\\o W. Madisn,
St. Peter's CATHOLIC CHURCH Tw (Saime
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS -
Chayme )

August 29, 1993
TO RECONCILE ALL THINGS G ‘to
TIF SBA

JOHN M. BUCHANAN, PASTOR
FOURTH PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
Cu1caGo, ILLINOIS

DEUTERONOMY 4:32-40
CoLossIANs 1:15-20
MATTHEW 28:16-20

SOMEONE ONCE SAID THAT THERE IS

Ble TENING .
NOTHING SO oweagERees -{ AND WELEEYE NE ivi lone

ro Sa
REALLY MEANT opnoxzous } AS & CALVINIST

IN POSSESSION OF THE TRUTH - {reese
as a =k

<h~ OAD TYNEMRSDRSCDUASEA2. )

eS Ss

WELL THIS SON OF JOHN CALVIN HAS

LEARNED OVER THE YEARS TO BE WARY OF
FOLK WHO KNOW THE TRUTH, WITH A CAPITAL
ss ee oe,

SS
i ABOUT (ANYTHING: \ POLITICAL PARTIES,

MUSIC, RELIGION, OR THE BEST BASEBALL
mee eee Cl aD

TEAM EVER TO TAKE THE FIELD.
aL aS =

PROFESSOR KUNG TEAGHES—THAT—TRUTH
IS_NOTF_GENERAL—BUT-EXESTENTIAL, PERSON -

EELS see -
__ sesh I AM WARY OF FOLK WHO KNOW THE

TRUTH WITH A CAPITAL T ABOUT POLITICS,
eee aa

BASEBALL AND RELIGION BECAUSE I ALREADY
=! SSS

Dvuiears Were, _ KNOW THE TRUTH: \1 ALREADY HAVE MY TRUTH

“oem THESE MATTERS.
HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED WHAT IT

Cee
FEELS LIKE TO BE TOLD THAT YOUR MOST
ee

PRECIOUS TRUTH IS NOT TRUTH AT ALL, BUT

—

ERROR, ILLUSION: \} THAT THE GoD TO WHOM

YOU HAVE BEEN PRAYING, AND FROM WHOM YOU
Sass

THOUGHT YOU HAD RECETYED.COMEQRT, SUSTJE-
SS e
NANCE, FORGIVENESS AND_MEANING IS A

FIGMENT OF YOUR OWN IMAGINATION OR A
SS ss

(er

PROJECTION OF YOUR PSYCHOLOGICAL
gree

rnsecunsrzes!\ 1 WONDER WHAT IT’S LIKE
beauty ©

TO BE INFORMED THAT CEREMONIES, OF

Buon i TRANSITION AND PASSAGE THAT HAVE GIVEN
— =

LIFE SYMMETRY ARE ACTUALLY MEANINGLESS
, ee

Yaw
SUPERSTITIONS? \PROFESSOR KUNG WRITES:

en

2

\ "CHRISTIANS HAVE TOO LITTLE AWARE-
NESS OF HOW OFTEN, DESPITE ITS ETHIC OF

LOVE AND PEACE, CHRISTIANITY IN ITS

ACTUAL APPEARANCE AND ACLIVILY, STRIKES
THE ADHERENTS OF THE RELIGIONS AS EXCLU-
— a =D
SIVE, INTOLERANT AND accressrve." |
—— aes
[THEOLOGY For THE THIRD MILLENNIUM, P. op Ade Nie 504
pet Sit

238] Z

I SUBMIT THAT THE EVANGELISTIC ZEAL

SS a

WHICH ASSUMES THAT WE HAVE ALL THE TRUTH
(aE

=a

AND OTHERS HAVE NONE,| IS NOTONLY A

UNFORTUNALE WAY TO TRY TO START A CON-

VERSATION, A-R&bvsPEONSTIEP, | BUT IN ACTU-
——— a:

ALITY, DIMINISHES AND MISREPRESENTS THE
Ek

ONLY ABSOLUTE, THE ONE GOD AROUND WHOM

[EES
THE WHOLE ENTERPRISE IS SUPPOSED TO
Revove. ||| AND ALL TOO FREQUENTLY, I
SUBMIT, THAT TMPERLOUS,BELLIGERENT
Sh

ASSUMPTION THAT ONE POSSESSES ABSOLUTE

TRUTH, (1s PRELUDE TO VERY REAL HISTORIC
ee

TRAGEDY, PAST AND PRESENT.

