I was visiting our local community's message forums, and had not been in the religion section in quite a while. Someone posted an article from a pagan website, on how all religions are right, just different. The metaphor used was that religion is just like looking out of a window and describing what you see. Each of us that looks out the window will see different things.
As I began to write a friendly reply, I started to question many of the thoughts coming to my mind. So much of apologetics is personally engrained into me. And now I can really see what McLaren was referring to in a new kind of christian about how the old methods and tools we have are outdated. My first response was to explain how far superior the christian view describing what existed outside of the window was. But then I realized how this would sound to non christians. I then thought of explaining how every religion has wrong descriptions about what exists outside the window, but then again, don't we?
Have you experienced any new ways of rethinking apologetics?
Glenn, I don't think it always has to be a bad thing. Sometimes Christianity needs to take a beating. So much of our faith is wrapped up in the system instead of the savior behind it. Non Christians will never take us seriously until we start listening to them. Let's try and see if maybe some of their criticism is true, then let's apologize for it instead of always trying to defend ourselves.
For those who might disagree, the New Kind of Christian book really helped give me perspective in this area.
If you were just referring to the DaVinci Code, then I could understand why you made the comments that you did.
Posted by: Benjy | February 23, 2005 at 08:46 AM
Hi,
I am getting ready to read the Davinci Code, not because of my interest, but because a certain athesist is presenting the subject next week at the college. A person (Sister Faith) who had done the book last semester, hinted "Post Modernism" would be the real topic. So I am learning as much as possible before next week. Me- I work at the college and heard some of the same talk while taking a Comparative Religion class. Christianity took a beating, even sadly from myself. But it made me look further into the history of the church. So I have read up on the Orthodox Church and Church Father's, along with the gnostics. It's amazing how my spiritual life has deepened as I fight my own demons and try to defend the faith. The last days may be finally coming to a close. Frightening I hear the same views of Post Modernism coming from my Mom. It's not a new fight, but an old fight in different disguise. I wonder how many casualities there will be. In Christ, Glenn
Posted by: GLENN WOJCIK | February 23, 2005 at 05:56 AM