Church of Jesus Without Jesus

Quick, observe these daft divines before they fade away five minutes from now:

That triumphal barnburner of an Easter hymn, Jesus Christ Has Risen Today – Hallelujah, this morning will rock the walls of Toronto's West Hill United Church as it will in most Christian churches across the country.

But at West Hill on the faith's holiest day, it will be done with a huge difference. The words “Jesus Christ” will be excised from what the congregation sings and replaced with “Glorious hope.”

Thus, it will be hope that is declared to be resurrected – an expression of renewal of optimism and the human spirit – but not Jesus, contrary to Christianity's central tenet about the return to life on Easter morning of the crucified divine son of God.

Generally speaking, no divine anybody makes an appearance in West Hill's Sunday service liturgy.

There is no authoritative Big-Godism, as Rev. Gretta Vosper, West Hill's minister for the past 10 years, puts it. No petitionary prayers (“Dear God, step into the world and do good things about global warming and the poor”). No miracles-performing magic Jesus given birth by a virgin and coming back to life. No references to salvation, Christianity's teaching of the final victory over death through belief in Jesus's death as an atonement for sin and the omnipotent love of God. For that matter, no omnipotent God, or god.

Ms. Vosper has written a book, published this week – With or Without God: Why the Way We Live is More Important than What We Believe – in which she argues that the Christian church, in the form in which it exists today, has outlived its viability and either it sheds its no-longer credible myths, doctrines and dogmas, or it's toast.

How on earth do people persuade themselves of such patent nonsense? The only Christianity truly failing in the world today is the kind of rationalist Christianity favored by liberal Western Christians, whose churches are dying. In fact, Pentecostalism, which is explicitly anti-rational is sweeping the world. No need to feel threatened by the Rev. Gretta and her Spong-y gang. There is no there there. She's just playing church. This is a curiosity, a freakshow ("Come one, come all, see the church where they don't believe in God!") They can't even say what they believe, because that might exclude somebody.

Honestly, what on earth is the point? Wouldn't you rather go to brunch, or stay at home watching Russert? This squirrelly bunch is like an encounter group, or an episode of Dr. Phil, without the rigor. Check in on her and her congregation in 10 years. If there is one.

Her church's slogan is "A Warm Place to Find Yourself." Get that -- yourself, not God. At least they believe in one principle: truth in advertising.

Yeah, I'm judgmental. Suck a lemon.

(Via Shea, who marvels at the knack liberal Protestantism has for making the Gospel "unutterably dull.")

UPDATE: Jesse Cone, a fellow Orthodox convert and friend from my parish, begs to differ with my judgment that the Church of Jesus Without Jesus is not a serious threat. Excerpt:

I would agree with him if West Hill United “Church” was an isolated event. Sadly it is not. Protestantism evolves with every generation, and it has already begun to morph into more subtle forms of this monstrosity. This in turn has left thoughtful Protestants with a choice - and it was this pushed me towards Orthodoxy - do I succumb to “popular monotheism” or find a tradition that is stable? Is it about community or Christ? How did these two options become so distanced?