A recent publication across my desk reminded me of an article I wrote in June 2006 in response to the suggestion that Christians are the Light in the Darkness. It appears that in yet another publication...
"The colonial [religio-arrogant] mentality of the Christian taking God to the barbarians still prevails. We may not say it, we definitely don’t write it, [although this time we have, in black and red] but underlying the motivation of our giving, and our going, is that belief that we are both the light and living in the light, and our duty is to save those in who live in darkness.
"How arrogant can we be? Is it not possible that God already exists in that which we label darkness? Is it not possible that God reveals Godself to all people, regardless of religion, ethnicity and colour? Could it be that 'everything was created through God; nothing - not one thing! - came into being without him. What came into existence was Life, and the Life was Light to live by. The Life-Light [God] blazed out of the darkness.’ (The Bible: John 1:3-4 The Message)
"Is it possible that we do not always recognise the fact that the Light shines on in the darkness because we are measuring the Light by our own predetermined set of rules and biases?
"Our responsibility is not to take God into that which we call darkness. God is already there, and the darkness has never, and can never, overpower the Light (John 1:5). Our role is to find the ways in which the Light is already being revealed by asking God to open our eyes and having helped us recognise the Creator’s continuing engagement, to become partners in God’s revelations. It will involve us putting aside our constrictive assumptions of God and rather than being lecturers, becoming listeners and learners as well as contributors.
