More than anything else I’ve read in a long time, this captures my understanding of Christianity. It’s not a quick read, but I recommend it more than any of the other links I’ve put on this blog. Here are a few quotes to whet your appetite, then when you feel thoughtful you can give it a look.
"And therein is the paradox. America is simultaneously the most professedly Christian of the developed nations and the least Christian in its behavior."
"Love your neighbor as yourself: although its rhetorical power has been dimmed by repetition, that is a radical notion, perhaps the most radical notion possible. Especially since Jesus, in all his teachings, made it very clear who the neighbor you were supposed to love was: the poor person, the sick person, the naked person, the hungry person. The last shall be made first; turn the other cheek; a rich person aiming for heaven is like a camel trying to walk through the eye of a needle. On and on and on—-a call for nothing less than a radical, voluntary, and effective reordering of power relationships, based on the principle of love."
"But straight is the path and narrow is the way. The gospel is too radical for any culture larger than the Amish to ever come close to realizing; in demanding a departure from selfishness it conflicts with all our current desires. Even the first time around, judging by the reaction, the Gospels were pretty unwelcome news to an awful lot of people. There is not going to be a modern-day return to the church of the early believers, holding all things in common—-that’s not what I’m talking about. Taking seriously the actual message of Jesus, though, should serve at least to moderate the greed and violence that mark this culture. It’s hard to imagine a con much more audacious than making Christ the front man for a program of tax cuts for the rich or war in Iraq. If some modest part of the 85 percent of us who are Christians woke up to that fact, then the world might change."
5 comments:
Interesting. I'd like to see someone try to refute that--I'm not sure how, but if they can, I'd definitely like to see it.
I'm rather hoping they'll be more interested in learning from it than refuting it . . .
silly degolar, like that would ever happen....
Listen, when Jesus said, "Love thy neighbors," he was talking about the other rich people, not the poor. FOr crying out loud, who would live next to a bum?
What? Why is everyone looking at me like that?
Was Jesus actually rich? That's not the impression I got with the beard, robe, sandals, and shopping cart full of empties. In fact just a few weeks ago I saw a guy just like that walking along Troost. Come to think of it, he also said he was the son of God.
Honestly, I wouldn't want to live next to a bum, all things considered.
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