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Good and Bad Use of Mystery

Christian doctrine—at its best—leads us into mystery and prayer.
But mystery isn’t a replacement for doctrine, or an excuse not to think theologically, or not provided arguments.

The doctrines of the Trinity (3 person : 1 God) & Christology (2 natures : 1 persons) are sophisticated articulations that keep us from saying both TOO MUCH and TOO LITTLE, and ultimately lead us to the mystery of prayer and praise.

The doctrine of the resurrection (this week’s topic) is a wonder of continuity and discontinuity with the this life and world and embodiment and the one to come.

And these specific claims (that all things will be made new,…that we will persist with some kind of body,…that heaven and earth will be united), ultimately lead to the mystery and miracle of how it will all come about.

But we SHOULD NOT say the resurrection is a mystery at the start as a way of hoping that different and conflicting views of resurrection will all just go away and need not be thought about.
That is a bad use of mystery.

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