Still lazy after all these years
Jake sent along an excellent article from Harper's magazine (online excrept here) asking a simple, yet (literally) damning question: If so many Americans profess faith in Christ, why do so few live like it?
The author never comes out as to why such a paradox exists, but the answer is simple. We're human, and we look at our faith as just another aspect of our culture. And this problem is not one that's unique to the church in the U.S. It's not even unique to this millenium.
One of the first crisised followers of The Way faced was how to mix their faith with their cultural customs of circumsion and keeping kosher (Having to choose between ceviche con camarones and Christ is one decision I'm glad I don't need to make. ;-) ). And before that, Christ blasted those who expected him to be a cultural and political Messiah, not a spiritual one. And I won't go into the shameful history of Christians who used violence as a means to spread the Gospel.
Given the troubles we believers have had with mixing the temporal aspects of our culture with the eternal truth of Christ, it's (literally) a miracle that our faith has spread like it has. Further proof it's not our cleverness that spreads this truth, it's God's power. We are blessed beyond measure with a faith that, when allowed by it's adherents to do such, can easily jump the artificial boundaries of culture and language.
How important is that mission? If your best friend was leaving for a long time, you'd expect his/hers last words to you to be important, the essence of your friendship. Here are Christ's last words to us, his followers:
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
May God continue to grant us the strength to do just that.
The author never comes out as to why such a paradox exists, but the answer is simple. We're human, and we look at our faith as just another aspect of our culture. And this problem is not one that's unique to the church in the U.S. It's not even unique to this millenium.
One of the first crisised followers of The Way faced was how to mix their faith with their cultural customs of circumsion and keeping kosher (Having to choose between ceviche con camarones and Christ is one decision I'm glad I don't need to make. ;-) ). And before that, Christ blasted those who expected him to be a cultural and political Messiah, not a spiritual one. And I won't go into the shameful history of Christians who used violence as a means to spread the Gospel.
Given the troubles we believers have had with mixing the temporal aspects of our culture with the eternal truth of Christ, it's (literally) a miracle that our faith has spread like it has. Further proof it's not our cleverness that spreads this truth, it's God's power. We are blessed beyond measure with a faith that, when allowed by it's adherents to do such, can easily jump the artificial boundaries of culture and language.
How important is that mission? If your best friend was leaving for a long time, you'd expect his/hers last words to you to be important, the essence of your friendship. Here are Christ's last words to us, his followers:
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
May God continue to grant us the strength to do just that.
posted by Kevin Creighton | 9/13/2005 06:48:00 PM
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