A reflection on conversations with my spiritual guides on 09 October 2006

1. On the Hyprocrisy of Fundamentalism
There is still a certain segment of Christianity which stubbornly abides with the fundamental expressions of the faith. They are fundamental in the sense that scripture is understood and applied in a most narrow sense, and most often in an unjustified self-righteous way which condemns others.

These people are bent on judging others not according to the standards of scripture, but rather, the standards they have set themselves which they thought they had derived from scripture. The mechanism of self-critique is absent in their worldview, and so they are unable to see what is wrong with themselves. In fact, even the desire to see what is wrong with themselves is missing all together. Thus, they go on to judge others vindictively without the slightest acknowledgement that their sin of pharisaism is no better off than the sins of others they claim to judge.

They are blind. They will keep saying what they will say, and they will keep acting in a manner consistent with their unmovingly narrow worldview (which is less Christian than they care to know). We can't stop them, even where they seek to discredit our ministry and our reputation. But do not fret, for God is our sovereign defender. Those who believe in us will keep trusting us despite how such people seek to destroy us.

2. On the Goal of the Christian Life
The Protestant gospel often speaks of the Christian life in terms of the penal theory of atonement. A God hungry for justice demands payment for sins committed. This view is narrow and causes our understanding of salvation to be deficient.

We ought to see the goal of the Christian life in the context of theosis or deification. God became human in order that humanity might be divinised. We are called to participate in the deified humanity of Jesus Christ. It is only in our participation with the divine that we become truly human. This does not imply that we are being dehumanised and morphed into little gods. It merely implies that in being connected to the divine, we are truly being the kind of human persons God has intended for us to be.

This highlights the Protestant inclination to see the Christian life as comprising of a static faith placed in a Christ crucified and resurrected just so we can get to heaven.