interesting opening statement that included using Dorothy Sayers. hmmm. this is the same Dorothy Sayers that wrote the "Dogma is the Drama." hmmm.

From Dorothy Sayers:

"Official Christianity, of late years, has been having what is known as a bad press. We are constantly assured that the churches are empty because preachers insist too much upon doctrine-dull dogma as people call it. The fact is the precise opposite. It is the neglect of dogma that makes for dullness. The Christian faith is the most exciting drama that ever staggered the imagination of man-and the dogma is the drama.

. . . for the cry today is: “Away with the tedious complexities of dogma-let us have the simple spirit of worship; just worship, no matter of what!” The only drawback to this demand for a generalized and undirected worship is the practical difficulty of arousing any sort of enthusiasm for the worship of nothing in particular.

It is the dogma that is the drama-not beautiful phrases, nor comforting sentiments, nor vague aspirations to loving-kindness and uplift, nor the promise of something nice after death-but the terrifying assertion that the same God who made the world, lived in the world and passed through the grave and gate of death. Show that to the heathen, and they may not believe it; but at least they may realize that here is something that man might be glad to believe."

She says that before the 19th or 20th century people would hear about other religions but not see the profound unity that underlies all of these traditions. Rubbish. Paul was a jew. So were all the rest of the apostles. But Paul was a Jews Jew. He knwe the Judaism of his day. Yet he rejected it in favor of Christianity. He said Christianity was radically different. He understood both traditions and thought there was no profound unity because Judaism rejected Christ. Heck one has to just read John 8 to see that Christ thought this was rubbish also. What passes as theological thinking today.