But if our gospel be hidden, it is hidden to them that are lost. 2 Corinthians 4:3
Is the gospel of Christ hidden? I suggest that it is. At least two layers of obfuscation obscure its truths from the common view – one overt and one subtle.
The overt obstruction is self-evident and basically clear-cut. It consists of all availing counterclaims – as of atheism and agnosticism, of other religious and philosophical systems – in short, of the vast range of competing ideas in the cultural domain. Two further problems may here be subsumed. The first is simply the confusion and distraction of too many contending voices. The second is misrepresentation of the gospel, whether unintentional or deliberate, resulting in its widespread misapprehension. Here one might reflect on the common notion that – whatever it is, this gospel of Christ – it is essentially understood, regardless whether a scholarly or folkloric understanding of the Bible is being referenced. I mean, legion are the quasi intellectuals who imagine that a science or humanities education qualifies the incumbent to render a verdict. Perhaps even more numerous are the men and women who believe they have heard it all.
This brings us to the second, and more subtle, obscuration of the gospel of Christ – the church. Yes, indeed – the church, in all its historic and cultural manifestations, is not only a more subtle, but far and away more pervasive, source of relevant misunderstanding. Christianity is not to be equated with Christendom, this is to say, nor Christ with the church. Yet legion are the confessed Christians which fail to understand this – not to mention their critics, who take their creeds and confessions as representative of the faith. And – seriously – if confessed Christians misrepresent the gospel, what chance have critics and contenders in the atheist camp who view the subject through foggy binoculars? What did Terry Eagleton say of these Christians? They got the Ditchkins (the Hitchens and Dawkins) they deserve.
What, moreover, can we say to all this, except that the whole thing is a muddle?
To the Bible then, our source of clarity and illumination. St Paul, in leading up to our quoted verse, speaks of the veil wherein all spiritual truth is veiled. That veil was upon the face of Moses, and later upon the hearts – upon the understanding – of his spiritual heirs. In other words, the spiritual tradition is itself the veil, where today it is the traditions of Christendom which hide the truth. What does the scripture further say concerning Jerusalem, which in Bible symbolism represents the church? Revelation 11:8 ... the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt.
That’s shocking, but that is the Word of God. It kinda puts a different complexion on things.