Zepfanman.com (Stylesheets Off Version)

November Words - Canon Doubt

Every once in a while, I'll read something or see a film that really challenges me. Rarely will the piece be satisfying in itself. It's usually a spark of annoyance that makes me want to explore the issue to no end. This website is actually a result of many of these explorations; Zepfanman.com is my global medium for documentation.

The latest challenge I've come across is a book called Beyond Belief by Elaine Pagels. Pagels is basically unsatisfied with the way Christian texts have been canonized. She spends most of her book exploring the losers' perspectives; for example, what if five gospels were canonized (instead of four)? I write "losers" because Christianity was very diverse in its first 300 years. People like Irenaeus in the second century condemned any "heretical" sect that emphasized personal experience over orthodox belief. "Seek and you shall find" thought and writings were literally wiped out by Christian leaders who wanted to unify rather than diversify Christianity. While unity is not a bad thing, Beyond Belief does a good job exploring early "heretical" Christian thought, thanks mainly to research on the 1945 Nag Hammadi Library.

Pagels isn't the first person to question Christian orthodoxy. Reading Rabbi Jesus a few years ago challenged me in much the same way that Beyond Belief has. On the other hand, you've got books like The Case For Christ and other convincing apologetical works. For the most part, Christian scriptures do a pretty good job of explaining the supernatural and spiritual realms that we all come across. The main thing I question is the importance of Christ being divine and how that relates to our salvation. What if Jesus was trying to teach us that God is as much a part of us as God was a part of him? From that perspective, salvation is open to anyone who seeks God in their hearts - not just Christians.

These are a few of my thoughts inspired by Pagels's book. While I'd like to explore the issue further in a great exposition, I can only spend a limited amount of my life working on my website. If you want more detail, read the book! As another side note, in case you hadn't noticed, my core values are pretty fundamental; nonetheless, I'm always searching for alternatives to the obsequious majority.

Acknowledgement: Thanks to my wife who made a few grammatical corrections and suggestions of content. She will do a superb job in her new position as copy editor, don't you think? She transfers to adult ministry publishing at LifeWay on November 16th. Please pray for her as she makes this important transition in her life.

By rockofvictory | Fri 2004Nov05 10:44 CST | Beliefs | Last edited Mon 2005Mar07 23:07 CST
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