I’m realizing more and more recently that I don’t know how to be a Christian. I think it has to do with this social and religious deconstruction that I’m studying right now. I’m starting to see that all the things I had ever thought were part of being a believer are just fluff, and I haven’t ever really delved into the real meat of things.
I’m currenting reading The Irresistable Revolution by Shane Claibourne. In it, he speaks about fulfilling the Sermon on the Mount and living a Christian life that is radically different than mainstream Christianity. While some may associate what he says with a Democratic form of society, I have to ask myself, is that bad at all? Taking care of orphans and widows, caring for the poor and the sick – that seems to be what Christ has told us to do. Telling someone they need to be saved to go to heaven yet offering them no assistance here on earth neither represents Christ well, nor gives them any reason to worship a God who smiles on their plight. So I ask myself, do I really practice a form of Christianity that my Maker would be proud of? I have to admit, I don’t. I realize that Christ didn’t save us to get us to attend church every sunday, yet the standard Western view of Christianity says just that.
As I dive deeper into the confusion of what real Christianity is, I have to look to the heros of our faith – Luther, Augustine, St. Francis of Assisi. Their words seem to echo, “living is preaching” not “preach to everyone you talk to.” Some may say this is passive, I’m starting to believe this is the most active thing we can do. If the faith we hold close does nothing for anyone then what is the point of holding it close at all? Would it not preach more to hand a blanket to a homeless person than telling them they should accept Christ? Would showing compassion on a struggling addict not go further than heaping judgement on his already-acknowledged sin? I’m sadly starting to see what we’ve become, and seeing that allows me to understand why the church is so uneffective – our selfishness reigns supreme – we’ve taken Christ off the thrown and put ourselves there, each waiting for our precious turn in the glory seat so that we can receive warm-fuzzies from all those around us.What a stark comparison to the selflessness of the one we claim to worship.
I’ll continue to pursue a purpose that is acceptable to my Father….
