When you're at the wrong end of a gun, things are simple.
There are many countries in which Christians are persecuted today. Imagine such a place, where a Christian is held at the point of a gun and an answer is demanded: "Are you a Christian? If you say you are, we'll kill you!". Now imagine that person responding with: "Well, it all depends on your stance concerning infant baptism - or the nature of the baptism of the Holy Spirit - or women in leadership"! Ridiculous! Yet these are issues that have divided churches...
Are you a Christian or aren't you?
So why does most of life seem more complicated? And why do so many such issues lead to division, shattering the unity among Christians that is commanded in the Bible?
Problem 1 - usurping God's role as Judge
The trouble is that we aren't content with having God answer the question of whether a person is a Christian, as that individual stands before Him. Instead, we are rather too determined to answer that question ourselves: if you don't meet my criteria for being a Christian, then I won't accept that you are!
We seem consumed by a need to be the judge, and so to usurp God's role.
What would happen if we left God to do his job? Maybe then we'd get on with our job, which is to love the Lord with all our heart and soul and mind, and to love our neighbours (whoever they are - Christian, Buddhist, Moslem, Pagan - it makes no difference) as ourselves (Matt 22 v36-39).
Problem 2 - confusing unity with uniformity
We too quickly turn to thinking: so which is the right group then? And having decided this - probably in our own favour - then the issue becomes: so how do we convince everyone else to agree with us and do the same as us? For then we'll have unity! And thence quickly to giving up, as these other annoying Christians don't seem to want to be 'converted' to our way of thinking!
No, the commanded unity is not about us all agreeing with one another.
Problem 3 - confusion over who we are fighting
Living in unity means understanding that we Christians face a common Enemy - and this is not another Christian denomination, not Islam, not a materialistic world - but the Devil.
Problem 4 - following Paul or Barnabas
We pride ourselves on following Wesley or Calvin or Luther or Wimber or ... or anyone really - rather than following Jesus. Paul dealt directly with this sin in 1 Cor 1 v 10-13.
Does this mean that we are to stop seeking the truth or stop being on our guard against heresy? By no means!
But we are very ready to take this to extremes. Either we fall into thinking that such differences are so minor as to be unimportant - 'we are all the same really' - and so end up with a wishy-washy, 'anything goes' Christianity and all are included. Or we may be drawn to the other extreme, where we are so clear and firm on the rightness of our understanding of Christian doctrine that all others have already been mentally assigned to hell. (So it seems that heaven is either going to contain everyone, or just you. But Jesus seemed to have own, different ideas!
Was Jesus wishy washy? Did he have an 'anything goes' attitude? Or was he so exclusive in his purity that he shunned all contact with regular sinful people? No, he held together absolute and unwavering truth with a loving embrace for all sinners who would accept him. We seem to find combining these two very difficult.
Practical unity
So how do we square this circle, hold this tension? Is it really possible for there to be Christian unity where people are so different, and have such different interests and emphases? It would have been so much easier if God had made all people the same!
Can such diversity really live in unity? Humanly speaking, no. But the church is not a human creation, and the qualities required - humility, forgiveness, love - are God-given, if we ask.
Maybe it starts with moving away from focusing on what's wrong with the other's position, to humbly seeking and learning from what God has revealed to them and which we haven't yet grasped? In what ways do they reflect God's grace better than ourselves?
For example, in my case, I may look to Protestants for a solid exposition of Biblical doctrine, but when it comes to being God's loving hands and feet in reaching out to ordinary people, to down and outs, or bringing God's love to slum-dwellers - then give me a Catholic any day.
So for me personally: I need to be living and working alongside Catholics in order to learn more about being God's loving hands in a hurting world, and alongside the Amish to learn more about God's simplicity in a materialistic and greedy world, and amongst Charismatics to listen more carefully to the Holy Spirit, and with Evangelicals in searching the scriptures, and with the Orthodox in better understanding sanctification, and with ... (Your list will be different.)
But now we're beginning to talk unity.
Saturday, 19 March 2011
Friday, 11 March 2011
The power of Christian unity
Jesus was uncompromising about unity; it was even a central point in his prayer for all Christians: "May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me", (John 17v23). So, what does Christian unity mean?
Does unity mean doing what Christians do today - getting together only with people of like mind? No, for this has resulted in literally thousands of Christian denominations, with more being formed all the time as groups fall out over some new distinction or issue so 'important' that a further split is necessary.
