Thank you Tom for this post, it is at the core of my concern with a “New” Christianity. Conspicuously absent in your treatment is any mention of the Cross and the Resurrection. These are decidedly Christian tenets which would seem inseparable to the person of Jesus. Perhaps this would be areas best fit for subsequent chapters of the book the blog cannot be, but I would ask; How we could speak of salvation as the participation of God from the Love of Christ without a necessary confrontation with the Cross? A Pew study is mentioned in the December issue of the Christianity Today as pointing out that fewer Christians hold to an exclusivity in Christ with respect to salvation. Another interesting thing that I have watched was a monologue by Julia Sweeny: Getting over God where she wrestles with what she was taught about God to the eventual atheism.
It seems that the embrace of Pluralism can all to easily dismiss away Christ so I think you are correct in stating initially that this is

Thanks for your response, Ron.

I do mention Jesus’ death and resurrection briefly in the blog essay above, but you’re right that I don’t develop their importance.

My failure to do so doesn’t mean I think them unimportant.  They are central.  And I think many whom I label “New Nazarenes” would agree about their centrality.

My failure to develop the important themes of cross and resurrection is an unfortunate result of trying to keep my comments brief. One of these days I’ll have to develop them by writing a book on these subjects! : )

Thanks again…

I would love to see you write a book on this important subject. Can I pre-order my copy? While I deeply love the church - your reminder that salvation is in Jesus is wonderful to think about.  Keep thinking out loud Tom.

Tom,
Thanks for your blog and the subsequent comments about the Cross and Resurrection.

Another example of course is the woman from Samaria in John 4. She starts from her cultural perspective as it pertains to genuine worship, despite her personal track record, but earnestly wants an answer to her search for a meaningful relationship with God. 

In Jesus’ response, He notes “the gift of God” (Jn 4:10 NIV) and again when referring to the water He will “give” (4:14).  God is willing to offer that gift to anyone who asks. That certainly seems to transcend Christianity, for seeking to know God is global.  It is the person of Jesus that makes God known.

Certainly that woman, as did Samaritans in general, had a concept of Messiah from which to start.  My question, will we love others enough to know their cultures and “gods” in order to pronounce Christ like Paul did at the Aerogapus for their “unknown god”?

It is at this point the discussion of the Cross and Resurrection becomes important to share.

While I find this a lovely articulation of one way of forming core Christian convictions, I find it unfulfilling and inadequate. Is Christ the only way to the conviction that God is love and that the way to God is by way of love? Hardly. Devotional theism is a common feature in a variety of traditions. Even Pure Land Buddhists can and do affirm that we cannot be saved other than by the compassionate grace of Amida Buddha.

Also, why not radicalize John 14:6? To affirm that Jesus is the Way is to affirm that his way of living life—the cruciform life—is the only way to God. But if so, then only those who live the cruciform life can come to God not merely those who affirm with their lips some conviction in the proposition that Jesus saves.

It would follow then that all those who live the cruciform life—and we would do well to affirm that such a life cannot be lived apart from the empowering grace of the Spirit—are walking in the way to God. But that would surely include a cloud of non-Christian witnesses, bearers of compassion to the world that God loves.

A core Christian conviction: only God can bring us to God. God is not merely the Goal but always also the Way. But this is not only a Christian conviction. To confess that Christ is the way for Christians need in no way rule out the wideness in God’s mercy that insures that God will be the way for others in other ways. All this we can affirm as Christians from looking hard at the love of God disclosed in the Christ.

At any rate, thank you for engaging this vital conversation.

Many emergent writers and Greg Boyd in The Myth of Christian Religion regard religion itself as an enemy of God’s purposes. Much of this attack on religion has focused on Christendom and a post-modern/emergent rejection of it’s distortion of Jesus and his mission. To be consistent, we can not limit a critique of religion just to Christian expressions. Perhaps religions (including the Christian forms)are more a tool of the enemy than God.

Christ’s experience with the Pharisees, Christian history, and experiences on the mission field suggest that the most religious people are the most resistant to the gospel. In both Africa and India the gospel has spread more quickly among the animists than among the Hindus and Moslems.

