Dear Miss Kendrick,
Thank you for your thoughtful letter. If
read on its own, it does appear evident that that the words, “I am the way, the
truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father,” indicate
that only those who believe in Jesus will go to heaven. And, as you state, this
scripture can readily evoke images of “children suffering for eternity,” just because
they had the misfortune to be born in a place where Christianity is not the
predominant religion is not predominant or is non existent.
To glean a clearer understanding of what “I am the way” does and doesn't mean, we’ll look at two sources--one from our Methodist roots and the other --the Bible. [i]In A Farther Appeal to Men of Reason and Religion (p. 26), Methodist co-founder John Wesley writes:
“By
salvation I mean, not barely, according to the vulgar Notion, deliverance from
Hell, or going to Heaven: But a Pre- sent Deliverance from Sin, a Restoration
of the Soul to its Primitive health, its Original Purity; a Recovery of the
Divine Nature; the Renewal of our Souls after the Image of GOD...”
According
to Wesley, “The Way” Jesus speaks of is not salvation from heaven or hell, but,
instead a return to our Divine nature in the image of God.
In answer to your questions about other religions, from the Bible we learn that God is no respecter of ANY
religion. In Acts 10:34-35, “Peter opened his mouth and said, “Of a truth I
perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every
nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.” Romans 8:14 also alludes to an all-inclusive God, “For as many as are led by the Spirit
of God, they are the children of God.”
When Jesus says he is “the way,” he
is speaking as a child of God, led by the Spirit, as mentioned in Romans. He is speaking from, as
Wesley calls it, his Divine nature. This Divine nature, also called the Christ within,
or the I Am, was not only in Jesus, but, resides in us as well. The I Am is
the Spirit of God that lead us, regardless of race or religion. Jesus was showing us that the I AM, in all
of us, is the way, the truth and the life.
As
for your apparent shortness of breath, if we believe that at a certain age the
body begins to deteriorate, the cell structures will respond to this error
thinking, accordingly. When we begin believing this faulty thinking, we can easily
become tired, achy, and can experience symptoms like shortness of breath. One
can never be healthy if there is a constant worry, fear or doubt surrounding aging
and health. We can change this process through right mental attitude and being
open to the Spirit of Truth within who constantly heals and renews. Additionally,
the body also needs proper exercise, rest, and food. Food habits have an enormous
impact on our bodies and our health. If you keep a right mental attitude, exercise
and eat proper foods, the body will aid you in remaining healthy and whole.
Blessing,
Myrtle
[i] Albert
C. Outler, ed., John Wesley (New York: Oxford University Press, 1964), viii-ix;
Maddox, Responsible Grace, 22-24 (for an initial claim); and Steve McCormick,
"Theosis in Chrysostom
Wow, Beth! I was blown away by your fantastic draft letter!
ReplyDeleteYour use and quote from John Wesley was perfect. One of the things I have felt in recent weeks is that the Methodists have gotten hit on hard in our class (and by me as much as by anyone else!). There was so much good in John Wesley and his efforts to take the message out to groups in the fields and all up and down the United Kingdom-- as well as Georgia. Also, Wesley hit home on the need to have the the second baptism of fire with the Holy Spirit. I am not now, nor have I ever been, a Methodist. But we Unitics have some things to learn from Wesley-- and your quote shows that.
One small point, at first I found it strange to use a quote from Paul to back up a saying from Jesus. (Shouldn't it be the other way, I thought?-- i.e., Paul using Jesus' words to back up Paul's points?) But then I remembered that Paul's letter came first, and only after these letters did we get the written gospels. So what you did makes sense.
Again, a great draft!
Best,
Rick
Hi Beth. I liked that you used a quote from John Wesley to counter the Methodists who wouldn't allow nonbelievers into the "precincts of heaven." Although I have little knowledge of Methodist beliefs, Wesley's words do seem to say the opposite. I found myself focusing on his use of the word, "pre-sent." It seems to imply that deliverance from sin is the natural state all people are born into, that sin is (as Myrtle might say) an illusion that can be corrected simply by changing one's thinking. Nice letter! -Doug
ReplyDeleteBeth - I enjoyed the ending of your letter more than the beginning. Although the information was well-presented and very informative and applicable, it didn't contain the "Myrtle-feel". Of course, that is a very limited perception, based upon my limited understanding of Myrtle.
ReplyDeleteThe part that feels like Myrtle to me is the ending, with words like, " the cell structures will respond to this error thinking". Yet maybe......you were more successful than I in creating a letter that Myrtle would approve (which was the assignment, after all), versus one that sounded like her. HA! Thanks, Beth.
Beth, you address Mrs. Kendrick's ailment in a practical manner. Your guidelines for a healthy body i.e exercise, proper nutrition, etc. are certainly appropriate, however I wonder how much exercise women got in the 1920s. Your statement that "we can change this process through right mental attitude and being open to the Spirit of Truth within who constantly heals and renews" is certainly a statement we could have heard from Mrs. Fillmore. Good letter.
ReplyDeleteBeth,
ReplyDeleteI felt that the letter lacked the Myrtle feel in some regards and on the other hand I liked it. We can't know for sure what Myrtle would have said and because they had similar backgrounds Myrtle may very well have wanted to connect with Mrs. Kendrick in a way that she knew would reach her. The letter was very straight forward and it spoke of a Truth that both of them had shared as Methodists, John Wesley and the Bible. Thanks for the lovely post.