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Pseudo-Intellectual
Registered Member
Date Joined Jul 2001
Total Posts : 58
| Posted 7/25/2001 1:26 PM (GMT -6) |   | I while ago I was reading a book on Marx. The author argued, successfully in my view, that Marx was not a Marxist. That sounds silly but everyone can tell what he means by this. That the ideas of Marx were to a significant degree highjacked by his followers and disfigured by them into the historical movement we know as ‘Marxism.’ In making this argument he made some interesting analogies. I specifically remember one of them, that Marx was not a Marxist in a similar way that Christ was not a Christian. So a number of questions come up.
1) Is he right? Or should we try to demonstrate how we really are Christians in the same way the Christ was?
2) It occurs to me that since God is relational he might want us to carry our own weight in this relationship and add our own distinctiveness to what this relationship called Christianity is all about. For example my relationship with my mom is not solely determined by my mother’s wishes, rather our relationship is a homology. Perhaps what Christianity is was designed by God to be a homology in one respect even though in many others it is a heteronomy?
3) If Christ was not a Christian who was he and who are we?
4) Lastly Christ means Messiah and Christian means 'little Christ.' Are we being a little arogent calling oursleves little Messiah's? Doesn't this imply that we save ourselves? Or is that just an unfortunate concequence of needing a name that doesn't quite fit what it means?
d.c.
dudechild
"If there is no God, who pops up the next Kleenex?" -Art Hoppe
Edited by - Pseudo-Intellectual on 07/25/2001 6:30:54 PM | | Back to Top | | |
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GregBoyd
Registered Member
Date Joined Jul 2001
Total Posts : 1818
| Posted 7/26/2001 7:39 AM (GMT -6) | | Christ couldn't have been a "Christian," because "Christian" means one who follows and looks like Christ.
Usually, those who try to drive a wedge between Christ and Christianity argue that the real founder of Christianity was Paul, not Jesus. I have argued (In Cynic Sage or Son of God) that it is historically impossible to posit a total disconnect between the followers of Jesus and the followers of Paul. The early church was much more networked than some modern critics give it credit for. (For example, we know that Peter preached at Corinth. He was so welcomed that some at Corinth formed a special club around him -- "I am of Cephas" (I Cor. 1).
For what its worth
Doc
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