Nor does Christian unity mean remaining in our little silo, whilst attempting to have 'friendly discussions and occasional shared events' with the Christians in a neighbouring silo; talking with them on occasion but returning immediately to the security of our own ghetto.
Friends, this is not protecting the precious truth of the Gospel from the latest error or heresy - this is focusing on our differences when we should be focusing on our Lord. And the Devil laughs in delight! And everyone sees the hypocrisy.
It means remaining in fellowship and loving relationships with those with whom we don't necessarily agree. It means costly loving relationships that transcend differences in preferences, culture and theological understandings. It means demonstrating Christ's love through Christians loving other Christians! Now there's a radical idea.
----
I am reminded of a poem I like:
Outwitted
He drew a circle that shut me out -
Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.
But Love and I had the wit to win:
We drew a circle that took him in.
Edwin Markham (1913)
Does unity mean doing what Christians do today - getting together only with people of like mind? No, for this has resulted in literally thousands of Christian denominations, with more being formed all the time as groups fall out over some new distinction or issue so 'important' that a further split is necessary.
Nor does Christian unity mean remaining in our little silo, whilst attempting to have 'friendly discussions and occasional shared events' with the Christians in a neighbouring silo; talking with them on occasion but returning immediately to the security of our own ghetto.
Friends, this is not protecting the precious truth of the Gospel from the latest error or heresy - this is focusing on our differences when we should be focusing on our Lord. And the Devil laughs in delight! And everyone sees the hypocrisy.
It means remaining in fellowship and loving relationships with those with whom we don't necessarily agree. It means costly loving relationships that transcend differences in preferences, culture and theological understandings. It means demonstrating Christ's love through Christians loving other Christians! Now there's a radical idea.
----
I am reminded of a poem I like:
Outwitted
He drew a circle that shut me out -
Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.
But Love and I had the wit to win:
We drew a circle that took him in.
Edwin Markham (1913)
Thursday, 3 March 2011
But does it work?
People flock to where the action is, not to where the talking is.
Considering Jesus' message was about forgiveness for sins and eternal salvation, have you ever wondered why he did so many miracles? What did healing people, stilling a storm, or even turning water into wine have to do with forgiveness or salvation?
Jesus was interested in and met the real needs of the ordinary people who surrounded him - for healing, for acceptance, for love. Sometimes a miracle, sometimes a loving look, sometimes taking a person by the hand.
People flocked to him because they knew that what he did worked! Not just fancy words, but actions that worked, that made a practical difference.
Nowadays still, people flock to where the action is - where their needs will be met. If the local pub offers friendship and belonging, is it any wonder that people go there? If the lottery offers hope, people who are short on hope will queue up there. If the local medium or spiritual healer offers answers or cures, people will go there.
If the local church is all talk and theological arguments, who needs that? Plenty of words but nothing that works - who wants to queue up for that? (And don't respond by saying that people's deepest need is for salvation. If that's not where people are currently at, that's not the place to begin. Jesus didn't make that mistake.)
I'm not preaching a social gospel or salvation by works, but Christianity isn't first about getting the theology right, it's about getting the loving right. Get the loving right - and then people will be interested in the message. It's not the other way around! Jesus knew this.
We may not be doing regular feeding-the-five-thousand and raising-the-dead miracles, but practical loving in the name of Jesus, meeting people's needs: those are conspicuous miracles in our greedy and selfish world.
Considering Jesus' message was about forgiveness for sins and eternal salvation, have you ever wondered why he did so many miracles? What did healing people, stilling a storm, or even turning water into wine have to do with forgiveness or salvation?
Jesus was interested in and met the real needs of the ordinary people who surrounded him - for healing, for acceptance, for love. Sometimes a miracle, sometimes a loving look, sometimes taking a person by the hand.
People flocked to him because they knew that what he did worked! Not just fancy words, but actions that worked, that made a practical difference.
Nowadays still, people flock to where the action is - where their needs will be met. If the local pub offers friendship and belonging, is it any wonder that people go there? If the lottery offers hope, people who are short on hope will queue up there. If the local medium or spiritual healer offers answers or cures, people will go there.
If the local church is all talk and theological arguments, who needs that? Plenty of words but nothing that works - who wants to queue up for that? (And don't respond by saying that people's deepest need is for salvation. If that's not where people are currently at, that's not the place to begin. Jesus didn't make that mistake.)
I'm not preaching a social gospel or salvation by works, but Christianity isn't first about getting the theology right, it's about getting the loving right. Get the loving right - and then people will be interested in the message. It's not the other way around! Jesus knew this.
