Finding the Core

Kelly and I got into a discussion yesterday about whether certain beliefs/actions were necessary to be a Christian (and maybe which ones). Particularly the centerpiece was the idea of a kind of pluralism, potentially embodied in a pop culture icon like Bono who in many circles would be discounted as a genuine Christian, in others a wishy-washy Christian, and in still others a model of Christian faith and practice. The basic idea that we are all sinners, have an incomplete and usually distorted view of God, but yet were recipients of grace opens a unique can of worms when it comes to issues such as salvation, faith, Church membership, etc. There is definitely a body of teaching that can be seen as essentially the core of Christianity. But it begins to blur at the edges, as we make allowances for debatable issues. As Anglicans we even have a "doctrine" of via media to embody a tolerance for a degree of theological fuzziness, originally so England wouldn't fall into the sectarian post-Reformation warring chaos, but in effect permitting a wide degree of opinions on almost concept or practice in the Church.

There is a central core to Christian faith and practice. There is such a thing as special revelation by which God reveals Himself to us. But immediately natural questions come up. What is the source of this revelation? How reliable is it? How much and what kind of authority should be ascribed to/recognized in it? How does this source rank among other possible sources? How do I make a determination among these sources? Do I really even have a right to make such determinations and ask such questions?

Yes there is a core. And the closer one comes to the core, the more one sees through the fuzziness at the edges. That core has been attested to for millennia by God's people. Echoes of it reverberate in the galaxy of other other faiths, but the central fullness, including the mystery it encompasses, is found as we become more rooted in Holy Scripture, more aware of the consistent strains that weave through tradition of the Church, more committed to the historic practices of devotion and service, and more intentionally loving of others starkly different than us. We also come closer to the core as we become more humble, more silent, more penitent, and more giving. There is a point we cross over from death to life, when we "become" Christian. But that point is not so discernible to many. The point is keep traveling to the center. Because it is there where we will meet God face to face.