Christianity and the Outsider
A Lawyer Looks at Justice and Justification
Imprint: Resource Publications
What does Christianity have to say about the salvation of the African tribesman who died before the missionaries arrived, and the "great sorrow" of the Messianic Jew who grieves for family and friends who did not or will not acknowledge his Jesus as their Messiah? C. S. Lewis said these outsiders represent the "scandal of exclusivity." Jim Geiger is a Christian insider and fully committed to the exclusivity of Christ's atonement. However, he is suggesting an expanded Christology where:
- The constant speed of light in E = mc2 corroborates the constant Christ of Heb 13:8.
- Special and general relativity model special and general revelation.
- The Christ of general revelation represents the hope of salvation for some of Christianity's outsiders.
James W. Geiger graduated from Stetson University and Stetson Law School and later studied at Knox Seminary. He served as an FBI Agent and Prosecuting Attorney, practiced law, and has taught law, Bible, and Great Books. He is the author of The Gospel According to Relativity: Constant Value in a Changing World (2005).
"In a world where the outsider is our neighbor, Christians should be asking, 'How is God present outside the church?' Geiger's provocative thesis, rooted christologically, moves the agenda forward, breaking new ground in the process."
--Robert K. Johnston, Fuller Theological Seminary
"A captivating book from cover to cover. As a Christian and a scientist, I have often been perplexed by the apparent conflict of the church's exclusivity, of 'insiders' versus 'outsiders.' Geiger suggests a modernized resolution with his expanded Christology, using both science and Scripture to reconcile this issue. If you are among those who struggle with this problem, then this book is for you."
--Terry Mitchell, retired NASA scientist
"Deftly navigating between the binaries of liberal and conservative theology, Geiger proposes a fascinating new approach to the topics of salvation and revelation. This embrace of God's complex work in both general and special revelation points to a third way between alienating exclusivism and naive universalism, centered on Christ as the constant and using God's holistic revelation as a guide. Geiger makes a very convincing case worthy of wide discussion."
--Patrick Oden, Fuller Theological Seminary
"[This is] a lay theologian's case to affirm evangelical basics within a conceptual model drawn from relativity theory. Geiger's work may be a light in the darkness of unbelief for many, especially in his compelling depiction of the 'constant' Christ. Creative, clear, fresh, and challenging."
--Donald Musser, Stetson University