In making this point, I have in mind Kierkegaard’s disquiet over the institutional reification of Jesus, who is known only as a Christian symbol or is objectified in the truth claims of a particular faith tradition or biblical writing. The whole truth of the living Jesus is learned more immediately through his Spirit in our lives. Thus, we make a mistake by supposing that we can only come to know the truth of Jesus by remembering what he once said and did according to the Scriptures. The long and
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