Tags
Related Posts
Share This
Christianity – The Log In My Eye?
While sitting in an airport, I had an interesting experience listening to a group of pastors returning from a retreat and discussing who is and who isn’t a Christian. They were quite open and vocal in their exchange, with little concern for who was listening. The typical suspects were dragged up in the conversation with the usual disapproval and even disgust, “How can a Catholic or a Mormon be saved? And, what about those churches who ordain women and gays, what is the faith coming to? What can be done?” As the pastors entered the plane the conversation continued along those lines and I found myself slinking further and further behind the group of pastors trying to distance myself from the conversation because of the sadness coming up in me about my own faith. I thought I had finally succeeded in avoiding my pain, until I sat down and discovered that the three pastors were on both sides of me in the same isle, still talking. While I listened to the conversation gain momentum I began to wonder:
What is really being said here? It seems that Instead of trusting the process Jesus has people in and allowing for that process to transform individuals into a new spiritual identity organically emerging from community, the organized Church requires identification with a historical and theological Jesus, relating a Cartesian perspective of Christ as “The Faith.” As one of the pastors talked of Orthodox Christianity and its requirements, I was taken by his tone; I wondered, is Christianity an ideology for scaling Christ into form to be marketed?
The irony of this situation struck me because I had brought a book entitled Infidel I was intending to finish on the flight. Infidel is the life memoir of a Muslim woman by the name of Ayaan Hirsi Ali and it chronicles her life journey of coming out of the oppressive radical Islamic community and becoming a champion of free speech and her mission to fight injustice done in the name of religion.
As the pastors continued a conversation with a woman sitting next to one of them the similarities between Ali’s Islam and my Christianity caused me to wonder if I was in love with Jesus or the dogma that was devised by men and given his name? While I love the scripture, for me it isn’t the whole of the faith and obviously open to a broad range of interpretation. Which of the 20,000 denominations in the U.S. has it right? Yeah, I know the “inerrant word of God.” It is amazing how often this gets thrown in my face when investigating particular interpretations of what the book says! Like I said, similarities between Christianity and Islam. To become a “Christian” one is pressured to walk the aisle or raise their hand, and join the group. They must assent to the veracity of the historical and theological Jesus, go to catechism, agree with the creed, and sign the “statement of faith.” When they have assented they are officially admitted into the cult of that particular denomination. While this is tame compared to the Radical Muslim requisites of praying 5 times a day, female mutilation, segregation of sexes and requirements of burkha, etc., the fact was each shared the same logic when it came to marketing their message – if you want to live forever in heaven then “convert” by assenting to the dogma or go to hell!” How many times had I divided my world into believers and non-believers and predicated relationship on ideology? How many times had I missed Jesus because he didn’t come to me in the “right” way?
In Christianity, once one has assented to the historical dogma and is officially a “member” then one must consent to serve on a committee that promotes what the church is “doing,” lead a small group, teach a Sunday school class or some activity that fits the “Church Vision.” Tough luck if your gifts don’t fit. The business of the church is providing services and activities and seldom focus on authentic relationship with the living Lord Jesus through loving the one nearest you. Membership in my life experience is generally a social association or alliance with Jesus. In the book Infidel Ali speaks of the promise of going to heaven for those who are faithful Muslims demonstrated through maintaining one’s honor in their community by not associating with the Infidel or even subjugating them, along with a long list of dogmatic practices, rather than loving Allah and his people. Faith in either case is the fulfillment of dogmatic practices as loving God and His people. She poignantly describes a despair I have experienced in my communal life as a Christian.
In my world of Christianity, one’s casual “personal relationship” with Jesus is assumed once one has the “wet passport” of a baptismal certificate, assurance that they have received a deposit of “life eternal” which will serve as an “admittance to heaven” for future union and intimacy with God. From that point on the new members are a Methodist, a Presbyterian, an Episcopalian, a Baptist, or further commoditizes people as Calvinist or Arminian, a fundamentalist or a charismatic, a dispensationalist or a covenantalist, a liberal or a conservative, mainline, non-denominational or emergent. There is little to no sense of an authentic relationship with the living Lord, only a sense of identifying with an ideological conception, cause, mission or an institutional entity. I began to wonder how much of my faith has been no different than the romantic sensations one experiences when overcome by a sentimental movie?
As we disembarked the plane, I had not read a page of the Ali’s book, but since then I have been pondering the flattering view I often take of myself as a “Christian!” I cannot stop thinking how much I can be like the Pharisee who upon seeing the Publican in the synagogue praying says to himself, “thank you Lord that I am not a sinner like him!” All the while missing the opportunity to love the way I would want to be loved.
Remarkable observations Dan. Your comments at the end in particular were refreshing, convicting and hopeful. Your blog is a gift and an invitation to wonder together.
Your post Dan helps me to recall that Christianity was birthed out of the Hebrew experience and not out of a Greek or Latin experience. It also leads me to wonder if the way a Hebrew mind, like the one in say Saul of Tarsus, relating to God’s revelation and work in the world, would have produced a conversation like the one you overheard the pastors having?
I think not, they would have been focused on the new reality they lived in. God’s Spirit helped them to realize that the general resurrection they thought would come at the end of history, had begun unexpectedly in the middle of history, with one man Jesus, the new Adam, the new man.
