Religion and Theology
Introduction
Religion presents some of the challenging notions in lives of several persons. The Christian faith, however, has been a subject of numerous arguments from different views of scholars and historical researchers. I believe that, no matter the view of different scholars and researchers about the historical backgrounds of the Christian faith, and the important aspects that build it, it is still stays untouchable, also beyond a conclusive understanding, which only God understands.
Reflection
Faith is a strong belief that guided the people’s spiritual steps. Experiencing it, however depend on the individual efforts to achieve spiritual nourishment that guarantees the close connection with the everlasting Father. When I look at Merton (1961), it is easy to agree that every moment and event in a person’s life, something new is planted in the soul. These are the new seeds. The winged seeds carried by the wind, and which depends on the soil of freedom, love and spontaneity to blossom into trees that can bear fruits. What should this mean? From my faith experience, I can equate Merton’s version of winged seeds to faith. Faith does not grow anywhere, it is something special that requires nurturing, first through the acceptance by the receiver to awaken the sleeping inner depths of spirit, and clear mind and will to accept spiritual vitality.
At the center of Faith, the word of God and Christianity is Jesus Christ. It does not matter what independent scholars would like to proclaim Jesus, who He was, and what He was not. I strongly believe that God’s nature is beyond the human’s total understanding. I state this in reference to Johnson (1997) work, which questions the Gospel concerning who the “real Jesus” was. According to Johnson, the “real Jesus” is the one proclaimed and experienced through faith, and not the ‘speculative” historical reconstructions. I view Johnson’s work from two angles. First I agree with his assertions that the practice of belief and proclamation of the real Jesus Christ is done through the faith of the believers. Nonetheless, I also strongly question Johnson’s statements. How would the present-day Christians have been able to practice and proclaim the Gospel and Jesus Christ without the events of the past? The historical reconstruction of Jesus Christ, and all his activities as well as what he said, is significant for the Christians. I believe that faith is based on practice. Therefore, the historical Jesus that Johnson (1997) disputes in today’s Gospel, is the basis and foundation of faith in God and Christian religion. In any case, I also strongly believe that faith does not question its foundation and basis.
Having stated all the above, let me for instance revisit the work of Schneiders (1999). Drawing her example, it presents the best opportunity of understanding this reflection. The author explains why the interpretation of the bible is not just information, but rather, transformation. For the author, there is the need of the extensive understanding of the scripture and historical representation of Jesus Christ, and she even suggests a hermeneutical theory to include a wide range of theological and philosophical aspects that makes it easy to understand the Gospel as the sacred document. The assertions by the writer that “paschal imagination” is what constructs the Christian’s proclamation of Jesus are directly linked to the role of faith in a Christian’s life.
Conclusively, the diversity and the differing opinion over the historical Jesus and the role of the Gospel is not a matter of simple understanding as some theological scholars would like to perceive it. My Christian religion is founded on the strong faith in the Gospel of God, and the proclamation of Jesus Christ as the Son of God, who died for our sins and resurrected. Faith speaks volumes, and that is all that a Christian needs in the world filled with personal prejudices.
References
Johnson, L. (1997). The Real Jesus. New York: Harper Collins.
Merton, T. (1961). Seeds of Contemplation. Abbey of Gethsemani.
Schneiders, S. (1999). The Revelatory Text. Collegeville: Liturgical Press.
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