The desire for enlightenment..

His disappointment was almost palpable as I said "Look I'm not trying to evangelise you but ... I found it in the life and purpose of Jesus and in the hope that is mine through that life..."

As I waited for the bus to make my journey to Faith House I thought of Dan. I hoped he would be there. I met Dan for the first time at Faith House last week and had quite a conversation.

It started when Dan asked me if I was a Christian and then proceeded to tell me that he had never met a Christian who was enlightened. I have to admit that the next hour and a half was heavy stuff! He explains his concept of entering the 'gap'; of techniques, methods of meditation; his desire to achieve this enlightenment. "Dan if you are talking about fulfillment, peace, purpose I've found it..."

Dan's eyes widen in excitement - "what's your technique..."

His disappointment was almost palpable as I said "Look I'm not trying to evangelise you but ... I found it in the life and purpose of Jesus and in the hope that is mine through that life and discovering my own purpose..."

"Of course the trouble is that I can't accept that Jesus was God..." we talked as Dan unpacked his thoughts for me which concluded with Dan suggesting that Jesus was neither human. Out come my two friends Josephus and Tacitus, seemingly unimpressed Dan continues."don't get me wrong of course I accept the historical evidence of the existence of Jesus..."

"You've just said you could accept either Jesus as Human or God, Dan I'm confused..."

 "Confused ... You just said you've found enlightenment...!"

The rest of the evening pans out with our conversation settling on 'Grace' Versus 'Technique'

Dan wasn't at Faith house this week - who knows about next week.

Comments

Anonymous said…
this is why we all need to study at college or wherever we may be, because our beliefs will be challenged and we need to know where we stand! Thanks Gordon - the right man for the right time!
3:24 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A bit of sally bashing....

Came across a good bit of Sally bashing over at salvationsoldiers I have to say we try and make sure that everything we raise goes into projects that build local community in Poplar but hopefully if you read this blog you get that sense anyway.
Read more

Types of Christian Spirituality...

Image
It is easy to think and to limit ourselves to a single approach to Christian spirituality. A 'if it works for me it should work for you approach' tends to narrow our appreciation of other ways which actually impoverishes our experience of spirituality. Urban T. Holmes has developed a means of exploring spirituality and helps develop an appreciation through discovering links between spirituality, temperament and predisposition. The diagram illustrates his ideas together with potential inherent dangers. The vertical continuum speaks and helps us understand our relational orientation to God. This ranges from engaging with God through understanding and theological process to a more emotive response. Horizontally speaks of a persons preferred means of pursuing the spiritual life. Kataphtic speaks of affirmation and the need of something tangible in an individuals spirituality- this may take the form of worship, art, even imagination with the use of metaphors, symbols and images play
Read more

Lost Voices of Mission...Fred Brown

Image
Along the world famous Oxford street in London's Westend; nestled in among the classy frontage of designer shops there is almost an unnoticeable, unimpressive wooden door. It is more or less alongside The Regent Hall's main entrance onto the busyness of Oxford Street. People pass the wooden door oblivious to the equally unimpressive wooden steps that go up three storey's to what was Regent Hall's youth club. When I was 10 I played on these bare wooden steps totally unaware of the significance behind and upon which I played. Many years later I discovered a university youth work course - as an induction to Youth Work - stopped outside this insignificant wooden door to point out that Youth Work as we know it in the UK started behind this door. ...whether that be the surbanite flower people that flooded the Westend to express their free love; or the hard core drug community this unimpressive wooden door became the 'portal' that blurred encounter between church an
Read more