Theology

Submitted by Peter J. Herz (United States), Jun 29, 2005 at 10:32

"God", the Anglo-Saxon-rooted term I use for "The Name" is the same word pagans use for the statues they make and bow down to. Frankly, as a Trinitarian (God is three hypostases in one ousios, to use the Greek terms), Evangelical Christian, I'm not sure this pretence of commonality serves any useful purpose. It's wiser to let people agree to disagree, without being disagreeable--and also infinitely unwiser to write a preference for mid-20th century liberal theology (the faith that left us all adrift) into American law and policy.

I cannot accept that Rabbinism, Islam, and Unitarianism, which deny that God took on human flesh and dwelt among us, worship the same God as I do. I cannot accept that Mormonism's admitted tritheism and belief in a God who evolves from man worships the same God I do. The "god" the feminist "theologians" want who is an infinitely malleable intellctual plaything in the hands of theologians isn't the same God I worship, either--indeed, the last-mentioned gives credence to my positivist kinsman's assertion that God is merely everyone's imaginary playmate. Sure, everyone claims to worship the same God I do, and my more liberal brethren accept such a claim. But I think it's a pity and I'd love my neighbors to change their minds. However, the Bible doesn't command me to hold a club over their heads to "persuade" them, while it does, in the prophet Jeremiah, tell me to pray and work for the peace and well-being of the city where I find myself.

If the dawa-guy wants to tell me I'm going to Jahannum because I believe that the Word (who became man in Jesus Christ for the sake of our salvation) and Holy Spirit are co-eternal with the Father and equally worthy of worship, that's his right--and mine to retort right back that he's going there for following a false prophet. If he accuses me of setting Mary up as a "partner" with God, it's my right to accuse him of bearing false witness against my religion and me and concluding that his Qur'an is not from God. If religious liberty doesn't mean this, it means nothing.

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