My friend and classmate, Wayne Williams, shared this piece he wrote on reconciling the statement from John, “No one comes to the Father, except through me”, with the yearning for universal salvation and honoring all people as children of God. I’m happy to share his work here on my blog.
Cosmic Christ Consciousness
By H. Wayne Williams
I.
“I am the way, the truth, and the life.
No one comes to the Father, but through me.” (John 14:6)
These words have bludgeoned worthy
souls with violence to exclude.
Jesus postures only Love and mercy;
God’s eternal Wisdom ever flows to include.
The dying grandpa’s Buddhist altar
is entrusted to his Christian heir.
“Ancestor worship’s not in the Psalter!”
Invoke Wisdom, not spiritual warfare.
“The true light that illumines all
has come into the world!” (John 1:9)
Cosmic Christ redeems and rests
with Wisdom in the Father’s breast.
Selah.
II.
When absolute egotism
violates interfaith discourse,
sexism, classism, and racism
are brutal powers errantly in force!
Christians seek converts around the globe.
The Hindus view this with disdain.
Apostle Paul was no xenophobe.
Wisdom is the sacred of the profane.
“Jesus, pure servility,
suffered for all humanity!” (Phil. 2:6-7)
Cosmic Christ redeems and rests
with Wisdom in the Father’s breast.
Selah.
III.
Swear off confessional fascism!
God’s truth speaks cross-culturally.
Embrace confessional universalism!
After all, Who reconciles the stars?
As Christians we profess through Him
to know the God of all genealogy,
not our neighbor’s faith to bedim.
Enshrined theology is idolatry.
“The Logos truly lived among us.
We saw Wisdom’s graceful glory as
the one and only Father’s Son.” (John 1:14)
Cosmic Christ redeems and rests
with Wisdom in the Father’s breast.
Selah.
“God don’t pick favorites; every reverent and righteous nation belongs.” (Acts 10:34).
H. Wayne Williams is an MDiv student at Earlham School of Religion. He brings his gifts of music, compassion and presence to all he meets.
Oh, Anna…
And Wayne.
Thank you. SO much.
Following on this theme, ESR’s Spirituality Gathering next spring will have Ilia Delio as keynote. She is a Franciscan sister who writes on the theme of the Cosmic Christ. See interview:
http://www.uscatholic.org/church/2011/03/universal-savior-ilia-delio-reimagines-christ?page=0,1
Thanks Anna! I especially like Wayne’s refrain. It’s playing in my head now as a song with guitar accompaniment, celebrating the loving idea that if Jesus manifested/was God, then loving the God of your understanding is loving Jesus, and brings all the spiritual benefits Jesus spoke about.