Questions for the Pulpit

with your rector, Harold Munn
December 2009

What do we mean by “salvation” today?

There are a couple of sign-posts to notice in answering this question.

First, it always helps to get at the original meaning of a religious word by finding if it had a non-religious meaning. The non-religious meaning would be something like "rescue" as in "During the depression, tourism was their economic salvation." That kind of salvation implies an lucky rescue which couldn't have been predicted, and which made all the difference. The problem of applying that idea of the lucky rescue to God is that it doesn't ring as true for us as it once did. There certainly was a time when we could understand God as acting to intervene in the world to put things right, but in our age that responsibility seems to have fallen to humanity. Nobody today really expects that God will reach down into human history to make things better when there is a serious problem such as a pandemic or an economic collapse. So we have to think about "salvation" differently. This is probably why you asked the question about what 'salvation' means now.

There is a second non-religious meaning of the word. "Salvation" may be connected with the word "salve", meaning "ointment". Ointments are supposed to relieve pain and increase healing. So, this would suggest that salvation is something that decreases pain and increases healing.

So, when wondering about salvation, we have to start by asking what we need to be rescued from, and what pain relief and healing we need. We should ask that question at the personal level (it has to apply to me and you personally) and also in global perspective (if we expect Christianity to have any large-scale credibility).

As individuals, it's our deep sense of weakness and insecurity which drives us to ignore the needs of even those closest to us when our needs are so great. In those times generosity becomes impossible, and we hurt as much as the other does. Salvation would mean discovering such a solid centre in ourself that generosity would simply be natural. Wouldn't that be wonderful! And that is exactly what our baptism was intended to state - the courage and solidity of Christ is actually active in us. It's not our job to try harder to be like Christ (which always feels like failing). We don't have to try harder, because we already are like Christ. Our job is to allow that Christ-strength to become operational - and that's a far different thing than just trying harder. That's joyful, hopeful and very affirming. And that would feel like salvation from the ever-present anxiety about whether I am good enough. What an ointment on our souls that would be!

But Christianity has always claimed to have a cosmic, or planetary implication. So what does the world need rescuing from? Actually, much the same. At present the only global goal there seems to be is for each nation to get as rich as possible as fast as possible, and as resources get scarce to be even more determined to get rich before it's too late. But everyone knows that's a recipe for ultimate disaster. But nobody has an alternative.

Salvation would be to suggest an alternative goal for the planet. What if that goal were not owning more, but being really proud of ensuring everyone had enough to eat and enough to live in dignity? Not only would that feel good, it might be the only way we will all survive. But whenever that gets suggested, people treat it as impossibly unrealistic and hopeless. So we need salvation from discouragement. What would it look like to proclaim such salvation? It would mean that we would insist, against any resistance, that such a path is the only realistic one, and that's what humanity's purpose is. Wouldn't it feel liberating to say that over and over again in public? Wouldn't it be empowering to challenge the assumption that owning more and more is the only purpose of this planet? That would feel like salvation to us who proclaim it, and that would indeed be salvation for all who hear it, and it would be salvation for the the planet.

Both of these meanings need the other. If we just grow personally but the planet is lost, there's not much point. And if we work for a deeper purpose for humankind without growing into personal maturity we will find ourselves discouraged. But finding the path of death to immature goals, both personal and public, to be the path to fullness of life is salvation. And that is Christ's own path already begun in us.