In this posting, I would like to skip ahead a bit to what I personally feel is one of the most important sentences in the Draft. It is found at the end of the second paragraph of section II.B, "Incarnation," in the chapter on essential tenets. Having repeatedly avowed that the incarnation of God in Christ is a mystery the author of this section wrestles with the nature of the incarnation. The author states that "Jesus is the exact imprint of God's very being." God's fulness dwelt in Jesus. Jesus' human nature in no way impaired "the divinity of the Son" and that "his true humanity is in no way undermined by his continued divinity." There immediately follows the sentence in question, namely, "This is a mystery that we cannot explain, but we affirm it with joy and confidence." Yes! This whole Jesus thing is wrapped in a mystery that we simply cannot explain. That indeed is the meaning and the beauty of it all. We're dealing with ultimate things that are beyond our ken yet they are profoundly meaningful to us.
All of the words in the Draft, all of the words and all of our theological treatises from the earliest days of the church down to the present—all of these words upon words upon words simply cannot encompass the mystery of Christ. So, what are we fighting about? Why do we get so wrapped up in our words? Why did we become so angry when we disagree about these things? All any of us are doing is shouting down a deep dark well. At the very least, the crucial fact that Christ is a mystery (has to be!) should encourage all of us who claim to be his followers to be willing to listen to each other and share our insights with each other. It encourages us to dialogue (not discuss, debate, or deliberate but dialogue) with each other. And it encourages us to be patient with our differences because we are really and truly groping in the dark. It's hardly surprising that we bump into and stumble over each other.
