Letters to a Diminished Church by Dorothy Sayers
The Dogma is the Drama (Chapter 3)
15 & 16 – “It would not perhaps be altogether surprising if, in this nominally Christian country, where the Creeds are daily recited, there were a number of people who knew all about Christian doctrine and disliked it. It is more startling to discover how many people there are who heartily dislike and despise Christianity without having the faintest notion what it is.”
Sayers describes her play The Zeal of Thy House
“…involves a dramatic presentation of a few fundamental Christian dogmas–in particular, the application to human affairs of the doctrine of the Incarnation. That the Church believed Christ to be in any real sense God, or that the eternal word was supposed to be associated in any way with the word of creation; that Christ was held to be at the same time man in any real sense of the word; that the doctrine of the Trinity could be considered to have any relation to fact or any bearing on psychological truth; that the church considered pride to be sinful, or indeed took notice of any sin beyond the more disreputable sins of the flesh—all these things were looked upon as astonishing and revolutionary novelties, imported into the faith by the feverish imagination of a playwright. I protested in vain against this flattering tribute to my powers of invention, referring my inquirers to the creed, to the gospels, and to the offices of the Church; I insisted that if my play were dramatic it was so, not in spite of the dogma, but because of it—, in short, the dogma was the drama. The explanation was, however, not well received; it was felt that if there were anything attractive in Christian philosophy I must have put it there myself.”
Sayers’ in regard to us following Christ…
20 – “Perhaps we are not following Christ all the way or in quite the right sprit. We are likely, for example, to be a little sparing of the palms and hosannas. We are chary of wielding the scourge of small cords, lest we should offend somebody or interfere with trade. We do not furnish up our wits to disentangle knotty questions about Sunday observance and tribute money, nor hasten to sit at the feet of the doctors, both hearing them and asking them questions. We pass hastily over disquieting jests about making friends with the mammon of unrighteousness and alarming observations about bringing not peace but a sword; nor do we distinguish ourselves by the graciousness with which we sit at meat with publicans and sinners. Somehow or other, and with the best intentions, we have shown the world the typical Christian in the likeness of a crashing and rather ill-natured bore–and this in the name of one who assuredly never bored a soul in those thirty-three years during which we passed through the world like a flame. She continues “Let us, in heaven’s name, drag out the divine drama from under the dreadful accumulation of slipshod thinking and trashy sentiment heaped upon it, and set it on an open stage to startle the world into some sort of vigorous reaction. If the pious are the first to be shocked, so much worse for the pious–others will pass into the kingdom of heaven before them. If all men are offended because of Christ, let them be offended; but where is the sense of their being offended at something that is not Christ and is nothing like him? We do him singularly little honor by watering down his personality till it could not offend a fly. Surely it is not the business of the Church to adapt Christ to men, but to adapt men to Christ. It is the dogma that is the drama–not beautiful phrases, nor comforting sentiments, nor vague aspirations to lovingkindness and uplift, nor the promise of something nice after death–but the terrifying assertion that the same God who made the world, lived in the world and passed through the grave and gate of death. Show that to the heathen, and they may not believe it; but at least they may realize that here is something that a man might be glad to believe.”
Look at you how many of you in Corinth were wise according to worldly standards, strong, high and magnified, or more than mere nothingness? Very few. What does the wise think? How do the strong act? What do the high and magnified do? Paul encourages the Corinthians to consider God’s purpose in the cross of Christ. Humans are arrogant creatures, whether quiet or loud humans have a strong sense of I’m better than you and I did this own my own. God says, I easily make the wise foolish, the strong weak, and the high and magnified low and despised. Why? So I dare not enter the presence of God claiming to arrive via my own wisdom, power, or position. But why is it so important that I know this? Would I rather find out later that my current wisdom, power, or position did not suffice for the God of the universe? How unjust is it for a sovereign God to not declare my unworthiness and then later depart from me because I didn’t measure up. God conveys the message clearly; you are nothing. Thankfully God is an artist who can make something out of nothing. I am a nothing who only found something in Christ. Christ is wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. In Christ I am God’s wisdom, unparalleled by anybody. In Christ I am righteous, which is legit power. In Christ I am sanctified, which is a fantastic position. In Christ I am redeemed, what other position could I desire more? Dare I walk into the presence of God and boast, not by any means of my own! I may only boast in Christ.
It was not unusual for Corinth to have orators roaming the harbor streets answering philosophical questions with their announced wisdom. Voices echoed from their diaphragm exclaiming discerning thoughts and instruction for the ignorant and unlearned fellows.Orators found that good content and quality delivery resulted in at least a modest income. It seemed natural for the people of Corinth to cling to Christian orators like Paul, Apollos,and Cephas. But Paul delivers a stunning blow to their activity by explaining it’s not them it’s Christ. Paul declares for those who are perishing the cross is sheer folly.However, to those being saved the cross is the power of God. The cross seems unwise and less than ideal for a leader claiming to be the Savior of the world. One with discernment would find it quite challenging to explain the cross. How an event cursed by humanity would be used to display the power of God? How in the death of an individual can life be provided for others? How does submission and humiliation grant power and authority? What seemed hopeless was actually God using His power to bring salvation through Christ.
TRAILS From The HEART 