> I quite agree that Christianity is founded on nothing else but the
> resurrection. But, follow this reasoning. The resurrection was necessary to
> pay the penalty for man's sin which I presume you and I agree is a reality.
This may appear off the subject but it is essential to serious
discussion. Christianity is NOT "founded on nothing else but the
resurrection." It is founded on the resurrection _of the crucified
Christ_. Paul told the Corinthians that he had decided to preach
nothing to them but "Christ crucified." This clearly does not mean that
he said nothing about the resurrection, but the resurrection loses its
unique significance if it is not the resurrection _of the crucified."
The resurrection shows the meaning of the cross.
Further, _the risen Christ is still the crucified_ - hence the
gospel accounts of showing the disciples the wounds. That's why
Michaelangelo's painting of the Last Judgment shows the angels bringing
the cross and instruments of the passion - so we'll knoqw he's the real
one!
Sure, "We all know that." We know it but would like to downplay
it, treat Good Friday as an unpleasant episode to get through as quickly
as possible on our way to the triumphalism of Easter, and decorate
ourselves with cleaned up crosses with no body on them.
& further - this is the key to any adequate treatment of the
problem of evil, how God can make use of suffering & extinction in
natural selection, &c. It is, in other words, crucial to a genuinely
Christian treatment of evolution.
SHALOM,
George Murphy