THE ISSUE HAS BEEN AROUND A LONG
ecg

rane. | THE DEUTERONOMY TEXT THIS MORNING

CONTAINS THE THEOLOGICAL BREAKTHROUGH TO

ae
WW ")
MONOTHEISM. .. (Criene 1s-uo-oruen / Dip

YOU HEAR IT, ALL THE WAY BACK THERE ON
Ea

Se

THE EDGE OF RECORDED ursTorY? \ Moses Is

ADDRESSING THE PEOPLE, RECOUNTING _THEIR

EGYPT_AND Exopus exsenzence. [nto you IT
WAS SHOWN, THAT YOU MIGHT KNOW THAT THE

LoRD IS GOD; THERE IS NO OTHER." \| THAT'S
THE RADICAL WORD THAT COMES TO ISRAEL,

THERE IS ONE Gop. ..| THE GREAT GENIUS OF

a

JUDAISM. \ BUT_AS SOON AS THE WORD IS OUT
ay SSS

OF MOSES’ MOUTH THE ARGUMENT BEGINS.
ne ESS

SOME WANT TO PROCEED NARROWLY, CONSER-

VATELY.\"GOD'S ONENESS IS OUR PRIVATE

secreT:\ our Gop IS THE REAL GoD, YouRS

eS
IS A FAKE." >

OTHERS WANT TO TAKE THE BROAD,

Ww
LIBERAL ROAD: |"THE ONE GOD IS LORD OF

o_o =
THE BABYLONIANS AND PERSIANS QQ, ONLY

THEY USE A DIFFERENT VOCABULARY. "

AT THEIR BETTER MOMENTS GopD’'s

aS ap
Ey

PEOPLE KNOW THEY ARE CHOSEN, NOT TO BE
eS se
Gop'§ ONLY CHILDREN, BUT TO SHOW THE
mene
WORLD WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE TO LIVE AS

—————
Gop's CHILDREN. | To BE Gop’s CHOSEN IS A

RESPONSIBILITY, A BURDEN, AS WELL AS A

PRIVILEGE.\ BUT THERE IS A WONDERFUL
——— ae ae ==

FREEDOM TO IT.\THE PEOPLE ARE NOT IN-
=e ee ee

STRUCTED TO GO OUT AND MAKE EVERYBODY

— met SS
INTO JEWS.\ THEIR O LIVE FAITH-
o JEws JOB_IS T
FULLY AND TURN OVER TO GOD THE RESPONSI-
ea

BILITY FOR THE FINAL OUTCOME.
Se

THE ISSUE IS THERE CLEARLY IN THE

LIFE OF JESUS.AS HE IS_CRITICIZED BY THE
‘Sie

RELIGIOUS ZEALOTS WHO CANNOT UNDERSTAND
WHY HE IS SPENDING SO MUCH TIME WITH

Le |
(Cems (ursaeKs, TAX COLLECTORS,
ae ef
5

PROSTITUTES, SINNERS. |AND, AS YOU KNOW,
——— = — ay
FI =
IT WAS THE SUE
ees
FACING THE EARLY cHurcH.| WHEN MATTHEW
WROTE HIS GOSPEL SEVERAL DECADES AFTER
==.

THE CRUCIFIXION AND RESURRECTION, THE

FOLLOWERS OF JHE WAY WERE ASKING THEM-

QD_CARED ENOUGH ABOUT

GENTILES FOR THEM TO BOTHER TELLING THE
ae

SELVES WHETHER

STORY OF JESUS IN GENTILE crrtes.\ Or

SHOULD THEY, JEWISH CHRISTIANS, STAY
ee

bere

PUT, ENJOY THEIR NEW THEOLOGICAL IN-

——

SIGHTS AND LOOK DOWN THEIR NOSES AT
EERE

EVERYBODY ELSE?
So MATTHEW'S GOSPEL CONCLUDES WITH
THIS WONDERFUL SCENE...\ THE RISEN CHRIST

IS ON THE MOUNTAIN TOP-WETH-HTS oscoe- FLIEMOS we

ee
PLES. (Go, TO @LL THE NATIONS one

DISCIPLES." | JUST AS THE R WORD TO

ISRAEL WAS THAT THERE IS ONE GOD FOR ALL

THE wort, | so JESUS TELLS HIS FOLLOWERS

THAT THE GOSPEL IS FOR THE WORLD: | THE

PE
SEES

6

“Ted.

NEW WORD HERE IS "ALL NATIONS.” | ve
LF euseennensa

FIRST INTENT IS HIS VERY LAST UTTERANCE,
Ce | ———

IS TO BROADEN THE FOCUS OF THE EARLY
See —

CHRISTIANS SO THAT THEY WOULD BECOME A
SS

Wok Me core, ue VERY
PEOPLE FOR THE WHOLE WORLD. Hak ron

AND SO INTO THE WORLD HIS FOLLOWERS
el E

HAVE GONE, | SOMETIMES WITH RESPECT FOR
THE PEOPLE TO WHOM THEY HAYE GONE, THEIR
TRUTH, THEIR CULTURE, THEIR ENTITY.
eS GET

AND OFTEN WITH BELLIGERENT IMPERIALISM.

