The inspired middle that you and Tillich advocate, Nick, is so elusive now that it is almost unbelievable--what some would call "pipe dreams" or "pie in the sky."

Even so, I commend you for daring to venture into that "not yet."

I will risk taking sides by briefly sharing my perspective as a Christian.

The life that Jesus Christ lived, and the message of peace, love, forgiveness and salvation--does not actually resemble the lifestyle of your typical "evangelical" who is generally considered these days to be Republican, conservative and reasonable comfortable in their living arrangements. But these people are willing to be bold advocates for Jesus.

On the other hand, the lifestyle of many secular or denominational good people is typically characterized by tolerance, non-judgemental acceptance of questionable behavior, respect for diversity, vision and action to provide for the poor and the stranger among us. These "bleeding hearts" are often called "liberal" by the conservatives, which is a misnomer because that nomen also represents the original Adam Smith self-sufficient, enterprising person who could find a path toward affluence in the capitalizing 18th or 19th-century, apart from dependence on the old feudal, monarchal society.

So contemporary "liberals" may be more aptly identified by the term "progressive", which, I think, they chose for themselves.

Anyway, in some ways these do-gooders resemble that Jesus character so hightly exalted by their evangelical opponents.

All this to say . . . from my perspective as a Christian, we are all secretly striving to be like the one who has been for so long hightly regarded by most everybody (except nazis) as the one who most closely resembles "the Divine", the "Higher Power" . . . the Author of DNA (haha--my way of deifying Him).

And really, what we are all awaiting, probably Tillich as well, is that manifestation of the Perfect that we've somehow been unable to cast out of our thoughts, our hopes, our dreams.

But He has not returned.

Not yet.