(July 18, 2013 at 5:52 pm)Vicki Q Wrote:(July 18, 2013 at 4:27 pm)whateverist Wrote: I wonder when you say "our" story, if you had in mind Christians or mankind generally. I'd say this is certainly one of our -in the broader sense- stories. Coming to grips with our own failed good intentions and learning to accept our imperfection is a narrative of human maturation. I wouldn't say it is the only important narrative. I also don't think we need the vehicle of a human sacrifice (the redeemer) who takes upon himself the imperfection (sins) of the whole community as a means of accomplishing forgiveness and acceptance. That is a primitive approach and inferior to one in which individuals accept responsibility and accept their own imperfection directly. I see no reason why a Christian can't make use of a more modern narrative. Do you?
There's a lot of very important issues going on here. I do think that, unlike most modern Christian analysis, the thinking needs to be done within the context of God's community and people.
The storyline pre-supposes that the stages of sin, exile, forgiveness and restoration are done by/to God's people, rather than as individuals. The OT prophets might not have been big sinners, but they were part of a community that was, so all suffered exile. Then when the people repented, they were forgiven and restored. The NT takes this on board, and continues with the “We” approach. In our individualistic age, this has become “I”.
But the NT analysis is that Christ did what only God could do, and restored a forgiven community. However this community was redefined in terms of its relationship to Christ. As such, it's not about me, it's about God. I would describe this as time unlimited, a variation on modern.
But don't some Christians view all people as God's people? It would seem quaint if the God who 'created the entire cosmos' turned out to only be invested in the goings on of one little tribe of human beings along with those who believed without proof just this one set of religious claims.