WE ALL KNOW THAT STORY. | IT HAS BECOME
_KNOW THAT. AS_BECOME

SBE yy

FASHIQNABLE AND POLITICALLY CORRECT TO
BLAME CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES EORCOLONI-
RE

ALISM AND THE RUIN OF INDIGENOUS CUL-
Ree

TURES.

BuT THERE IS THAT.
7 ‘A
HARVARD PROFESSOR SANNEH, A
re

GAMBIAN SCHOLAR CHALLENGES THE POPULAR

MISSIONARY BASHING. | MISSIONARIES,
Se

PROFESSOR SANNEH OBSERVES, WERE RESPON-
ae

SIBLE FOR TRANSLATING SCRIPTURE INTO
[EE

1,800 LANGUAGES AND IN THE PROCESS IN-
ee ‘

VENTED, FOR THE FIRST TIME, WRITTEN

LANGUAGE FOR MANY OF Them. | THAT_PROCESS

ENHANCED AND PRESERVED INDIGENOUS CUL-
SS <eLe ee

tures. \ IT INSTILLED -SU€% AWARENESS AND
PRIDE AND.-INSTEAD OF ENABLING POLITICAL

OPPRESSION ACTUALLY WAS THE SEED BED OF *&

, wee
NATIONALISM THAT SPELLED THE OF

COLONIALISM." | [CHRISTIAN MISSIONS AND

THE WESTERN GuILT COMPLEX, THE CHRISTIAN
Century, 4/8/87]

THE OLD ISSUE REMAINS AND WE
SE

CONTINUE TO STRUGGLE WITH IT - RELIGIOUS

SS See
EXCLUSIVENESS, THE PROPENSITY IN ALL OF
Sa EE

US, APPARENTLY TO PORTRAY OUR NEWS AS

=m

THE ONLY news, [our TRUTH AS THE TRUTH
——

WITH A CAPITAL T, THE ABSOLUTE AND ONLY NV. ~
TRUTH. a

THERE IS SOMETHING ABOUT THE TIME
_—— ee ee.

IN WHICH WE LIVE THAT WANTS AND NEEDS
Be tne

THE KIND OF ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY RELIGIOUS

See

8

EXCLUSIVENESS pnovroes. \ CaL IT FUNDA-
a are

MENTALISM OR FANATICISM, IT HAS TRAGI-
Qa co

CALLY COME TO DEEINE THE ERA,\ CROSSING
Ss

RELIGIOUS AND CUL IES LIKE A
Oran een . :
VIRAL EPIDEMIC. x

WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS IS A THEOLOGY
— eee

WHICH IS COMMITTED TH BUT AT

THE SAME TIME, NOT ONLY RESPECTS OTHERS
as STS

| rele F
AND CELEBRATES PLURALISM, BUT ALSO Hei ow
ACKNOWLEDGES THAT THERE IS TRUTH in a
POSITIONS DIFFERENT FROM OUR OWN..4 THAT

TRUTH, AS PROFESSOR KUNG SO ELOQUENTLY

a

PUTS IT, IS EXISTENTIAL, NOT GENERAL.
ee

LISTEN TO ied SS ee AND

WRESTLE WITH IT FOR US.

"T am A_CHRISTIAN BECAUSE I BELIEVE

SSSemaee-
IN THIS CHRIST... AND TRY TO EMULATE HIM
FOR THE GUIDE FOR MY PATH. [He IS FOR

US, THE WAY, THE TRUTH, THE LIFE.

eee SSB oC—eE

"But CHRISTIANS DO NOT BELIEVE IN
Le
CHRISTIANITY. \tr's UNTENABLE TO DEFINE
Sn
CHRISTIANITY AS THE ABSOLUTE RELIGION.
[eee i EE Sel
NO RELIGION HAS THE WHOLE TRUTH, ONLY
Se. ae
GoD HAS THE WHOLE TRUTH. \ LESSING WAS
ile 2S ING
RIGHT... ONLY GOD IS THE TRUTH." | LoP.
cit., P. 251, 255]
PROTESTANT SCHOLAR JURGEN MOLTMANN

——

HAS WRITTEN RECENTLY AND ELOQUENTLY
Bel

ABOUT A BROADER AND MORE INCLUSIVE

THEOLOGY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AS THE

ENERGY WHICH ANIMATES ALL LIFE AND WHICH

IS ALWAYS WORKING TO FURTHER HUMAN
Sa

COMMUNITY. | ss=" TO PROFESSOR MOLT-

MANN:

U—tPEIS“PATHOMLESS , AND™2S=MORE

CRT AAAVE
IT_IS_THESE..Ciegvhiaaaare LIVING ENERGIES
a =e

ere,

WHICH WE CALL THE DIVINE SPIRIT, BSOtease

yinaos +

hee

CALL IT THE COSMIC SPIRIT, BECAUSE IT IS

ea. OT

THE LIFE IN EVERYTHING THAT LIVES.