We may not be doing regular feeding-the-five-thousand and raising-the-dead miracles, but practical loving in the name of Jesus, meeting people's needs: those are conspicuous miracles in our greedy and selfish world.
Friday, 25 February 2011
Where do you draw that boundary?
Probably without thinking much about it, we all carry in our minds ways in which we judge others to be 'like us', or 'not like us', no doubt with a grey area in the middle of 'people who are somewhat like us'.
What interests me is how very differently people make this judgement - whether their definitions of 'like me' are very narrow, or very inclusive - and the reasons that may be behind this difference.
For some, 'like me' means only those who support the same team, or (in case you think I am stereotyping sports fans) just people who have the same lifestyle or educational background, or share the same theological outlook. After all, this seems like a good way of maintaining a sense of personal security: by avoiding much difference and thus potential awkwardness.
Of course, this is also a handy shortcut to deciding whether it is worth striking up a conversation with this other person, or considering the potential of friendship with them, or even caring what happens to them at all. If they support the wrong team, come from a different background or are from the wrong side of the spiritual tracks, then there's little point wasting any effort on them. They can live in their world and I can live in mine.
There are at least two problems with this: it's a lousy strategy for building your personal sense of security, and, secondly, like it or not, we actually live in the same world.
From time to time, though not often, I admit, I meet people who seem able to relate to others who are very different to themselves, and do so very easily and naturally. They are interested in people from quite different lifestyle, cultural and spiritual backgrounds. How do they do this? Sometimes it looks like they are 'making an effort' to relate, but there are definitely some people for whom this comes naturally - they are open, curious, genuinely interested. And they tend to be people who are very secure in themselves.
It takes a considerable degree of security to relate comfortably to people who are very different to ourselves, to stay with the discomfort and to not feel somewhat threatened.
It is said of the Christian church that it is one of the few places where people of very different backgrounds come together as one, and there is some real truth in this. But Christians don't have a monopoly on personal security: there are people of other faiths or none who care deeply for others and about world issues and live this out in practical ways in their daily lives. And, sadly, there are Christians who cannot relate even to those from other branches of the Christian faith!
There's no surprise that Christians can be insecure, lacking in love or immature. In short, we're sinful; we are forgiven sinners and no more. But we are urged in the scriptures to 'Love your neighbour as yourself' (Mark 12v31) - which Jesus said was the second most important command of all - and it is made very clear that the call to reach out to 'our neighbour' is to reach well beyond just 'people like us', as the parable of the Good Samaritan makes clear (Luke 10v23f).
It's easy to love and deal decently with people like us. But if we draw tight boundaries around those we feel are like us, then it's time to get on our knees and seek forgiveness, and to ask the Lord to increase the love in our hearts. Growing in love is synonymous with expanding the boundaries of those who we consider like us.
Where do you draw that boundary? Honestly?
If you really want to grow in love and personal security, don't wait until you feel more loving or secure! Get some Godly practice in reaching out to people who are not so like yourself. It'll take some effort and probably won't come naturally at all; you'll need to ask for God's help.
But He's good at this, and by his grace you'll get better at it. And a greater sense of personal security will, in time, follow. And your heart will beat with Jesus' love.
What interests me is how very differently people make this judgement - whether their definitions of 'like me' are very narrow, or very inclusive - and the reasons that may be behind this difference.
For some, 'like me' means only those who support the same team, or (in case you think I am stereotyping sports fans) just people who have the same lifestyle or educational background, or share the same theological outlook. After all, this seems like a good way of maintaining a sense of personal security: by avoiding much difference and thus potential awkwardness.
Of course, this is also a handy shortcut to deciding whether it is worth striking up a conversation with this other person, or considering the potential of friendship with them, or even caring what happens to them at all. If they support the wrong team, come from a different background or are from the wrong side of the spiritual tracks, then there's little point wasting any effort on them. They can live in their world and I can live in mine.
There are at least two problems with this: it's a lousy strategy for building your personal sense of security, and, secondly, like it or not, we actually live in the same world.
From time to time, though not often, I admit, I meet people who seem able to relate to others who are very different to themselves, and do so very easily and naturally. They are interested in people from quite different lifestyle, cultural and spiritual backgrounds. How do they do this? Sometimes it looks like they are 'making an effort' to relate, but there are definitely some people for whom this comes naturally - they are open, curious, genuinely interested. And they tend to be people who are very secure in themselves.
It takes a considerable degree of security to relate comfortably to people who are very different to ourselves, to stay with the discomfort and to not feel somewhat threatened.
