Virtually Christian: How Christ Changes Human Meaning and Makes Creation New

How is it possible to change the conversation in Christianity? So it is no longer locked in tired old grids, yet still remains radically faithful to its origins? The ground-breaking thought of René Girard makes this dream a reality, allowing us to interpret the biblical text in a vital and fresh mode of anthropological revelation. Virtually Christian mines that vein deeply and consistently, unpacking evidence of ongoing cultural transformation of what it means to be human in and through Christ. Instead of the goal of a heavenly otherworld and its abstract God, there is a God at work in the human story, laboring to bring it to completion. The identity and mission of Jesus become fully understandable against this background, and the consequences for teaching and practice are enormous. In particular the shape and life of the church begin to look dramatically and invitingly different. This book provides a vital contemporary reading of both classical Christian thought and emerging 21st century Christianity.