For ever and a day and world-wide too, there have always been some in every generation that has always thought and pretended that they are involved in some new authentic revival of “real” religion beyond the conventions of the accepted beliefs of their times.

I grew up in the 6o’s when Billy Graham was the leading player in this never-ending revivalist drama. Pure PT Barnum, there are thousands of suckers born every minute, snake-oil.

By contrast what would happen if a Real Divine Emergence has been happening, beginning on November 3rd 1939 when this Infinitely Radiant Being was born?

http://www.kneeoflistening.com

And yet hardly anybody, least of all the usual entirely self-possessed righteous religionists, has noticed or responded to this extraordinary more than Wonderful Radiant Miracle. Even when introduced to it.

http://www.dabase.org/Divhscrt.htm

http://www.dabase.org/tfrbklih.htm

http://www.dabase.org/divemerg.htm

Plus his RADICAL (meaning going to the root) critique of what is usually called religion.

http://www.adidam.org/teaching/aletheon/truth-religion.aspx

http://www.dabase.org/dualsens.htm

I wonder if the answer here is (maddeningly) “yes.” I think what Pete’s getting at is that using the Bible as your foundations is a fairly neutral thing in and of itself; it is what kind of foundation you build that matters, and that’s where the use of scripture to imagine God in different ways comes into play.

Also, I can’t get over how unfortunate the cover for the UK edition of Orthodox Heretic is. The US version is a classy bit of book.