Bulging Camel Cheeks

I was in a conversation the other day when the topic of camels came up [not a usual topic for me and certainly not one about which I feel well informed, but interesting nonetheless]. I mentioned that I was somewhat leery of camels because they spit, whereupon I was informed that one can foretell this happening by closer observation [frankly it seems much more prudent to my way of thinking to stand at some distance from a camel].

I researched this matter on the HatchReport.com. Actually, camels don’t really spit at all – what a camel does is entirely different. Instead of emitting saliva, camels will emit some of the partially digested contents of one of the chambers of their fore-stomachs. Similar to cows, camels are ruminants. When they get mad they will burp up some of their cud (the semi-digested contents of their fore-stomach). Once this is in their mouth they flap their heads, the cud slides out of their mouth onto their limp, droopy lips which then fling the cud into the air. In this way they can completely cover the upper half of a human [not good news for one who has approached for closer observation]. The color of their "spit" is tied to their recent dietary intake. If the animal has been eating grass or alfalfa it will be greenish [this is interesting, don’t you think?].

So, rather than spitting, they bring up the contents of their stomachs, along with saliva, and project it out. The good news is that camels do not “spit” frequently, only when provoked and then as a means to surprise, distract or bother whatever the camel feels is threatening it. Beware, therefore, bulging camel cheeks.

St. Paul wrote to his friends in Corinth and said that, “the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” [1COR 1.18]. The proclamation of Jesus crucified as the way of salvation has always been a stumbling block and especially so to those who would rather believe they can, by some means, pull themselves up by their own bootstraps. The resurrection of Jesus is often dismissed as some naive [by 21st century standards] first century attempt to speak about the relevance of Jesus. The exclusive claims of Jesus are understood as scandalous – how else could they be received in a world steeped in post-modernistic relativism? And for Jesus to have uttered, let alone commanded, anything like what we have in the Great Commission [MT 28.18-20] is patently absurd; it must surely be the construction of the early church [and even then an embarrassment to any open minded, modern day, well educated, pluralist who knows that because all faiths are really one there can be no room for proselytizing].

The Christian faith – faith in Jesus – is scandalous! It is most definitely exclusive in accepting and therefore placing Jesus alone as the way, the truth and the life. It is ludicrous to make the argument that He is only the way for those who call themselves Christian. As an attempt to bridge [the very real] differences between Christianity and other faiths, such argument flies in the face of the totality of scripture, reason and tradition. It is, quite simply, an abrogation of the Gospel and of everything that is meant by the Gospel. It is the result of poor theological method, limited thinking and an inadequate grasp of the nature of special revelation. It is intellectually dishonest and it lacks integrity if the one presenting the argument purports to represent the Christian community. When presented by such semi-digested theological reflection, beware the bulging cheeks of the one provoked and threatened by the majesty and awe of Jesus and His claims. Best stand clear and at some distance.

Jesus commanded His disciples [that is you and me also] to go and make disciples – the logical response to the effective proclamation of the Gospel that is centered in the work of the God revealed in the person of Jesus through the operation of the Holy Spirit. These disciples are then to be baptized in the [note this] singular name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit – that is to say, into the fullness of the character and life and truth of the one true and living God. And these disciples are also to be taught [might I suggest without apology] everything that Jesus said and to do everything that Jesus did – He, and He alone is to be their focus of teaching and activity, ministry and service: for Jesus, and Jesus alone is the salvation of the world. And the Church which proclaims the Gospel of Jesus in clear, unambiguous terms is the real and only vehicle of hope for a world lost in its own self-indulgence, willful rebellion and fanciful attempts to regain some sense of equilibrium through its own best efforts