I am half through Samir Selmanovic’s new book, “It’s Really All About God: Reflections of a Muslim Atheist Jewish Christian” From what I have read so far 2 things are clear: 1) Jesus has been stripped of all his Messianic implications, because Selmanovic chooses to refer to him simply as “Jesus,” rather than Jesus Christ whom the Church has referred to him throughout 2 millennia, which leads to 2) Jesus is simply one prophet among three options in our sophisticated world.

It is also clear that the aim of Selmanovic is to argue for a leveling of the three Abrahamic faiths, which by default removes and exclusivity that Christ himself and the Story of Christ claims.

Selmanovic carries his initial thoughts on God’s Christian containment by arguing, “to say God has decided to visit all humanity through only one particular religion is a deeply unsatisfying assertion about God.” (9) In order to protect his argument in favor of religious pluralism, he claims that none of us are in charge of God, God refuses to be owned and to comply with our religious constructs. (16, 18) In fact, though “we Christians have insisted that our revelation is the only container and only dispenser of grace. The rest of the world has been steadily proving us wrong. Grace is independent.” (52) According to Selmanovic, the revelation that has come through the Holy Scriptures and Jesus Christ himself are not the only containers of God’s grace; grace is found outside the Christian Story. Ultimately, Selmanovic insists that the Christianity that claims exclusive possession of God’s revelation in the person of Jesus has hijacked that same God from the world.” (68) Instead, “God is everywhere…[He] is present and living in every person, every human community, and all creation.” (61, 63).

While I am all for missionally engaging with the other, even to the point of walking a day in their “moccasins,” I am deeply disturbed that a self-described Christian and director of a Christian community (see info in bio) would insist God is revealed outside of Jesus Christ and not exclusively in Him. Furthermore, to suggest that God’s grace is somehow found outside of the Story of Christ is offensive as a fellow Christian and pastor. I would expect a Muslim or Buddhist to say such a thing, and add that it is found only in their Spiritual Story, because all (most, Hinduism is an exception which immediately comes to mind) religions are exclusive by nature. Not a Christian or Christian community director.

While he uses the Christian religion as a rhetorical device to argue against “theo-containment,” the One God as described in the Holy Scriptures is exclusively revealed in the very human, very divine Jesus Christ. This is why I insist it really is NOT about God—as a general, abstract World Spirit (thanks’ Fredrick Schleiermacher). It’s really all about Jesus Christ.