fundamentalism, part ad infinitum

Some days ago, The Daily Egyptian, which serves as the student newspaper for Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, ran a letter to the editor from a student who, in his words, had not been raised in a "Christian home." In fact, the author indicated, he had only "been saved" two years ago. While the author did not describe the circumstances in which his conversion took place, his letter indicates that he went from a sense of nothingness to an absolute commitment to God in Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, however, his sense of commitment roots itself in a misreading of Scripture and a tendency to view those unlike himself as "lost" and, as his letter indicates, doomed to "hell."
After leaving the pastoral ministry, I almost swore to avoid wading into these type or arguments. One reality I learned as a Pastor is that theological reflection is not rooted in one's choice of denomination or congregation. Most people are going to understand God in their life through certain lenses and no amount of biblical analysis or presentation of differences between the world(s) of the Bible and our own will convince them even to examine their presuppositions. Such were my feelings when I decided to respond to the article in last week's paper.
My feelings, however, rooted themselves in little more than an exhausted sadness that in the 21st Century, educated, affluent people can still believe in a three-story universe with "heaven" on top, earth "in the middle" and (politely referenced) "the underworld" below. People still can argue (and expect to be taken seriously) that without "a relationship with Jesus Christ," one will (as my forebears would say, or at least hint) "burn in hell." People can still argue, no matter the clear, unambiguous Biblical references laid right before their eyes, that the Old and New Testaments are "the infalliable, inerrant Word of God" and anyone who does not adhere to that "doctrine" cannot be a Christian and will suffer the same penalty as an athiest, agnostic, Buddhist, Hindu, Moslem or anyone else who does not "accept Jesus into their heart." While I still can grind my teeth in anger, my usual feeling post-pastorate is one of sadness and futility. It simply does not matter.
Unfortunately, however, the author's words do matter. Children for centuroies have been scared into conversions (Langston Hughes wrote a marvelous story "Conversion" about his experience) and adults have been led to believe that their beliefs are, as one of my relatives still says, "more refined" than those of my friend in Memphis who is a practicing Buddhist and whose life underwent the same type of "fundamental" transformation as any "born-again" Christian. Our view of "God," does not rest in our superior understanding of ontology or a set of Scriptures. God transcends any method of interpretation, choosing to become known (I believe) through acts of compassion, kindness, tolerance and love. We as human beings can grasp those acts as we participate in them. They are not abstractions, but rather incarnate expressions of that which is beyond ourselves. I find those acts and wha they embody as well as represent to be the hope on which the world, with God's help, can acheive healing and reconciliation. More later...