resurrection that seem quite difficult to translate
into 21st century terms. Now, we focus on a more profound issue
of our faith, the nature of our universe and its Creator. The
scripture today offer three perspectives on this question. The
passage from Acts finds Paul in Athens, the intellectual capital of the
first century world. On the Areopagus, near to the Parthenon, he
confronts a multiplicity of statues, each representing some Grecian
concept of the deity. In our epistle, Peter urges newly
baptized Christians to express the loving, personal component of God
through their attitude to life, always ready to give a reason for the
new hope within them. And in our Gospel, John has Jesus assuring
the disciples that a new spirit will dwell in their hearts, empowering
them even in the most secular of environments to proclaim the dream of
a new Kingdom, based on love and compassion.The mystery of Creation has fascinated humankind from early pre-history. The ancient Sumerians saw humans as created to help some of the lesser Gods with their daily chores. The Canaanites worshipped an infant-eating Baal. Norse and Germanic legends told of Woden and Thor. And our indigenous peoples spoke of all-powerful sea creatures and birds. Even our Judaeo-Christian scriptures do not offer a monolithic picture of God. Rather, they trace a gradual growth in understanding. First, there is a narrow-minded and angry tribal deity, carried into battle in a wooden ark. But gradually, there is progression to belief in a much more abstract spirit of compassion and love, sometimes working through foreigners like Cyrus or the good Samaritan, rather than the chosen race.
When Paul is in
Athens, he is appalled by the prevalent superstition. He sees a
multiplicity of gods, each with their own temples and their own
statues. And in case some aspect of the divinity has been
neglected, there is even a statue to the unknown God. Paul
is not shackled by such uncertainties. He expresses his beliefs
in a characteristic, forthright manner. After a briefing at the
local synagogue, he goes on down to the Agora, the main market place,
arguing vigorously against a culture that combines esoteric discussion
with crude idolatry. Because the Greeks loved discussing new philosophies, they brought him to Mars hill, where he had a chance to explain his ideas. Paul wisely seeks out points of contact, finding in Greek literature and poetry values that read differently when viewed through a Christian lens. But he also addresses the Athenians' erroneous understanding of God. There is no way a gold or stone staue could portray the creator. God is in the very groundwork of our humanity: “In Him, we live and move and have our being.” Paul offers a strong challenge to the best of Greek philosophers. But- perhaps an important lesson for us in the secular world of Squamish- there are no mass conversions. Indeed, only a handful of Athenians accept his teaching.
Peter challenges newly baptized Christians to a vigorous defence of their faith: "Always be ready to give a reason for the hope that is within you." Because they live lives of radical hopefulness, they will stand out in a secular environment. And inevitably, they will face questions, sometimes from unfriendly critics. Many of us are wary of over-zealous evangelism. But we must be willing to communicate the good news of the gospel if Christianity is to endure.
The time for such communication may well come when we are asked to explain our minority world view. Peter urges that the new vision be presented with gentleness and due reverence for the enquirer. Christians should always be open to the best of secular culture, yet using the lens of Christ to encourage its transformation into eternal truth. The spark of God’s righteousness can deliver from the destructive forces rampant in our secular world. It can build an understanding of God’s kingdom, and help us to share this dream with our world.
One big question remains. When the opportunity comes to share our faith, what will be our message? Are we still living in a flat-earth society, with God in the heavens, and the fires of hell beneath us? Are we still bound by a rigid belief in a literal interpretation of the King James Bible? Or is our understanding of God informed by the insights of our 21st Century? As Paul told the Athenians: "God overlooked the times of human ignorance, but the command is now for all people to smarten up" (vs. 30). Must we get rid of cherished preconceptions that have become idols for us?
In the secular society of western Canada, we see few young people in our congregations. Does this reflect our dated ideas of God, or their misperceptions of our views? Are they like Alice, looking at what seem our Byzantine ideas, and asking whether they can “believe six impossible things before breakfast?” Not many of us believe in a flat universe, or a bearded patriarch in the sky, but I suspect that there are plenty of people in Squamish who think that we do. The United Church has made valiant efforts to drag our hymns and our prayers into the 21st Century. But we do still perpetuate dated ideas. Turn to page 920 of “Voices United,” and look at the supposedly modernized version of the Nicene creed: “he suffered death and was buried, on the third day he rose again in accordance with the scriptures, he ascended into the heavens and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.” Too often, young people see the whole ethos of the local church at variance with modern concepts of our universe.
John Robinson, former Anglican bishop of the diocese of Woolwich, attempted to break through this age barrier. An early critic of traditional views, he tried to popularize the insights of some major 20th Century scholars. He raised a tremendous storm among the church-goers of 1963, as he published a paper-back entitled “Honest to God.” He sought to synthesize and to popularize the teachings of three leading German theologians: Paul Tillich, Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Rudolf Bultmann. An early interview in the literary columns of The Observer carried the provocative headline 'Our Image of God Must Go'. Just before his death, C. S. Lewis was asked, "What do you think of Robinson’s book?” Lewis replied, “I prefer being honest to being ‘honest to God.” But even in the 1960s, a few forward thinkers saw his writing as bringing a welcome breath of fresh air into musty churches.
Robinson proposed concepts of our universe that could be defended without resorting to the fancy footwork that characterizes so much religious discussion. He contended that although most of the church had rejected the idea of a 'God up there', it still clung to the notion of a “God out there.” He saw this as an outdated simplification of our universe. Rather, Christians should become attuned to the existentialist theology of Paul Tillich; God is the very “ground of our being.” Yes, the mysterious, unknowable power behind the Big Bang, but also the source of compassion and love within each human heart.
Robinson dismissed credal traditions such as a physical resurrection and a dramatic end to the world as items of Christian mythology with no historical basis. Fifty years later, many share his views. The bishop supported Bonhoeffer's concept of a religionless Christianity. He argued that God is revealed in the best aspects of culture at large, and is not confined to any specific "religion," to a group who see themselves as “religious,” or THE one true church. We are beginning to accept this vision in Squamish, as we take the first tentative steps in inter-faith dialogue. Robinson argued further that the idea of a personal God is either dead or must die. I agree that sometimes our prayers cast God in the role of a man even older than me, someone with little recent memory, someone who needs a long and clearly written shopping list of the week’s errands. But I believe the creative power behind our universe can become real and personal as divine energy inspires us to carry out the errands that we have identified.
Finally, Robinson brought to popular English culture the idea of Situational Ethics. This theory has its roots in Tillich and in Joseph Fletcher, an American Episcopal priest. It argues that that there are sometimes situations where strong moral principles must be set aside; in this, it reflects the teachings of Jesus, when he was criticized for breaking the Sabbath. Tillich emphasized that 'Love must be the ultimate law.’ Situational Ethics is fundamental to our modern concept of a personal God. It speaks of 'Agape,' a universal, unchanging and unconditional love. Religious laws are but guidelines. and must be broken if the result is greater love. The inter-personal component of a 21st Century God cannot follow moral codes set in ancient tablets of stone. The focus must be on the consequence of our actions.
Here, then, is a philosophy of God that may appeal to a secular Squamish. Let us hear the call to Agape, let it become manifest in our lives, and let us be prepared to justify it to our neighbours.