CHINESE CALL IT cur, | GREEKs = EROS, \
ee rood

HEBREW - uaci..\ BECAUSE Gop IS THE

CREATOR, HIS CREATIVE SPIRIT IS THE

=, Sa
DYNAMIC OF THE UNIVERSE AND THE POWER
THAT CREATES COMMUNITY IN THE WIDENING, ~ SN
SS
DIFFERENTIATING NETWORKS OF THE LIVING." A TIME

[THE SPIRIT OF LIFE, P. 22]

etal SOMETIMES ART HELPS US TO OPEN OUR > “2
- :

OWN SPIRITS TO THIS LARGER TRUTH... A
| ena

RIvER RUINS THROUGH IT, FOR INSTANCE.

AT THE END OF THE NOVEL, THE AUTHOR,

NoRMAN MACLEAN, NOW AN OLD MAN, HIS

ES

STORY OVER, HIS FAMILY ALL GONE, STANDS

ei

IN HIS BELOVED RIVER, CASTING FOR TROUT,
eae

REFLECTING----

aud G. Civer ters Xbrough ib \The

Cow Ond TS, Or cocks_—-Ciow he
| =
\pesewunt + we . low SM o
Cows are Liweless ramdnrps \Va de
ae forks are {oe Words , aryd Sn
¢\ Hu words are {lies )
Taw hawt bu Wren

How TO BE HONEST ABOUT ONE'S OWN

TRUTH AND_YET ACKNOWLEDGE THE TRUTH OF
OTHERS. OW TO BE FAITHFUL TO ONE'S
———

SENSE OF GOD'S MISSION WITHOUT DENYING
eas

THE HUMANITY OF OTHERS.

AFRICAN THEOLOGIAN JOHN MBITI

WRITES POIGNANTLY:

[Sw

ACTIVE AMONG AFRICAN PEOPLE AS HE WAS

SE

AMONG THE JEWISH PEOPLE. .| WAS HE NOT

"GOD MUST HAVE BEEN

THERE IN OTHER TIMES AND OTHER PLACES

ee

SUCH AS MT. FuGr AND Mt. KENYA AS WELL
ome

AS MT. srwar?"| Mertz OBSERVES THE
—— ee

PHENOMENAL GROWTH OF CHRISTIANITY IN
ee Se

AFRICA AND WRITES: ("THE GOD DESCRIBED

12

<i i

TIME 4

IN THE BIBLE IS NONE OTHER THAN THE GOD
=,

WHO IS ALREADY KNOWN IN THE FRAMEWORK OF

TRADITIONAL AFRICAN RELIGIOSITY."

[THEOLOGIANS IN TRANSITION, P. 54]

_ ee — > THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT THERE IS

wlan Wir 5°
conamued OY

Cy > rah

—_———
ANOTHER WORD EMERGING TODAY OUT OF OUR

EXPERIENCE AS Curistrans. \ IT IS NOT OUR
— ne

CREATION. It IS THERE FROM THE BEGIN-

SSS

NING - IN THE UNIVERSALISM OF ISAIAH,

THE WORLD VIEW OF JONAH, Mrcae AND_IT

—_

IS THERE PARTICULARLY IN THE THEOLOGICAL
ee

EVOLUTION OF OUR FIRST MISSIONARY, ST.
__—..—

Fa

PAUL. a MANS ter {
IN & MAGNIFICENT CHRISTOLOGICAL
—_e

DOXOLOGY IN THE LETTER. TO TH COLOSSIANS

PAUL WRITES WITH POETIC ws ADTH. | Gop’ s
PURPOSE IN BECOMING INCARNATE IN JESUS

THE CHRIST, Is TO HEAL, TO MAKE WHOLE,
toa =

TO BRING TOGETHER, TO RECONCILE ALL

[oe

chek

War:
CN wr \ ai

nS

n Det wha +y\d_Sines
Ho wher Lal

—<—_— °

WOM

at eee |

race , eduwicwy , ene

——

awe

a

a

MOLTMANWN, WRITES ABOUT "THE COMMUNI-

TY OF CREATION, WHICH ALL CREATED

THINGS EXIST writ ¢) ANOTHER, FOR ONE
ANOTHER, A D IN ONE ANO'RHER, IS ALSO THE

FELLOWSHIP OF THE HoLy Sprkvt." [op.

