Sage Christianity Point of View
“I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”
—C.S. Lewis
Each of us has a “light” by which we “see everything else.” Such lights reveal the authorities we trust, the guides we find credible, the perspective by which we try to make sense of our lives in contrast to those unillumined authorities, guides, and viewpoints that we do not trust. In other words, a person who says, “I have no point of view” has just given us one.
The person who says she is neutral, objective, and has no point of view other than what rational evidence dictates, likely underestimates the “light” she trusts to decide what it means to be rational, why it is that rationality is placed first among her other ways of knowing, what constitutes evidence, how she knows this, and what assumptions she will use to accept or reject the evidence in front of her.
Like anyone else, we too have a point of view. Our point of view hinges on Jesus, including all that points to him, and all that he points us to. Certain core commitments flow from Jesus being the light by which we make sense of things.
1. To Love the God Jesus loves
Jesus believed in God. He spoke of this God as being like a shepherd who looks for a sheep that is lost, or a woman who searches for a missing coin. Most often Jesus spoke of God as a good and heavenly Father. According to Jesus, God and God’s ways are also like:
· a woman kneading bread,
· a king inviting us to a wedding feast,
· a fisherman with his nets,
· a farmer who plants,
· a holy Master who perfectly and equitably judges us,
· a field with a hidden treasure worth selling all you have to gain it
· a ferocious warrior king bringing evil to justice and defending the innocent
Jesus said this God is Spirit and Truth and can be known by a relational way of love right now within this physical world. One of Jesus’ early followers, named Paul, said it this way. “God is not far from any one of us. So much so that we can feel our way toward him and perhaps find him.”
Mysteriously, Jesus spoke of this God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit (which is why his followers to this day feel like children trying to describe a mystery riddle when saying that no other God but this one exists and yet this one God exists in three persons).
Audaciously, Jesus spoke of himself as if he and this God were one. If you were to cry out into the universe: “God, show yourself to me!” Jesus answers by putting himself into view. According to Jesus, we will see and learn who this Heavenly Father is and what makes this God lovely, when we look at the person, teachings and works of Jesus.
This is our quest.