The Existential Cross of Christ

(Chapter 5 of 'The Existing Christ: towards and Existential Christology'.)

Last week I asked students to research the Maid of the Mist, and I was real surprised when they came back with three completely different stories with the same title.

I wonder what the tour company tells folks? Probably the story about the distraught dad who follows his daughter over the falls...

If you want to start a discussion, ask why the number of people in the pews of the main line churches in Canada, and especially in the United Church, has declined precipitously since the 1960s.

The usual answer you will hear most often is that churches have moved away from God and have taken on a larger role in politics or made decisions which people disagree with.

We are now well into the Olympic “season.” That’s the time which comes around every two years when the eyes of the world are focussed on a major centre for a sporting competition which is unparalleled in our history.

The Olympic Games, an international spectacle of incredible cost and spirit, brings people together to watch powerful human performances.

Men and women, their bodies tuned to the highest levels of skill and athletic perfection, compete among each other to strive to be the one who is “Higher. Stronger. Faster”.

(Chapter 3 of 'The Existing Christ: towards an Existential Christology'.)

Epistemontological: Existential Christology

In itself existent is existing or having existence. To be existential is to be existing or to be having existence. An existential Christology is a Christology that considers Christ as existing. Existential Christology is not about the historical, temporal Christ of 2,000 years ago. Existential Christology is about Christ actually existing in the existence in which we exist.