Crucifying Christianity, Resurrecting the Way, Part 2

Crucifying Christianity, Resurrecting the Way, Part 2

In the first century in Palestine, Christianity was a community of believers. Then Christianity moved to Greece and became a philosophy. Then it moved to Rome and became an institution. Then it moved to Europe and became a culture. And then it moved to America and became a business. Pricilla Shirer[1]

As I begin reflecting on the topic of resurrecting the Way, I should clarify what I mean by “crucifying” Christianity. Of course, crucifixion was a brutal method of putting people to death used by the Romans in Jesus’ day. But in the case of Jesus, and as a core belief in Christian tradition, crucifixion did not result in the annihilation of Jesus but in his transformation and consummation. In short, Jesus of Nazareth became Jesus the Christ. (I will share my understanding of the difference next week.) In that sense, “crucifying” Christianity is not the annihilation of the Christian church or Christian beliefs or the denial of Jesus as a child of God. Rather, crucifying Christianity is transforming what it means to be a follower of Christ into something more universal, inclusive, and expansive than a particular religion or defined and limited set of beliefs. What I envision being resurrected is a transformed understanding of and commitment to the life and teachings of Jesus as a Way of life for us to follow every moment of every day. When we treat Christ as a divine being to be worshiped, the personal change required for a Christian is nearly non-existent. That brand of Christianity requires little more than an hour or two on Sunday mornings.

The gospel record of the resurrected, consummated Jesus provides an interesting analogy for what a crucified Christianity might mean. Jesus was visibly present (post-crucifixion) in a body for a time, but his resurrected body was different from his earthly body in some ways and similar in others. For example, his new body was not recognizable to his closest friends until he either spoke or did something they recognized as a “Jesus-like” thing to do[2]. He could appear and disappear at will.[3] The new body could pass through walls and locked doors.[4] Yet, his new body also retained the scars of the nails that held him on the cross.[5] Crucifixion resulted in a mix of what was familiar and what was new.

The resurrected Jesus was no longer bound to the geographical areas we now know as Israel, nor were his spiritual views contextualized in limiting ways by his Jewish heritage. He became much more of a universal figure across both time and space. His direction to his disciples was to carry his message to all corners of the earth – not to convert anyone or start a new religion, but to share the good news[6] of the kingdom of God as a level of conscious awareness attainable by everyone regardless of their religion, ethnicity, socio-economic status, or gender.   

Before Christianity can serve as a life-transforming way of living, followers must adapt Jesus’ journey of transformation to their own lives, not simply to become a better person but to become Christ-like themselves. This is what it means to be a Christian: to follow Christ and become our own unique version of what Jesus was for ourselves, for our community, and for our world. The thought that we can become Christ-like is blasphemous to those who only accept the divinity of Christ and miss the divine/human unity of being Jesus leads us to become. The Way of Jesus is integrating God-with-us into our human existence as an active presence in every aspect of our lives. Jesus awoke to his Oneness with God, as should we.

Becoming a Christian is so much more than being a member of a Christian church or saying a prayer to accept Jesus Christ as one’s Lord and Savior or being born into a family claiming Christianity as their religious heritage. These traditional understandings and practices of Christian requirements are some of what must be crucified – not annihilated, but changed. Until they are transcended they will be impediments to our journey toward Christ-likeness.  

Jesus taught a new way of life; he said, “Repent,”[7] which means transform. Jesus did not say, “Worship me;” he said, “Follow me”[8] and “Worship God.”[9] When asked where he abided, Jesus said, “Come and see.”[10] Jesus said, “I am the way.”[11] The way of Jesus is not a brand of worship but a way of living in Oneness with God.

Follow. Come. See. Transform. That is the Way.

This is the 2^nd in a series titled Crucifying Christianity, Resurrecting the Way. The opinions expressed here are mine. To engage with me or to explore contemplative spiritual direction, my email is ghildenbrand@outlook.com.

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin’s

Mass on the World

A Contemplative Audio-visual Experience

View at: https://youtu.be/m2EzRmZzCe0

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[1] Pricilla Shirer, as quoted from www.UntilAllHaveHeard1.wordpress.com/2014/03/11/when-christianity-became-a-business/, accessed November 18, 2021.

[2] See Luke 24:13-31, John 21:4

[3] Luke 24:31

[4] John 20:19

[5] Luke 24:39, John 20:20, John 20:27

[6] Mark 15:16

[7] Matthew 4:17, Mark 1:15

[8] Matthew 4:19, Mark 1:17, Luke 5:11, John 1:43

[9] Matthew 4:10, Luke 4:8

[10] John 1:39

[11] John 14:6