WWJD? He'd turn over in his grave: If you see "Jesus" on the road, kill him.

I just got off the blog of "Progressive Christianity." Emphasis mine. To quote the blog,

Progressive Christians while diverse in themselves would generally agree with the 8-points of beliefs outlined by The Center for Progressive Christianity:

By calling ourselves progressive, we mean we are Christians who...

• Have found an approach to God through the life and teachings of Jesus.

• Recognize the faithfulness of other people who have other names for the way to God's realm, and acknowledge that their ways are true for them, as our ways are true for us.

• Understand the sharing of bread and wine in Jesus’ name to be a representation of an ancient vision of God's feast for all peoples etc., etc...

More and more it seems clear that much of what is now accepted as Christianity, even by many in the Church is more of a Living Memorial of the historic Jesus of Nazareth. I use "Living Memorial" in much the same way the Media uses it (as well as apparently much of the Church), that all that the Jesus who was "born of the Virgin (whatever one wants "Virgin" to mean means) Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried" said and lived in his own individual life is now followed in their lives by those who follow his teachings and manner of life (living for others, dying for others, etc.) are thus followers or disciples of Jesus via the very living-out of his teachings and/or manner of life, and are thereby worshippers of God, by remembering in their daily life the teachings and manner of life of Jesus. And thus they worship Jesus-of-old by following his teachings and manner of life, thus keeping his memory in the forefront of the world. They are a Living Memorial (mnesis or anamnesis)of Jesus.

I admire such followers of the teachings and manner of life of Jesus of Nazareth, those who thus worship God in their doing so. And I am sure that this is acceptable to God, for anything done in Love is acceptable to God and in God, for God is Love.
Hence, it is no surprise that these same followers of Jesus "Understand the sharing of bread and wine in Jesus’ name to be a representation of an ancient vision of God's feast for all peoples."

And it is here, for instance, that I grieve what seems to be coming, for it seems that it is only a short step from "Understand[ing] the sharing of bread and wine in Jesus’ name to be a representation of an ancient vision of God's feast for all peoples" to understanding the Church to understand Jesus to be an ancient representation of God in the past who lived and taught a way to God which we can live today.

Nevertheless, for the sake of myself as well as others of us, I affirm that this is neither the Teaching (Paradosis) of the Church nor is it of much hope for me and others of us who also call ourselves "Christian." For, for me, if this is true, I am no better off following the teachings of Socrates, Marcus Aurelius, The Buddha, Mohammad, Thomas Jefferson or George Bush to keep alive all that they were and taught and said and did.

I am NOT saying that any of these ways of life are "wrong." This is not at all where I am going. What I am saying is that the Teaching of the Church is of much more wonder and depth and indeed, breadth than such thinking.

The historic Jesus of Nazareth and the resurrected Jesus, in the Teaching of the Church and indeed the teaching of the Holy Scriptures written by the Church after its foundation, are not only One and truly the Same, but also One and truly the same as the Church (Christ's Body)yesterday, today, and forever.

So the Body of Christ today, The One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church (which is One in Christ whether or not the world or Christians of the world see it so)is none other than the human flesh and blood Body of Christ today, One with All Flesh and Blood, One with God. So the Church does not worship "Jesus" of the past, or any "Jesus" living in Memory, or "Jesus," who was past but now living in what the Church does, but in the same way the Jesus born of Mary is the same as the Jesus of the Resurrection Morn; that same Jesus is the Church. And it is therefore that we, as "flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone" pray "in His Name" for we are "His Name."

Hence, "our" prayer is not the prayer of "all of us followers of the teachings and way of life of Jesus-Past," but the Prayer of the Living One, here, now, today, praying to Our Father in heaven, the One worshipped and known by the world as "God."

And hence, we share in the very ousia, the very "stuff," nature and substance of God in Christ Jesus, for we are "hid with Christ in God."

Our sufferings because of sin (our individual or those of others) are his sufferings; your sufferings are mine (just as the pain of my big toe is the pain of my body) for we share-together as members of his Flesh.

So how silly, in the modern, not ancient, use of the word, to say "What would Jesus do" meaning either "If he were alive today" of "IF he were here today," or "If he were us or me today." For "we," you and I and all Flesh are "One" already, in Christ Jesus, and the question is therefore "What does the world see Jesus" doing or not doing today in 'us?'"

And therein lies the skandalon, the scandal of the Church, the very same scandal of Jesus 2,000 years ago in human flesh, when then also he had to bear the sins and "weaknesses" of human flesh and that is what the then world saw and so did not believe in him.

Christ Jesus die not rise from the dead by his own power, but his Father raised him from the dead into a new creation, a resurrected body called the Church, which bears his scars and yet lives. Jesus handed over (paradosis again)to be shared, his life (on the night before he died-- his Body, his Blood, and then his Spirit breathed out into the disciples) to his Church-- his flesh, blood, and life breath, his all.

There is no "Jesus" out there, outside the Living Body of Christ today anymore than there was a Jesus "out there" that Jesus of Nazareth could have known separate from his Self.

And it is the Living Christ that worships the Father in the Spirit, in Truth.