It is said of the Christian church that it is one of the few places where people of very different backgrounds come together as one, and there is some real truth in this. But Christians don't have a monopoly on personal security: there are people of other faiths or none who care deeply for others and about world issues and live this out in practical ways in their daily lives. And, sadly, there are Christians who cannot relate even to those from other branches of the Christian faith!
There's no surprise that Christians can be insecure, lacking in love or immature. In short, we're sinful; we are forgiven sinners and no more. But we are urged in the scriptures to 'Love your neighbour as yourself' (Mark 12v31) - which Jesus said was the second most important command of all - and it is made very clear that the call to reach out to 'our neighbour' is to reach well beyond just 'people like us', as the parable of the Good Samaritan makes clear (Luke 10v23f).
It's easy to love and deal decently with people like us. But if we draw tight boundaries around those we feel are like us, then it's time to get on our knees and seek forgiveness, and to ask the Lord to increase the love in our hearts. Growing in love is synonymous with expanding the boundaries of those who we consider like us.
Where do you draw that boundary? Honestly?
If you really want to grow in love and personal security, don't wait until you feel more loving or secure! Get some Godly practice in reaching out to people who are not so like yourself. It'll take some effort and probably won't come naturally at all; you'll need to ask for God's help.
But He's good at this, and by his grace you'll get better at it. And a greater sense of personal security will, in time, follow. And your heart will beat with Jesus' love.
Thursday, 17 February 2011
Are you good enough yet?
The TV has just told me (so it must be true) that nine out of ten women are unhappy with their appearance and over half of these want to change the way they look using plastic surgery or the like. This probably applies just as much to men.
But the following, I know is true:
The TV, magazines and advertisements all conspire to tell us “you’re not good, or thin, or beautiful, or wealthy, or successful enough … unless you buy this product, or have this nip and tuck, or...”. And even when we do buy the product or have the uplift, then we’re still not good enough, as we should be even thinner, more beautiful, wealthier, more successful. It's a never-ending treadmill – driven by greed and encouraged by the Enemy: offering happiness, but delivering despair.
We want to be accepted – who doesn’t? This means behaving acceptably in others’ eyes, by the world’s measurements: fitting in, turning a blind eye, keeping up with the Joneses. It's a never-ending struggle – driven by insecurity and urged on by the Enemy: promising contentment and self-esteem, but delivering deceit, a hollow façade, emptiness.
We want to be forgiven and have peace – why wouldn't we? This means trying to be good, be better, be perfect in fact; trying hard, trying harder, trying even harder. It's a never-ending striving – driven by pride and celebrated by the Enemy: guaranteeing self-improvement and satisfaction, but delivering failure.
How odd of God to not realise that we need to earn our salvation! Created? Chosen? Adopted? Accepted? What – for free?
Yes. I was created by God, chosen, adopted, accepted, redeemed and forgiven. I don't need to struggle or strive, to try harder, or be anything other than I am.
But it wasn’t ‘for free’! It was accomplished at Jesus' enormous cost.
Choose carefully who you listen to.
But the following, I know is true:
The TV, magazines and advertisements all conspire to tell us “you’re not good, or thin, or beautiful, or wealthy, or successful enough … unless you buy this product, or have this nip and tuck, or...”. And even when we do buy the product or have the uplift, then we’re still not good enough, as we should be even thinner, more beautiful, wealthier, more successful. It's a never-ending treadmill – driven by greed and encouraged by the Enemy: offering happiness, but delivering despair.
We want to be accepted – who doesn’t? This means behaving acceptably in others’ eyes, by the world’s measurements: fitting in, turning a blind eye, keeping up with the Joneses. It's a never-ending struggle – driven by insecurity and urged on by the Enemy: promising contentment and self-esteem, but delivering deceit, a hollow façade, emptiness.
We want to be forgiven and have peace – why wouldn't we? This means trying to be good, be better, be perfect in fact; trying hard, trying harder, trying even harder. It's a never-ending striving – driven by pride and celebrated by the Enemy: guaranteeing self-improvement and satisfaction, but delivering failure.
How odd of God to not realise that we need to earn our salvation! Created? Chosen? Adopted? Accepted? What – for free?
Yes. I was created by God, chosen, adopted, accepted, redeemed and forgiven. I don't need to struggle or strive, to try harder, or be anything other than I am.
But it wasn’t ‘for free’! It was accomplished at Jesus' enormous cost.
Choose carefully who you listen to.
