A jealous God

With a more nuanced approach to these texts we find common threads. For example, the escape from Egypt is an escape from death/bondage to life/freedom just as the resurrection of Jesus is about God bringing life out of death.

There are a lot of stories in the Hebrew Bible that plot a path from death to life, the return of children long lost, the opening of the barren womb to produce a new generation. Ruth gives birth to a son under doubtful circumstances to continue the line of Naomi's dead sons. The virgin birth of Jesus fits into a similar scenario; a pregnant woman who had not had relations with her betrothed and is thus under suspicion gives birth to the saviour of the world. These are all, in their way, resurrection stories.

This means that the Church can proclaim that it worships "whoever raised Jesus from the dead" and not be misunderstood as being out of touch with the prevailing naturalist view of the world. We can live as moderns and also live under the tutelage of these ancient stories. There is really no difficulty between science and religion.

The offence that Scripture brings to us is, after all, not that against modern science, but about our loyalties. For example, in John's gospel we find Jesus saying to his disciples: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

This produces howls of protest and accusations of arrogance because among the "great world religions" we only recognize our own God. This surely is proof of bigotry and intolerance! How can we possibly have interfaith dialogue when Christians have this attitude?

We can have this attitude because our God has a name. Our relationship to Him is personal even though He is no kind of person. The God of the Hebrew Bible answers to the same name used in the New Testament: Lord. He is jealous of us. He will not have us going after false gods, even the bright and shiny gods of modernity hiding under name, like "the economy", "self-fulfillment, life-style and empty peace and freedom.

He is jealous for our own sake because these gods bring only death, real physical death from overdose and recklessness and the death of the soul. This is why we take the jealousy of God seriously, so that we might live.

The gates of membership of the Christian community can be entered by anyone, even the unknowing infant. But membership of that community means that we look only to our God for salvation and to no other. All other gods are to be regarded as dead and their worship leading to death.