And so the new creation had been launched and everyone lived in it. Everyone now lives in it. For them, as it is with us in modern day, now is the time to live like its God’s new world. Stop comparing and start to work at becoming fluent in the new language of love. Sooner or later, it will be the only language spoken. Faced with this “Revelation”, many will rejoice, and as perplexing as it may seem, scripture tells us that some will actually resist. But the reality remains the same. God loves the whole world.
I remember an uncle grabbing me by the shirt from his death bed and blurting “What is True”. Not what is the Truth but “What is TRUE”. In hindsight when I have searched for “truth” (really just evidence to build my case for or against action)I notice that when i finally chose to land on some “truth” it usually started with an experience of being set free. It gradually would turn into a burden or element of arrogance I would use to seperate myself from those that “just don’t get it yet”. I think of Proverbs that says “with knowledge sorrow increases” because i then start finding that the “truth” that initially provided -Freedom, Community, Belonging etc had now become the challenge that i kept falling short of – in my capacity to do the right thing. So once again i would try harder or ultimately fail.
This truth was nebulous, removed and something i had to live up to, vs an alternative i have been exploring. If Christ was not only the “Truth” but was True – meaning that he “was” what he said, then “being true was and is His power” and had greater impact than talking about a “truth” philosophy or orthodoxy or correct dogma. Does the church proclaim the “Truth” and therefore removes Christ from our midst to some abject philosophy of behavior or is the church designed to be “True”. I have had a hard time finding definitions for being “True” that are not seemingly cliche – integrous, congruent etc. But perhaps our call to be true is not only something we explore so we can define and therefore have a handle on the “truth” about “it”, perhaps it is a call to being and action of loving and discovering, of recognizing. I love this discovery road.
Thank you Hendre for such a powerful insight!! A thought I had on “being true” is the distinction living “as” my word. So, I not only “do” as I say, “be” as I say, but when I miss the mark of my word by either not performing as promised or being inauthentic, I use my original word to recognize I have missed my mark with somebody and recover the relationship by standing responsible for missing the mark of my word. I can then ask for forgiveness and open the opportunity to reconcile the relationship.
Hi guys…
I have to say that I am grateful to have been lead to the church where I got saved, LBCF. I experienced Jesus’ love through these people and was delivered from alcoholism, drug addiction and lesbianism. I am grateful for the simple love that held my hand through all this. Now, 5 years later…I am reminded constantly to keep it simple and stick to the basics, read the good word so I can sift out the BS!! LOL
We’re all familiar with John 21 and the famous miraculous catch of fish. We’ve oohed and aahed over that point, as if that was one of the main points to ponder – mighty Jesus doing his supernatural thing, even after the resurrection. I love it!
Well, I used to think that was one of the main points to ponder, then I caught a glimpse of the rest of the story:
11Simon Peter climbed aboard and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. 12Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish.
The man alive from the dead serving up breakfast on the beach. Now, that is my kind of theology, and I am free to check in with people what it would be like for them to be served breakfast on the beach by a man alive from the dead. It makes for some interesting conversations, much more so than a boat load of fish and the “Peter do you love me” bit.
I’m not knocking the boat load of fish and the “Peter do you love me” parts; it’s just that they have been chiseled into systematic theology and are part of Standard Operating Procedure. Consequently they have zero impact in our culture.
Try out a man alive from the dead, who also happens to be God, serving up breakfast on the beach to a bunch of ungratefuls. Now that is a truing moment.
Dan, if that was the nature of the conversation between those pastors, what do you think their posture would have been, and what would have been the condition of your spirit as you eavesdropped in?
I am curious how the pastors would respond when asked about their opinion of how literal Matthew 7:1 could be read. It is quite clear – don’t judge. I don’t believe it sets any standards for opinions we may have, but I believe that judgment presupposes the assumption that we actually have the power to enact a punishment – that is arrogant. The world gets it, too and can discern whether we are actually giving an honest opinion about something vs. having the attitude that the person we have judgments about should either not receive something or have something else taken away because of their belief or behavior. In that context, Matthew 7:6 appears more to me as an invitation to leave what is holy – God’s judgment – to God and not to be suprised when what we think we hold as priceless – the Gospel and God’s judgment is thrown back in our faces when we, as believers, take into our own hands what is God’s and God’s alone.
Wow, Becky
What a great belief system you have, and I quote you:
“but I believe that judgment presupposes the assumption that we actually have the power to enact a punishment – that is arrogant. The world gets it, too and can discern whether we are actually giving an honest opinion about something vs. having the attitude that the person we have judgments about should either not receive something or have something else taken away because of their belief or behavior.”
That sure packs a whollop!!!
Thank you so much for your insight and come-from. I have never heard it put like that before.
It gives me even more of a heads-up why I MUST stay off my judgements.
Hanto,
I would say that the good pastors actually intended me and many of the others sitting around them to hear them. They were unrestrained in their conversation and opinions. Two of them talked on either side of me (I was in an isle seat and had one directly to my left and one in an isle seat to my right) and they literally talked across my lap as well as across the isle. I found myself initially judging them for a short period, but honestly, it immediately struck me that these were my thoughts in so many different conversations I have had in the past. I found myself wandering into those past situations and asking God for forgiveness. My heart was convicted by my own arrogance, pride and hubris. Thanks for asking.
Very Nice! Thanks!
Victor
What’s “Very Nice”?
Nice! Thanks!
Nice Site! Thanks!