Thursday, 10 February 2011
An Atheist's prayer
Charles Darwin who art dead,
Hallowed be your name.
Thy evolution happens
and it will be done on earth.
As I'm fitter than you, I'll get my daily bread
even if I have to tread on you to do it.
Thank god I don't have any sins,
but heaven forbid anyone sins against me.
And lead me not to consider any alternative,
but deliver me from these blesséd Christians, who should be extinct.
For the science, the intellectual high-ground and the intelligence are mine
now, and until we have evolved enough to wipe out all life on Earth.
Amen.
Hallowed be your name.
Thy evolution happens
and it will be done on earth.
As I'm fitter than you, I'll get my daily bread
even if I have to tread on you to do it.
Thank god I don't have any sins,
but heaven forbid anyone sins against me.
And lead me not to consider any alternative,
but deliver me from these blesséd Christians, who should be extinct.
For the science, the intellectual high-ground and the intelligence are mine
now, and until we have evolved enough to wipe out all life on Earth.
Amen.
Thursday, 3 February 2011
There's nothing magical about faith
Many people talk about faith as if it's something they happen to have, or, more frequently something they don't have; that's just the way it is. After all how can you believe something when you don't?
This apparent quality of faith provides a stumbling block to those who would like to believe and an invulnerable opt-out to those who don't. We have reached a stalemate, a seeming dead end.
But there's nothing magical about faith - we all use it every day. There is no dead-end, and the opt-out clause is a cop-out.
Consider trust. How do we learn to trust something or someone - or to not trust them? It simply comes from experience; trust grows or diminishes based on our repeated experience. We use it all the time: to consider whether our train will be on time, whether the cash-machine will give us the money we request, or whether a friend will stand by us through difficult times. You are showing your faith, or lack of faith, in your train service, your bank and your friend.
So, is faith just the same as trust? Well, yes and no.
Trust starts with a decision - a small decision to take a small risk - in fact, frequently so small we usually don't even notice it. Think about the simple examples above. The first time I put my bank card in a hole in the wall I am taking a small leap of faith to believe that it won't swallow my card and will give me my cash. I only have the experience of others to go on, so I am deciding to put my faith in them and my bank that it will actually work. And as I repeat this experience, I discover for myself that my bank is trustworthy, or not; that the trains usually run on time, or they don't; that my friend really is a good friend, or not.
But notice where trust starts - it starts with an act of faith, a decision to take a risk. Faith is deciding to trust what we haven't yet experienced. Once we have taken that step of faith, decided to take the risk, then we have the beginnings of experience, which in time may become trust. So doesn't all trust stem from an initial leap of faith - deciding to act before we know for sure? It applies to your bank and to your friend. And it applies to Christianity too.
So you can decide that you don't want to take a risk, don't want to take a step of faith, but you really can't say that you just don't have faith and there's nothing you can do about it... That really is a cop out.
This apparent quality of faith provides a stumbling block to those who would like to believe and an invulnerable opt-out to those who don't. We have reached a stalemate, a seeming dead end.
But there's nothing magical about faith - we all use it every day. There is no dead-end, and the opt-out clause is a cop-out.
Consider trust. How do we learn to trust something or someone - or to not trust them? It simply comes from experience; trust grows or diminishes based on our repeated experience. We use it all the time: to consider whether our train will be on time, whether the cash-machine will give us the money we request, or whether a friend will stand by us through difficult times. You are showing your faith, or lack of faith, in your train service, your bank and your friend.
So, is faith just the same as trust? Well, yes and no.
Trust starts with a decision - a small decision to take a small risk - in fact, frequently so small we usually don't even notice it. Think about the simple examples above. The first time I put my bank card in a hole in the wall I am taking a small leap of faith to believe that it won't swallow my card and will give me my cash. I only have the experience of others to go on, so I am deciding to put my faith in them and my bank that it will actually work. And as I repeat this experience, I discover for myself that my bank is trustworthy, or not; that the trains usually run on time, or they don't; that my friend really is a good friend, or not.
But notice where trust starts - it starts with an act of faith, a decision to take a risk. Faith is deciding to trust what we haven't yet experienced. Once we have taken that step of faith, decided to take the risk, then we have the beginnings of experience, which in time may become trust. So doesn't all trust stem from an initial leap of faith - deciding to act before we know for sure? It applies to your bank and to your friend. And it applies to Christianity too.
So you can decide that you don't want to take a risk, don't want to take a step of faith, but you really can't say that you just don't have faith and there's nothing you can do about it... That really is a cop out.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)