Australian priest says he did not deny Christ's divinity

November 10, 2008

The Australian priest whose controversial book added to the simmering tensions in a rebellious Brisbane parish has said that he does not deny the divinity of Christ. Father Peter Dresser expressed regret that he had "unwittingly scandalised so many people" with his work. "At the outset I want to reaffirm my belief in the Divinity of Jesus, the Virgin Birth and the Resurrection of Jesus," Father Dresser said in a letter to the CathNews service. He said that his book, , was meant to be "explorative theology" rather than a "credal statement."

In his book, God is Big. Real Big!, which was sold to parishioners at St. Mary's in South Brisbane, Father Dresser asserted that the idea of Christ's divinity "not only does violence to my own intelligence, but must be a sticking point for millions of people trying to make some kind of sense of the Christian religion." He stated simply: "No human being can ever be God, and Jesus was a human being. It is as simple as that."

 

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Further information:

• Dresser apologises over "unwitting scandal" (CathNews)
• Booklet sold at rebellious Brisbane parish denies Christ's divinity (CWN, Oct. 29)