Fundamentalism is an expanding reality in major religions including Christianity. Dominated by and preoccupied with literalism and exclusion, fundamentalists use sacred writings in a closed-ended and authoritarian manner to satisfy their self-fulfilling need for certainty.
Religion has always needed the language of metaphor, simile, symbol, and analogy to point to the inexplicable Reign of God. Jesus frequently began His teaching with: “The Kingdom of God is like. . . ”
The Word of God is His spiritual authority found, not only in ancient texts, but also in the revelations of the Holy Spirit, all creation, and our own truth-confirming experience of God. The mystery is “Christ among you, your hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27)
Words are fingers pointing to the moon, but words are never the moon itself. Not knowing this has kept much religion infantile, arrogant, and even dangerous.
Luke 8:10 “He replied, ‘You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of God. But I use parables to teach the others so that the Scriptures might be fulfilled: ‘When they look, they won’t really see. When they hear, they won’t understand.’”
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