Christian polytheism - from William Wildblood

William Wildblood's latest post analyses and expresses well something I have felt for as long as I have been a Christian. 

Edited excerpt:

Paganism died out for a reason. It was superseded by the advent of Christ who really did make all things new. 

And yet some things were lost in the process, in particular a real connection to creation and a contact with the inner workings of nature as well as a proper relationship with the spirit of place. 

This is why the contemporary Christian needs to re-engage with paganism and even add a pagan element to his Christianity. This element should be seen in the light of Christ, in other words it must be baptised, but it provides a form of spiritual nourishment that Christianity lost as it lost touch with nature, with the earth and the land. 

This is what I mean by Christian polytheism. Such a polytheism does not mean believing in many gods rather than one God. It means that under God there are many what we can justifiably call gods who carry out his work in creation. 

This is not too great a leap from where Christians already are, characterising them as angels, but angels are often regarded as somewhat abstract or, worse, sentimentalised. By seeing them as gods our minds can enter more deeply into the spiritual universe and the inside of creation. 

You could call them the inner energies of creation though with the understanding that behind these energies are beings not mere impersonal forces.

This could be envisaged as a way of understanding the two concepts included in the term "Romantic Christianity" - with "paganism" doing the work of "romantic". 

My understanding of Christianity being essentially about choosing to accept Jesus's offer of post-mortal resurrected eternal life in Heaven; is of course easily compatible with many aspects of paganism. 

I assume this is why it was so easy and straightforward for pagans to become Christian - they regarded Christianity as an addition, a bonus: paganism-plus. 

The main (and only essential) difference between what they already had from paganism, and what they would get with conversion to Christianity; was that Christianity offered the possibility of a Happy Ending beyond death.