I put out the following - not sure that I believe or endorse it, but because I want to consider it awhile; these thoughts and their implications for understanding, truthfulness, clarity, patience, trust - while remaining 'orthodox' but while also exploring possibilities, thoughts, implications, practices that are indeed orthodox, part of a larger Real.
Surely Christian maturity that allows for doubts on the way to the strengthening of faith, that calls us often to 'chew the meat but spit out the bones,' may also permit (perhaps even encourage) us to explore such implications as that of the following - without being (too) quick to judge, write off, call the theological police or consider all else but oneself a 'heretic.'
Clark Pinnock, Professor Emeritus at McMaster Divinity College, writing in 'Flame of Love: A Theology of the Holy Spirit,' says: "Though Jesus is not named in other faiths, Spirit is present and may be experienced. God can speak to people's hearts through the Spirit."
He quotes C. S. Lewis' thoughts in this regard, as shared in 'The Last Battle' (of the Narnia Chronicles. A pagan soldier named Emeth learns to his surprise that Aslan (the Christ figure of The Chronicles) regards his worship of Tash, as having been directed to him.
Emeth says: "I fell at his feet and thought, Surely this is the hour of death, for the Lion (who is worthy of all honour) will know that I have served Tash all my days and not him. Nevertheless, it is better to see the Lion and die than to be the Tisroc of the world and live and not to have seen him. But the Glorious One bent down his golden head and touched my forehead with his tongue and said, Son, thou art welcome. But I said, Alas, Lord, I am no son of Thine but the servant of Tash. He answered, Child, all the service thou hast done to Tash, I account as service done to me.
"Then by reason of my great desire for wisdom and understanding, I overcame my fear and questioned the Glorious One and said, Lord, is it then true, as the Ape said, that thou and Tash are one? The Lion growled so that the earth shook (but his wrath was not against me) and said, It is false. Not because he and I are one, but because we are opposities, I take to me the services which thou has done to him, for I and he are of such different kinds that no service which is vile can be done to me, and none which is not vile can be done to him. Therefore if any man swear by Tash and keep his oath for oath's sake, it is by me that he has truly sworn, though he know it not, and it is I who reward him. And if any man do a cruelty in my name, then though he say the name Aslan, it is Tash whom he serves and by Tash his deed is accepted. Doest thou understand, Child?
"I said, Lord, thou knowest how much I understand. But I said also (for the truth constrained me), Yet I have been seeking Tash all my days. Beloved, said the Glorious One, unless thy desire had been for me thou wouldn't not have sought so long and so truly. For all find what they truly seek."
'As is clear from this excerpt,' writes Pinnock, 'Lewis understood God to be at work in the religious life of humanity.'
