Chapters 5 & 6 November 22 2010

In these chapters, Borg and Crossan explore some of Paul's teachings around subjects fundamental to our understanding of Christian faith and shed a new light on some of our misperceptions about what Paul really said.

We begin with a prayer by Keri Wehlander that reminds us of the eternity and universality of God's care - no matter how great or small we may be.

O God, we are tangled in our schedules, surrounded by demands,

caught up in the spectacular, the superb, the superior.

One day we discover we never have enough; we never accomplish enough;

we never are enough.

O God, in the midst of this chaos, may the still, small voice tug at us

until we stop - listen - consider.

And turning around in our tracks, see ourselves and this world again,

through your eyes, Amen.

Joy is our Banquet, UCPH, 1996.

Chapter 5 – Christ crucified

Christ Crucified was Paul's first-century equivalent to a bumper sticker message - along with Christ is Lord and In Christ, his short-hand summary of the gospel.  And yet that emphasis on the cross has led many in the church to over-emphasize the death of Christ as ransom for our sins.  Borg and Crossan invite us to re-interpret “substitutionary atonement” (Christ died as a payment for our collective sin to appease God) for “participatory atonement” (in following Christ we die and rise with him.)  Substitutionary atonement is a relatively new theology in Christianity - only 1000 years old, and based on the writings of Anselm. 

For example, God did not demand Jesus’ death – Jesus died because he would not bend to Rome or the corrupt religious authorities.  According to God's wisdom, in foolishness there is wisdom, in failure, victory.  Jesus' is God's contradiction of human wisdom – we participate in his life/death/resurrection in order to have new life or God's kingdom on earth.  A true sacrifice is not an ransom payment, but a gift – what we give up for God.

Jesus’ gave his life “for God” and “for us – but in that he became our model or example of life lived faithfully with God.  The resurrection is God’s stamp of approval.

Borg and Crossan focus exclusively on First Paul – Romans, Galatians, 1 Corinthians.  The disputed and pastoral letters contain few references, and those in passing as dealing with more pragmatic matters.  In Ephesians 2:13 “But now in Christ Jesus you who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”  Colossians 1:20 “and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace thorugh the blood of his cross.”  1 Timothy 2:5 “Christ Jesus, himself human, who gave himself a ransom for all.”

We watched Marcus Borg speaking about "Salvation” on a DVD resource from Tim Scorer's Experiencing the Heart of Christianity, Wood Lake Books, 2005, which led us into discussion of: 

Chapter 6 – Justification by grace through faith

The phrase represents an important question for the Protestant Reformation, and many other kinds of reformation.  When people of faith become too enmeshed in tradition and ritual, how do we sort through our priorities and return simply to questions of faith?  Borg and Crossan remind us that we need to see Paul as a 1^st century Jew, not a 16th century Lutheran! They also suggest that the ultimate goal for Paul was UNITY:  between Greek(Gentile) and Jew; between Jew and Christian; between Christian Jew and Christian Gentile.

The preponderance of Paul's writings suggest that his goal was universal understanding on the basis of the gospel.  The gospel could not be limited to ethnic heritage or language or ritual or diet.  Only faith was accessible to everyone.  So he asked these questions:  1) What does justice/righteousness mean?  2) Is God revealed in Torah or in Jesus?  3)Is there still "law", and how is it related to grace?

I especially appreciated their quote about working out one's salvation with “fear and trembling”: We can only conclude that the reason we should fear and tremble about our salvation is not because God will punish us if we fail, but because the world will punish us if we succeed.

To explore these images of atonement, justification and grace, we looked at a number of our traditional hymns and creeds: 

How great thou art

Just as I am

Come let us sing of a wonderful love

I need thee every hour 

Sometimes the most "conservative" hymns are found in our seasonal necessities:

Lent/Easter: 

When I survey the wondrous cross

There is a green hill far away

Jesus Christ is risen today

Advent/Christmas

Come thou long expected Jesus

Hark!  The Herald Angels sing

Once in royal David’s City

The first nowell 

We also looked at the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed and the United Church of Canada's New Creed (1968).

While I don't believe we need to "purge” our hymn books of the traditional favourites, I prefer interpreting their message and balancing them with more diverse interpretations, allowing people to come to their own relationship with God.

For our closing we read the following prayer by Keri Wehlander (see above for reference):

Consider the dance of clouds, the smell of autumn leaves,

 the gurgle and slap of waves on the shore

May we be still and know God again.

Consider the harmony of crickets, the strength of an outstretched wing,

the velver touch of a purring cat.

May we be still and know God again.

Consider the deep laughter of friends, the embrace of a loved one,

the fragrance of a treausred memory.

May we be still and know God again.

Consider the comfort of a sweater, the arona of baking bread,

 the rhythms and melody of a favourite song.

May we be still and know God again.

consider the common, present moment and name it holy, as God does.

May the God of mustard seeds and sparrows

gently bless us and grant us peaceful spirits, Amen.