I know it won't surprise you when I say that much of modern day religion is fear based. This is particularly true within Christianity. Over the millennia, we have created an image of God that reeks with the stink of irrational punishment. If we don't believe this or we don't do that then it's hell for sure, some of us have been taught. All of this so contrary to the life of Christ! He, who was never afraid to remain true to his own integrity in spite of the most authoritative of religious damnation, is now often portrayed as the damner of others.

It is a lie and one of the greatest sins of Christianity. Indeed, the life of Christ reveals precisely the opposite. Rather than cower in fear, Jesus call us to courageous adventure. How dare we turn his invitation to a life of brave excitement into cautious, cowering cowardice!

But we do...in so many ways.

"Give me that old time religion..."

Some would love to have us sing it but old time religion isn't the religion of Jesus. Christianity is always in the process of reforming itself, stretching its adherents, calling us to new adventures, pushing the envelope.

I am constantly confronted with images of God that, I believe, have virtually nothing to do with Jesus. They have everything to do with a religion based on the principle of burying your faith in the dirt. There are people claiming to be followers of Jesus who to this day are convinced that unless one believes a certain way or belongs to a certain institution one is outside the eternal love of God. What causes this kind of thinking? It is not that they are bad but it is that they are still practicing a faith that's been buried in the dirt for a few thousand years.

Christianity was formed in the midst of tumult and tribulation. In the early years, Christians were fighting not just for their identity but for their very lives. The New Testament reflects much of that struggle. The condemnations, the accusations, the damnation are all a part of a particular time and place.

We are in a very different time and place. Because of the courage of some, our faith has been expanded and explored. New images, new conclusions, new ways of understanding have been formed. This isn't heresy. This is precisely what Jesus did.