Rev. Dr. Joseph McLelland’s articles published under the title Theology 101 became an ongoing area of discussion with a group of friends who met informally to explore some of the issues raised in them.
We have enjoyed the series and found several points of interest that we felt increased our knowledge and broadened our understanding of our own faith.
In the December 2008 issue, the idea that, as believers we are followers of “The Way” caught our interest immediately. Religion ought to be a way of living in relationship with God and each other, not a set of rules or doctrines that dictate our relationship with God and each other.
In the March 2009 issue, McLelland placed God in the centre with all religions, including Christianity, moving around Him with their own varieties of faith and truth, and this vision resonated with all of us.
The July/August 2009 issue gave us a new way to look at the term Christian (or Muslim, Buddhist, Jewish, Hindu) as an adjective rather than a noun. “When I am obeying God’s will, I am doing something Muslim, when I love my neighbour, I am Jewish, when I lose myself in contemplation, I am Hindu, when I strive against selfishness, I am Buddhist.” What a great way to find our common ground instead of always seeing our differences!
Finally, to those who are horrified that some of these things are questioned, we believe that questioning is a healthy state. How are we able to answer questions posed by our youth if we are not brave enough to question these things ourselves?
We are grateful to Dr. McLelland for his insight and we appreciate the editor’s decision to publish this very thought-provoking series.
