Who is “My Jesus”
I call myself a Christian. I believe that Jesus was the son of God, as in that he was sent by God and that he fulfilled God’s destiny set for him. I have a hard time with literal interpretations of the story. I don’t know if I believe in the virgin birth, the physical resurrection, or in all of the miracles exactly as they were witnessed in the Bible. The trinity escapes me. I do believe Jesus is a part of God, but that he was separate while he was here. I believe he had the free will to not follow God’s wish for him, which is why he was tempted. And why he prayed to the father. He could have gone another way, which would make him a separate entity from God.
I definitely don’t believe that non-Christians are going to hell. I do believe in an afterlife, and consequence of one’s actions during life, but I don’t think God cares if people don’t quite get it. I do believe in God.
In order to stay on track with my faith, I can’t over think the theology behind it all. I feel like it loses meaning as I pick it apart. As far as the story of Christ goes, he was the son of God, came to teach about God, he did just that, he had the answers on how to live a life of faith, and we killed him for it. The resurrection to me represents his life and teachings surviving his crucifixion. Whether the corporal resurrection happened, I don’t believe or disbelieve. I think it’s not likely, but I do believe in the possibility of something happening. I can’t lie about believing it because to me that would be worse than questioning.
So, if I’m not in it for the miracles and the resurrection, and don’t really think Jesus was God Himself incarnated as a person, but that he was sent by God, then how can I call myself a Christian? My reason is because I choose to follow Jesus. I believe that living by the principles he taught is what he meant when he said “the only way to the father is through me.” I do believe he is the savior, in that he can forgive us and bring us to God. That is where my faith lies. I take my faith very seriously, and when I am on track with my faith my life is so much better. He was more than a prophet to me, and I do believe he was divine. He was also a teacher of how to live. If I follow his teachings, my bases are covered. I can live in peace, without bitterness, without undue worry, and in complete freedom spiritually. I am not by any means fully successful with this, but I am learning. I can apply his teachings to every question in my life.
Comment by Drew Tatusko on 22 June 2009:
Thanks for the honesty. After a few ground shifts in my own theology, I have often gone back to think what it was that changed me. I see humanity in a constant tension being pulled between what God experiences (which i think is the total sum of all possible experiences at once if God is beyond space and time). Because of that tension our default theology is what works for our given state of affairs, for our current socio-cultural and psychological frame, for the shape of our lifeworld at every moment. We can only truly know what God thinks or what God’s wishes are through the veil of our own experience. So we have to do the best we can. Jesus knew this and summed it up in two commandments: love God, love neighbor. It’s not a theological system, it’s not about big ideas, it’s about doing things that make sense with loving God and loving neighbor.
Even fundamentalists are doing what works for them in their situation. Paul did it, Peter did it, Moses did it and so on. So we have to do what works for us right now, in this time, in this world, that no none in scripture save God could have possible foreseen.
I actually think about the bodily resurrection thing a little more simply. If Jesus rose bodily, there must be a physical location for heaven in the universe. If it was a “different kind of body” that seems very semantic to me – and who really cares. Christ died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again. Overthinking this has caused too much strife and death among those who should love.
Comment by Dannah on 22 June 2009:
How do I get an “About the Author” thing at the top?
Comment by Beloved Spear on 23 June 2009:
Good schtuff, Dannah!
The Trinity escapes our grasp easily, but I find it is most clearly articulated in John’s Gospel. Meaning, it’s simultaneously simple, poetic, and deeply inscrutable.
@Drew: But loving God and loving neighbor are big ideas. They are big enough that we haven’t yet managed to grasp them.
Comment by Chris on 23 June 2009:
I appreciate your honesty Dannah. Keep struggling with resurrection. The more I read the NT the more I’m convinced that resurrection is the key proclamation of the Apostles about Jesus. Paul even says in 1 Corinthians 15:17 that “if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless.” In Acts the Apostles talk about Jesus’s resurrection as the defining thing that is true about Jesus (2:24,32; 5:30; 10:40-42; 13:33).
Believing in bodily resurrection doesn’t equate to fundamentalism or narrow-mindedness either. Resurrection has universal implications for salvation: “as in Adam all die, so in Christ ALL will be made alive” (1 Cor 15:23). It also has implications for the environment – resurrection is the beginning of the new heavens and the new earth. Like Drew hinted at, it means there’s more continuity between “heaven” and earth than most people think, and that means that the environment matters, how we take care of our bodies matters, and other people matter. Politcally, resurrection is why we should care about justice, access to health-care, and poverty.
Comment by Neal Locke on 23 June 2009:
Hey Dannah — great post. And you can get an “about the author” by logging into the website and then editing your profile. There should be a place in there (click around some and you’ll find it) where you can add a short bio of yourself. Looking forward to seeing you this weekend!
Comment by Dannah on 24 June 2009:
@Chris- “if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless.” I’m not sure about this. My faith up until this point has certainly not been worthless. To me at least. And I do believe he was raised, I just don’t know if I believe that his corpse came back to life. But I also think our spirits go to heaven without our bodies. I don’t think our bodies will regenerate or anything like that when “Heaven is on Earth” I think we’ll have new “bodies”. Maybe like Drew said it’s semantics.
I don’t think believing in bodily resurrection equates to narrow mindedness or fundamentalism at all. I’m just more interested in what Jesus taught prior to the crucifixion.
Comment by Bob on 27 June 2009:
What is the difference between thinking about something and overthinking it? What does it mean to truly think about an issue, problem or concept? How do you know you’re thinking is adequate to arrive at a position and live by it?
Comment by Dannah on 28 June 2009:
@Bob- Hmmm, I think you just defined overthinking it. I’ll never know if my thinking is adequate or not. Overthinking gives me the opportunity to convince myself that my position is adequate. But, usually the more I think about it the farther I get from just having faith. I’m not saying I’ve arrived at this conclusion and will always live by it, but it’s where I’m at now.
Comment by Sue on 29 June 2009:
Dannah,
How have you come to your conclusions? What in your study or experience has shaped the beliefs you state? If others have come to different conclusions, how do you believe they got there? I’m just curious.
Comment by Dannah on 29 June 2009:
@Sue- I don’t really know. Everyone has a different path. I have always been in search of understanding, so I do a lot of reading and Bible studies. It just doesn’t always make sense to me.I feel close to God, I just am trying to make sense of the things that seem to make no sense to me, like everyone else. Sometimes it’s easier for me to just do what I feel Jesus asked us to do rather than believe in things that don’t seem real to me. I am a recovering alcoholic, and in AA the “12 steps” are obviously (to me, I’m sure there are those that would argue they’re not) derived from teachings in the New Testament. Specifically surrender to God (higher power), amends, being of service, and praying daily. It has worked well for me, when I practice the program. It’s based on taking actions whether or not you fully have reconciled your faith. Sometimes I just have to set aside the task of trying to figure out what happened 2000 years ago and let God work in my life, and, give to God what I feel he was asking of us through Jesus.