cry, P. 10]
S*- PAUL STRUGGLES TO FIND WORDS
=p
BIG enouan. | GOD WANTS A CREATION AT
od

PEACE_WITH ITSELF.\ Gop WANTS ALL THINGS

TO BE IN communzTy.\ G NTS TO LOVE

ALL THE CHILDREN OF THIS WORLD SO THEY
bh ed

WILL ENJOY LIFE AND LIVE IT TOGETHER IN
er”

PEACE AND JUSTICE.

~ Hen

WHAT IS OUR VOCATION, OUR MISSION-
ae —

ARY TASK? | Some WILL SAY THAT THIS
fey

ALTERNATIVE WORD IS NOT THE TRUE WORD,

a
THAT TO FOCUS ON THE HEALING AND RECON-
I
CILIATION OF THE WHOLE CREATION DENIES
ee ae
OUR REAL MISSION WHICH IS TO MARKET

JESUS AGGRESSIVELY AND MAKE CONVERTS, TO Score,
6 Win
14

CONVINCE EVERYBODY TO BECOME_PRESBYTERI-

ANS OR RoMAN CATHOLICS OR SOUTHERN

BAPTISTS.

My PROPOSAL IS THAT OUR TASK IS TO

GQ_INTO THE WORLD AND TELL THE STORY OF

Jesus. ..| To TELL ABouT Gop's =o

s@agf FOR THE creatzon. \ Our TASK IS NOT

TO SHQUT LOUDER THAN EVERYBODY ELSE. | IT
IS TO MAKE CERTAIN WE HAVE DONE OUR BEST
EE es

TO TELL EVERYBODY ABOUT GOD'S LOVE AND
Scr ia a

TO LIVE OUT THE JOYFUL, LIBERATING,

RECONCILING TRUTH WE HAVE DISCOVERED.

I BELIEVE OUR TASK IS TO TELL ABOUT
]

—

AND TRY TO LIVE A LOVE SO BIG IT ALREADY

EMBRACES ALL NATIONS, \1 BELIEVE OUR

TASK IS TO LET GO OF THE EXCLUSIVENESS,
=— Ss

AND THE COMFORT AND SECURITY 17 PRO-

VrDES,\ AND BOLDLY, BRAVELY TRUST THAT

ALL THINGS, \EVEN HUMAN HISTORY,\ EVEN THE
SS EES eae

STORIES OF ALL THE NATIONS, \ARE IN THE
eae oe,

HANDS OF Gop.
eae Se

15

———
Th sis

bi

on micllectue
WAL Ou spire Chatlirsna

é

Na

b

ak “\
cum d

ad

GREGORY OF NYSSA SAID SOMEWHERE:
ao

Ter,
"CONCEPTS CREATE IDOLS... ONLY WONDER uh y

fern ine
UNDERSTANDS, " )

Proressor KUNG CONCLUDES HIS BOOK (* ti
ben

ON ECUMENICAL THEOLOGY IN A SIMILAR lle

SPIRIT:
("As FAR AS THE FUTURE GOES, ONLY

ONE THING IS cerTamn, | AT THE END OF
enn

[nent y

BOTH THE HUMAN RACE AND
Ee
THE woRLD,| BUDDHISM AND HINDUISM WILL NO
Ee Wwe EE
LONGER BE THERE... { NOR ISLAM, JUDAISM,
ec 0 TTT,

CHRISTIANITY... NO RELIGIONS... BUT THE
Ee

ONE INEXPRESSIBLE, \r0 WHOM ALL RELIGIONS
Ee

ARE ORIENTED, \ WHOM CHRISTIANS WILL ONLY
eo

THEN COMPLETELY RECOGNIZE, WHEN THE

IMPERFECT GIVES WAY TO THE PERFECT -
Bi]

‘eC

EVEN AS THEY THEMSELVES ARE RECOGNIZED: . _

[eR
THE TRUTH, FACE TO FACE." ,—[p. 255]
EE
OrR,/AS THE APOSTLE WROTE NEARLY

2,000 YEARS AGO:

—

16

IM
"IN THE FULLNESS OF GOD IS PLEASED
TO DWELL,| AND THROUGH HIM GOD WAS
ou
PLEASED TO RECONCILE TO HIMSELF ALL

ee
ee

THINGS." AMEN.

aro,
fe

17