A few days ago I ordered Samir Selmanovic’s new book, “It’s Really All About God: Reflections of a Muslim Atheist Jewish Christian” for an independent study on Swiss theologian Karl Barth and German theologian Fredrick Schleiermacher.
I am interested in this book for 2 reason: 1) Selmanovic has been a minor leader within the Emerging Church movement, serving on the Coordinating Group for Emergent Village, and seems to be becoming a stronger voice; and 2) from what I read in the prologue on-line, the book is a radical religious inclusivism and pluralism that is quite confusing given that Selmanovic claims to be a Christian and a pastor.
For instance, he invited a Korean-American witch to pray over a group of pastors at an annual gathering of a national network of professional clergy and church leaders. He writes, “How could I ask a witch to pray over a group of pastors? She could neither defend nor advocate for our religion—she was an outsider. But the experience of being a part of Soo’s life had opened a crack in the wall that separates ‘us’ (those on the inside) from ‘them’ (those on the outside). Then a thought broke through, a possibility that I found both burdensome and exhilarating. What if God is on the outside too? Does God have to be absent out there in order to be present in here?”
She agreed to pray, insisting on praying to God as Mother, but later landing on God as Holy Spirit. After she prayed he continued with these thoughts, “After the crowd dispersed, I sat on a pew in the empty sanctuary to jot down these words in my notebook: ‘We are scared of finding our God in the other. Why do we fear something so wonderful?’”
At this point, even before I receive and read the book, I have this question: Why does this Christian pastor believe the One true God as revealed in Jesus Christ is found in a woman who is a self-proclaimed witch and rejector of Christ? Perhaps more importantly, why does this Christian pastor believe the One true God as revealed in Jesus Christ is found “in the other,” which is really code for other religions? Selmanovic wrote a similarly themed essay in An Emergent Manifesto of Hope , which I responded to in a post on the inclusivism of the emerging church.
As I said, I ordered this book for a paper I am writing on Barth and Schleiermacher. From what I have read so far, Samir echo’s the later with his statement, “It’s really all about God,” which is perfectly general and as vague as Schleiermacher’s World Spirit.
In response to Selmanovic, I am convinced Barth would wag his finger and adamantly declare, “It is NOT really all about God. It’s really all about Jesus.” For the One true God, as Creator, Savior, and Reconciler, has come to earth in Jesus Christ. Knowing God does not happen apart of knowing Jesus.
