While I was on vacation someone gave me a copy of Time magazine which featured Billy Graham. The article was interesting but a much smaller piece in this issue intrigued me more.
Apparently the Chinese government has made it illegal to be reincarnated without official permission. As weird as this sounds, it is actually an issue of political control. The Dalai Lama is a leader in exile for occupied Tibet and the Chinese government doesn't want any unregulated reincarnation of successors to take place. Good luck on that one.
It made me wonder if a ban on resurrection would make a difference in our country. We are still a predominantly Christian nation, at least by the numbers, and therefore we are people of the resurrection. Yet we might ask what effect this faith has as individual Christians and communities of faith. There is a tendency to become "clubby" in our life together rather than counter-cultural. Our government is probably quite content for us to say whatever we want about Easter and the resurrection not just because we live in a democracy but because it doesn't make much of a stir.
To live the resurrection is to live the unruly hope of both a present and future promise. It affects every aspect of our lives. It allows our imaginations to take flight and our hands and feet to be at work in the world. Christ is our graciously seditious leader and saviour who makes all things new.
No comments:
Post a Comment