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what i mean to say the first time around...but lacked the time for.
tiberry is right in that Jesus did not suceed in conventional terms. the church that has found sucess often betrays his teachings.
but. i believe, by faith, that God made a revelation through Jesus. In keeping with revelations made to the prophets and people of Isreal, the message was one of self-critical reflection, engagement, service and faith in God's promise of life. for trying to open the eyes of the world, and preach that message, the religious and political leaders of the day had him killed as a traitor. it is God's victory that such a man be the first fruits of the dead, the one chosen to be shown as God's Christ. Salvation is shown not in the means of the world, but irregardless of them. to have a convicted, executed felon be proclaimed God's Son is an act of defiance of the standards of the world.
despite the systems, political, corprate, theological, etc... that try to absolve us of the responsibility of thinking...i belive Jesus and the scriptures continually point away from that. the parables are not easy to figure out. the teachings are not easy to live. the prophets and their judgement are hard to listen to. this is a God that above all desires relationship...and one cannot be in relationship with out thought.
Matthew 27:22 sums it up for me. The author has Pilate ask the crowd: "What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ?"
This is the question that i always come back to. What is it that i will do with my life if i belive that this man was God's Christ? any christianity that tries to avoid thinking is going to have a hard time staying christian for long. that question is not easy to answer...and it won't absolve you of the responsibility to think on your own.
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