I think the direction that communicates the essence of the relationship between God and Jesus the best for these times might be the language of Jesus as the incarnation and revelation of the Creator God whose love enables reconciliation and relationship through the potent combination of trust with the willingness to become powerless (accept powerlessness? – the centrality of the cross).

In terms of the uniqueness of Christ, we could then emphasize less the confession of Christian dogma (which has been so grotesquely distorted by being involved in completely non-Jesus-like power plays and association with non-Jesus-like ways of living) as the ticket to heaven and more the common human pursuit for holistic salvation that finds such a unique possibility in Jesus’ revelation/teaching/example. People in other faith traditions can come to appreciate that powerful new possibility while slowly integrating the ways in which this challenges prior assumptions and traditions (of course this applies to a lot of Christian traditions and assumptions as well).

Great response. I’m one of those Christians proposing such distinctions as well as a deliberate and responsible exploration.

I believe this in part benefits Christians, enabling a greater scope of spiritual practices that may be appropriated and applied to the pursuit of Jesus along with the kingdom/reign dream of Godde.

Christians, in my experience, have generally used theology as a stumbling block, expecting people wrestling with broader questions of faith to subscribe to something without sufficient engagement. Our ‘need’ to evangelise is often not tempered with sensitivity to the process/journey people are going through.

I believe that we have to be more sensitive to the process, the journey, of others and find ways of enabling them to deliberately and responsibly explore toward finding Jesus themselves (or not).

Would you be keen on a synchro-blog on this subject?

Creationalism tells us that truth is bubbling in broken image bearers everywhere, throughout time and throughout the stories of religion (and philosophy). Truth resides in culture, art and even socio-religious worldviews outside of Christianity.

However, an effective study of world religions shows us that there is good theology, and bad theology in the world. There are helpful ideas in religions, and harmful (especially when a seemingly innocuous idea is extrapolated to its logical conclusions en masse).

Often, I believe that there are riches, especially creationally, to be gleaned from the world cultures of the ages (primitive to today). I also believe there are many ideas that would make us poorer if we all followed them.

In the realm of redemptive stories, I believe much “separation of the good from the bad” begins to take place.

Does the “all things will be made new and we will participate in the restoring of new creation” view of the eschaton (age to come) ring more beautifully and soundly than “eventually we’ll all evolve to a place where we become smart enough, and peaceful enough, to manage this good earth?” It’s a good question. I think the gift of the new atheists (Dawkin’s, et al) is to suggest that the Christian view of heaven weakens our enthusiasm to fix things in the here and now.

How important it is to hear that. And then, how important it is to understand that our contemporary views of heaven, as Wright and others are helping us to see, are fundamentally unbiblical (heaven as eternal escape).

The creational story of the Scriptures tells us that we are participants in the healing of the world in the here and now, that we will live on a new earth forever in new creation, and that God will redeem all things with us as participants and co-missioneers in the process (ruling and reigning). I.e. Christians should be extremely focused on the present world, fixing it, and loving/living within it as bearers of extraordinary love. That is the message I resonate with when I read the scriptures.

Redemptive stories that discount a brokenness in the human condition seem (in my estimation) bear a fundamental flaw. So do stories that say we are horrible, incomplete vessels that have no worth until we pray a prayer (enter some brands of Christianity).

I.e. The short answer is yes – and I believe the quest for truth never diminishes Jesus. In my estimation, it amplifies that resounding truth of this story (not always the Church’s representation of it) to synthesize and illuminate the human experience.

I believe that all things can be explored – some of those things should be explored – we learn as much from that with which we disagree as from that with which we agree. However, I encourage the explorer to have a strong mentoring/conversational relationship with someone who has explored these things similarly and has retained a strong faith in God, and in particular, in Jesus and the Christian story.

We are poorer if we don’t study these things, and richer if we come out the other end of what can be a painful process, able to speak to the deepest questions of the age.

I don’t presume to be there yet, myself, but I am on the quest as a creative leader, teacher and thinker-in-the-night about these things.

In my personal search, every time I look in to the riches and flaws of the world’s religious traditions, Jesus (his ways and representations of God) and his message (his transforming words and evocation of our call to be fully human) actually rise higher in my estimation. Not lower.

There is always risk in the search – I choose when and what I search well given my life at present. Having mentors, and tethers to a shared life in Christian community, are so vital in the process.

I, as an artist, come back to a wide range of songs of worship when my heart and mind is confused. They restore my soul, and I find my love for Jesus and the God of the scriptures rises.

Nicely put. It’s still a bit of a shame that Christianity is the late comer to the “Green” scene as well as the latecomer to recognising the common humanity, and hence much common truth, we share with all people – irrespective of their religion.

You also summarise the changing view on Jesus nicely.

Do you believe that we can proactively find truth in other religions while simultaneously and unashamedly and (hopefully) in power heralding Jesus and the kingdom/reign/dream of Godde?

It seems that many feel that doing so is what diminishes Jesus. Can you suggest ways in which this won’t?