When I
tell Christians that the center of Christian faith is a person, they often look
at my strangely. Many Christians are focused on propositional truth or the facts
of the Gospel. They will tell me that true Christianity is about believing the
right things (usually defined by them). I tell them that true Christianity is
found in the person Jesus and a relationship with him. Here is what Fr. Richard
Rohr says about this:
“Jesus’
center point was not an idea or theory about
anything but, in fact, a Person—a thoroughly reliable, universal Love that he
called “Father.” (You do not need to use the word “Father,” but I encourage you
to find some form of endearment that inspires your trust because you will never
fall in love with a mere idea.) This new Realm is based on a relationship with
a God who can be experienced personally, presently, and existentially.
Jesus seems to be saying that
God is not a philosophical system, a theory to be proven, or an energy to be
discussed or controlled, although we have often reduced God to each of these.
In the biblical tradition, we only seem to know God by relating to God face to face,
almost as if God refuses to be known apart from love. It is all about
relationship. As Martin Buber (1878-1965), the Jewish philosopher mystic, put
it, “All real living is meeting.” [2] It is the “face to face” religion that
began with Moses (see Exodus 33:11)” – Fr. Richard Rohr
Thoughts?
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