Samuel points me to Slate, which asks "who is your Jesus?" I echo Schubert Ogden who writes, to accept the Apostolic Witness means to accept the assertion that Jesus means love - not that Jesus meant love- but in the sense that through him the gift and demand of God's boundless love are made fully explicit as authorizing our own possiblity of authentic faith and love." Jesus re-presents authentic faith: a liberated faith. Jesus sets us free to be free [Gal 5:1].
But we are judged, not by the verbal assent of this truth. Instead, we are judged, as Jesus says, "as you did to the least among my bretheren, you did to me." Scripture says, you will be judged not by your faith in Christ, or even in God, but by meeting the needs of others [Matt 25:31-46]. From The Point of Christology.
You think this is Liberal? No: I didn't say there wasn't a hell. I didn't deny the Jesus with eyes of flame and a tongue like a sword. There may be judgment. It might not, however, be based upon accepting [some comfortable version of] him into your heart. It might be based on your ability to follow his path.
So are you saying we're justified by works, not at all by faith? No, that's certainly not liberal; Martin Luther argued against it 500 years ago. Of course, you're not a Lutheran...
Posted by: Camassia | Apr 16, 2004 at 12:10 PM