Before I begin, I’ll admit that I think Harvey Cox is onto something in his third chapter “Ships Already Launched” but I don’t know that I’m totally convinced by his argument here. With that said, neither do I expect my rehashing to convince anyone of anything, but maybe rather open a door that was once shut.
One of the most devastating blunders made by the church [...] was to insist that the Spirit is present only in believers (53).
For more information on what this post and Theology Thursdays are about, click here. Otherwise…
From the start, this is going to be a rough passage for most Christians to stomach. I acknowledge that. I believe the point the author is striving for is important, but in true criticism of the book, I’m not sure that he achieves his goal – though I think there’s something in me that wants him to.
What he opens here is a Pandora’s box that unravels the tightly bound package of traditional Christianity. It’s quite an undertaking. To strengthen and explicate his stance, I believe, Cox should make note to degrees of presence of the Spirit. Do these non-believing groups of people have the fullness of the Spirit that believers do? Is it a matter of access untapped? This logically leads to other questions: Do all believers hold the same fullness? How does one, believing or not, obtain (access to? understanding of?) said Spirit?
See? Pandora’s Box.
In all reality, this could be an entire book by Cox. He sets out to accomplish his point in under 16 pages.
Quite naturally, he’s going to fall short in finality.
But the power behind what he presents is in this: “The Spirit cannot be restricted by doctrinal or ecclesial boundaries” (53). And to which, I fully agree; God is bigger than our doctrine.
To say, as St. Cyprian of Carthage did, “Outside the Church there is no salvation,” is to limit God’s reach (53). But, many would argue, to say the imago dei (”Image of God”) present in all people is evidence of God’s Spirit in them is taking that “Image” too far.
Remember, though, Cox is trying to change perspectives through the pages of this book. He notes: “So much Christian theology and preaching has fastened on to the need for faith in Jesus that the faith of Jesus has often been ignored”(46).
Christ constantly calls his followers away from doctrine and toward the heart of God. His life of Faith is one of action.
Once, he was speaking to a group of people and his usual hecklers made their way toward him in the crowd. They try to trip him up, catch him in a lie or logical conundrum, but Jesus, as He was known to do, answers with a story of a father and two sons.
One day, the father tells both to work in the field. The first says, “No!” but then feels guilty and does it. The second says, “Sure, dad!” and then continues playing Rock Band on PS3 (I think that’s in the Bible…). Jesus’ point is clear: The son who put action to his father’s request is the one who did well.
Then, he follows this up with a puzzling statement. “The tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God before you [religious folk]” (Matthew 21:31).
Could it be said that faith in Jesus shouldn’t be the end of our focus. The faith of Jesus was one of action. Jesus preached the coming of a New Age, which he called the Kingdom of God. This age would be the restoration of life-as-it-should-be, and the realization of God in-full.
“Virtually all Jesus’s parables are about the dawning of this Kingdom and the change of heart people would need to notice it and live in it, even though its coming had only just begun” (47). But Jesus did not stop in talking about this new Reign, rather, he took action toward it. The purpose of his miracles, and life, was to demonstrate what this Other World would look like when it came in full.
Cox’s point is this: Jesus’s life work “continues among both those who follow him explicitly and those who contribute to the realization of the “possible world” that he demonstrated, whether they acknowledge him or not [...] suggest[ing] that communities of love and reciprocity, forgiveness and compassion are within our grasp, even if they cannot be fully realized.”
In this, Cox arrives at his central thesis once again. Faith is more than belief. And the Faith of Christ is one of action that points to a world very much different than our own.
We, as the Christian Community as a whole, would do well to exemplify our faith like Christ, rather than simply reiterate our belief in Him.
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I enjoyed reading this. It’s a hard topic, but you did well with it.
Whenever we doubt what we’re doing in our lives, it’s always good to go back to the Gospels and read exactly what Jesus said. It puts us back on track in our mindsets as followers of Christ, with our actions supporting those mindsets. We can’t stop at the mindset; we have to get to the action, or else our faith will be dead.
merry xmas chase
*hugs*
Aaamen! Can I get an AAAYEEMEN??!?!
No, seriously, good stuff. I think the usual one that gets thrown up is the ‘Jesus suffered for your sins’ — kind of makes people think that they should believe IN him, because he was so great, taking on the entirety of humanity’s sins.
But that wasn’t really the point, eh?
That’s just the hook: become a Christian and be forgiven!
I REALLY can’t see Jesus saying that, back in the day. ‘Follow me around, learn something from me… oh, and by the way, you’ll be absolved too.’ Bullshit.
As you suggest, the main curse of society, or religion in specific, is inaction. Seriously, what GOOD does it do, to go to Church and be roused by some preacher? Makes you feel good about yourself? Big whoop: now go and improve the lives of OTHERS.
All take and no give, sheesh.
Merry Christmas, Chase.
Read it, God want to tell you something as follows:
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. ( Romans 8:37-39)
Chase, I enjoyed this post. (I didn’t think I would… I’m not a big fan of Theology, the study of God. But I read it anyway, out of respect for the blogger. I wasn’t disappointed.)
I enjoyed the intro and its summary: “But the power behind what he presents is in this: “The Spirit cannot be restricted by doctrinal or ecclesical boundaries” (53). And to which, I fully agree; God is bigger than our doctrine.” (I’ll give you an “amen.”)
Your updated paraphrase on the two sons is humorous but spot-on.
I’m reminded of a very old hymn, “But we make His love too narrow, by false limits of our own, and we magnify its strictness, with a zeal He will not own.”
I’m reminded also of James, “Faith without works is dead.” What matters the most… belief or action? (Perhaps the two are not at odds, but complementary and central. A two-centered concept? That’s an elipse! An inclusive perspective? That’s revolutionary… always has been. Just ask the tax-collectors and prostitutes.