Do you have any examples where the Holy Spirit has truly used religions to draw people to Christ? Aren’t they far more often a hindrance? How can we engage in a serious critique of the “Christian religion” without extending that critique to all religions? Don’t all religions lead to a spiritual pride that keeps us from humbly accepting grace and gift of Jesus?

Tom, nicely said.
This subject was the subject of my MTh thesis in which I argued for “salvific optimism” because Jesus is the Way. Salvation is never in spite of Jesus but always because of Jesus. I remember Brian McLaren saying that too many Christians quote John 14 with the implication that Jesus “in in the way” of salvation and not the way to salvation. The debate for Christians might be epistemological, regarding what must be known about Christ for our salvation, but should never be ontological. Christians must be unified on the affirmation of Jesus being the way to life.

“A core Christian conviction: only God can bring us to God. God is not merely the Goal but always also the Way. But this is not only a Christian conviction. To confess that Christ is the way for Christians need in no way rule out the wideness in God’s mercy that insures that God will be the way for others in other ways. All this we can affirm as Christians from looking hard at the love of God disclosed in the Christ.” This would be my response as well. I chose the path of Jesus but I believe that there are many paths to God. Others are on a different path and for me only God can and will decide who is in and who is out. I will share my story and the Jesus story to any who would want to listen but there is no way that I would ever tell someone they are on the wrong path.

IMO, the pre-existent Christ/Logos is the only way any person in any faith tradition is convicted of the fact that God is love, and the Christ incarnate in Jesus born, lived a sinless life, died, and resurrected is the only way to full relationship with God, whereas the gift of the Holy Spirit necessarily empowers all people to good works, but acceptance of the Christ is necessary lest we fall short with any of our Cruciform works - no matter how many, and how true they are. Moreover, lest Christians become foolishly arrogant, it is not Christianity that is salvific, but only the Christ .. and we can certainly more of the fullness of Christ in relating well, and favorably with our neighbors be they of other faith traditions or of no faith tradition.

Christ the Wisdom and Power of God

18For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19For it is written:

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;

the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”c

20Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. 22Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.
-1 Corinthians 1:18-25

Thanks to all of you for your helpful comments.  One of the joys of writing a blog is learning from the helpful responses. I’m sure if I were to write this post again it would be improved in part thanks to your good comments.

I want to respond briefly to Mark’s questions about religion. I tend to see religions as necessary forms and structures without which we would likely become more disoriented than we already are.  But we always face the temptation to idolize the forms and structures at the expense of the Spirit. We must continually beware to resist this temptation, without demonizing the forms and structures themselves.  At least that’s how I see things…

The first point you made that “God alone is the author of salvation” is one that seems to often be overlooked in conversations I have had with my peers.  I fully agree with your second point that the “purpose of salvation is love” and that the greatest commandment is to love God and love others as ourselves, but (to me) this second point fails to have much meaning without recognizing the first point “that Jesus is the way.” 

Yes, love is absolutely essential to the Christian faith, but Jesus should still be the focus of that love.  This is an area that I often fail in and is something that I am trying to keep in check.  If I don’t, then when I try to love others I am only fulfilling a part of God’s command, and my acts of love towards them simply become “good works.”

I thought it was interesting how you mentioned that Jesus is the way to salvation and not Christianity.  The verse in Romans seems to suggest that those who dont know about Jesus can have salvation by being obedient to the law writen on their hearts.  I feel that this is dangerously close to salvation by works and not faith.  I am ok with saying that God is in other religions, but I have a hard time making sense of the “good works” done by those that dont say “Jesus”.  Faith in Jesus is no longer central if this is the case.

I think a problem stems from a difference between question and questioned; one asks “is Jesus the way?” and then proceeds to characterize the answer in strictly Christian terms.  This is a problem because it implicitly assumes what one is questioning; i.e. we only explore the question whether or not our tradition “is true” in light of the methods that our tradition assumes.  Other religions do the same, hence dialogue seems to die.  Theologically, this passes muster, since theology elucidates contingent religious belief.  From a philosophical standpoint, where we try to escape our contingent beliefs for universally available ones, it does not seem very helpful.