We Have Been the Real Reductionists...

More words from other Jesus followers to challenge us to understand God more:

N.T. Wright (Simply Jesus):
"Jesus - the Jesus we might discover if we really looked is larger, more disturbing, more urgent than we had ever imagined. We have successfully managed to hide behind other questions and to avoid the huge, world-shaking challenge of Jesus's central claim and achievement. It is we, the churches, who have been the real reductionists. We have reduced the kingdom of God to private piety; the victory of the cross to comfort for the conscience; Easter itself to a happy, escapist ending after a sad, dark tale. Piety, conscience, and ultimate happiness are important, but not nearly as important as Jesus himself."

Albert Nolan (Jesus Today):
"Jesus' respect for the dignity of everyone he encountered was boundless. He treated each individual as unique and lovable - whether that person was a blind beggar, an epileptic, or a Roman centurion. He was particularly attentive to the needs of women and children: the widow of Nain who had lost her only son, the poor widow who put her last coin into the collection box, the woman suffering from hemorrhages, the women of Jerusalem who, he says, should weep for themselves and their children rather than for him, and, anticipating the day when the Roman armies will attack, the focus of his attention is on children, pregnant mothers, and those with babies at the breast..."

George MacDonald:
"How terribly have the theologians misrepresented God's character. They represented him as a king on a huge throne, thinking how grand he is and making it the business of his being and the end of his universe to keep up his glory, wielding the bolts of a Jupiter against them that take his name in vain...

But how contrary this is to what the Gospel accounts plainly tell us. Brothers, sisters, have you found our King? There he is, kissing little children and saying they are like God. There he is at the table with the head of the fisherman lying on his chest and (with) somewhat heavy heart that even he, the beloved disciple, cannot yet understand him well."