to the local officials who are questioning him, “Why are you calling me good? No one is good – only God” (Luke 18:19 from The Message). Jesus is quoted as saying the same thing to a man he encounters in Mark 10:18. So what are we to make of all of this? Let me share some of my conclusions as a spiritual leader who works with folks who have a variety of different understandings. In order to do that I’ll have to back into my take on the Christology issue through another issue. The issue of Christology is part of the larger issue meant to explore the character or nature of God. One of the early creeds (sometimes called the Anthanasian or Trinitarian Creed) addresses this issue by talking about God being three in one: God the Creator, Jesus the Redeemer, and the Holy Spirit the Sustainer. In their faith some people emphasize the “three”-ness aspect of that formula. Folks who do this tend to connect most strongly with one aspect of that three-ness: mainline Christians tend to focus on the God piece of the formula; Baptists and Evangelicals tend to focus on the Jesus piece of the formula; while Pentecostals and Charismatics tend to focus on the Holy Spirit piece of the formula. Sadly - like folks involved in the Christology debate - they spend much time and energy fighting about which emphasis is correct. Instead of focusing on the three-ness aspect of the formula, I focus my spirituality on the oneness of God. This allows me to connect with folks who tap into the oneness through each of the expressions of God – the Creator aspect, the Redeemer aspect, and the Sustainer aspect. So what’s this have to do with the Christology debate I started my entry with today? By focusing my energies on the God present and working in and through Jesus, I tend not to spend my time and energy participating in an intellectual debate about exactly how (and to what degrees) God was manifested in Jesus. Without attaching a label (high or low Christology) or trying to figure out a percentage of divinity and humanity to attach to Jesus, I simply rest in my experience of this God of Jesus. My ability to rest in the Mystery that transcends labels or percentages would put me in the company of the Mystics. I realize resting in the Mystery is not a comfortable place for many and I respect that. Whether we attach ourselves to a particular aspect of the equation (the “threeness” of God or the “oneness” of God or Jesus’ divinity vs. humanity), the important thing to remember is what Jesus’ pointed to in today’s reading from Luke immediately following his words about God. First, he called us to live in right relationship through the lens of the commandments; second, Jesus called us to come and follow him. If you take Jesus’ advice, you’ll arrive at all of the answers you need to build and sustain a rich spiritual life. Til next time…
One of the most challenging issues for modern progressive folks is to work through issues of Christology. Christology basically has to do with an understanding of who Jesus is in relation to two concepts: his divinity and his humanity. People with a high Christology tend to emphasize Jesus’ divinity while people with a low Christology tend to emphasize Jesus’ humanity. The vast majority of people in our society assume that the only way to be Christian is to have a high Christology. This belief comes from the language of the creeds that emphasize Jesus’ divinity. Lots of folks are unaware that there have been branches of Christianity rooted in low Christology since the earliest days of our tradition as well. Today’s gospel reading includes a piece that individuals with low Christology tend to emphasize – it’s a portion where Jesus draws a distinction between himself and God when he says to the local officials who are questioning him, “Why are you calling me good? No one is good – only God” (Luke 18:19 from The Message). Jesus is quoted as saying the same thing to a man he encounters in Mark 10:18. So what are we to make of all of this? Let me share some of my conclusions as a spiritual leader who works with folks who have a variety of different understandings. In order to do that I’ll have to back into my take on the Christology issue through another issue. The issue of Christology is part of the larger issue meant to explore the character or nature of God. One of the early creeds (sometimes called the Anthanasian or Trinitarian Creed) addresses this issue by talking about God being three in one: God the Creator, Jesus the Redeemer, and the Holy Spirit the Sustainer. In their faith some people emphasize the “three”-ness aspect of that formula. Folks who do this tend to connect most strongly with one aspect of that three-ness: mainline Christians tend to focus on the God piece of the formula; Baptists and Evangelicals tend to focus on the Jesus piece of the formula; while Pentecostals and Charismatics tend to focus on the Holy Spirit piece of the formula. Sadly - like folks involved in the Christology debate - they spend much time and energy fighting about which emphasis is correct. Instead of focusing on the three-ness aspect of the formula, I focus my spirituality on the oneness of God. This allows me to connect with folks who tap into the oneness through each of the expressions of God – the Creator aspect, the Redeemer aspect, and the Sustainer aspect. So what’s this have to do with the Christology debate I started my entry with today? By focusing my energies on the God present and working in and through Jesus, I tend not to spend my time and energy participating in an intellectual debate about exactly how (and to what degrees) God was manifested in Jesus. Without attaching a label (high or low Christology) or trying to figure out a percentage of divinity and humanity to attach to Jesus, I simply rest in my experience of this God of Jesus. My ability to rest in the Mystery that transcends labels or percentages would put me in the company of the Mystics. I realize resting in the Mystery is not a comfortable place for many and I respect that. Whether we attach ourselves to a particular aspect of the equation (the “threeness” of God or the “oneness” of God or Jesus’ divinity vs. humanity), the important thing to remember is what Jesus’ pointed to in today’s reading from Luke immediately following his words about God. First, he called us to live in right relationship through the lens of the commandments; second, Jesus called us to come and follow him. If you take Jesus’ advice, you’ll arrive at all of the answers you need to build and sustain a rich spiritual life. Til next time…
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