Why am I a Christian?

I gave a group of teenagers 40 hours to write a three page essay that answers the question, “Why am I a Christian?” This is a tall task, indeed. Far be it for me to give such a daunting task and not do the same, myself. Thus, I begin this monster.

Christianity, by definition, is more than a religion. It is a pursuit of an ideal that is impossible for a human being to attain. One who professes to be a Christian has accepted a challenge to become “Christ-like,” a task that we simply cannot perform.

Jesus Christ was a perfect human being born around 3 BC who lived until around 30 AD as a perfect person, having never screwed up. Documents written by multiple individuals (so many that its more numerous than the existence of Julius Caesar) show that this human was assassinated for claiming to be King by an oppressive Roman government worried of insurgency. Further documents show that, somehow, this man rose from the dead, walked amongst humans again for a time, then vanished into the Heavens, only to return later. Soon, His Father, Jehovah the Creator, sent His Spirit to help others.

These are some basic tenants of my faith, though they don’t answer the question, “Why am I a Christian?” Sadly, most people who call themselves “Christians” are not intentionally trying to be “Christ-like.” Instead, they are more apt to seek rules to follow to give order to their lives.

Personally, I’ve considered many of the teachings of Jesus Christ and am compelled to value them. Even Ghandi respects Jesus’ lifestyle and teachings. Looking at planet earth in its desolate present and future, it is difficult to muster much hope for the future. Humans are naturally angry, thirst for power, lust for sensuality, and pursue ventures that will not actually satisfy them.

Suppose that one could muster up the perfect lifestyle. To have unlimited power, unlimited talents, unlimited resources, etc would be available. Somehow, I don’t believe that a human being would still be able to achieve happiness, nor would he/she know how to wield such abilities without harming others. Human nature would eventually kick in and trump others.

In considering the teachings of Christ, I am convinced that human beings truly following them would bring more than bandages to a bruised world. I’d like to illustrate with a few of Christ’s teachings.

In a letter written from a man named Matthew, we find out that Jesus proposes that, as humans, we should look at others differently. For example, human beings should not just show kindness, generosity, and friendship to those who are their friends. Instead, even a person’s enemies should be those whom we show love towards. This approach to human relations is unique in that human nature is typically to find ways to gain revenge or avoid our enemies. However, if human beings truly digested this teaching and applied it to everyday life, many of today’s most challenging issues would be much easier to manage. Family feuds would crumble. School bullying would decrease. Gang violence would decrease, and more.

Jesus spoke often about other symptoms of our world. Humans seem to cherish wealth too much and will use it to abuse others, will crush others to get it, and more. The cliche “the desire for money is the cause of many sorts of evil” can be traced back to these teachings. If people across the globe took this teaching to heart, a wave of generosity would sweep the globe, leading to greater abilities for humans to succeed and rise above poverty. Generosity is the missing ingredient in a world of oppression. Generosity is a key to change.

Human beings are naturally angry at others and will act out in ways against others to express that anger. It is unfortunate that Christ’s teachings about ways to treat others have yet to spread. Imagine if humans focused on treating others in ways that they would want to be treated, themselves. It would be very difficult to imagine a world of murder, terrorism, rape, adultery, and other problems if this planet’s tenants would change the ways in which they deal with others. Life would improve for our six billion fellow humans.

Christians have been taught to be those that believe in impossible things. Many people live lives without hope and no desire for the future to change. This is a tragedy, as life is too precious to allow to simply vanish. Christians experience fantastic miracles through their believing, the likes of which are rarely reproduced by other religions, such as humans being raised from the dead, prayers answered in odd ways, ailments vanishing, and more. I’ve personally experienced this odd phenomenon. It is very hard to tell a person who suddenly no longer has HIV that there isn’t a higher power in existence.

Those who are truly Christians are compelled to believe in the power of forgiveness. The planet is filled with humans who withhold high concentrations of bitterness in their hearts for wrongs done to them and have no intention to free the hostages from within. However, this cycle of bitterness never actually heals humans - it makes them worse. Those who opt to be like Christ are compelled to release their bitterness and offer forgiveness to those who wrong them. This radical teaching would do wonders in divorce courts, racial relations, and more.

In a related concept, Christians believe in the concept of grace - unmerited favor given to others. Or, in other words, being given something you really don’t deserve. Christians are odd beings in that they will offer things to others to make them better people, to restore them, to forgive them, and more. This teaching is quite unique in the arena of world religions because most consider your deeds to be the measure of your merit. I believe that going the extra mile and just offering favor without merit is a far superior offering.

Speaking of deeds, one of Jesus favorite words was to “go.” While many Christians fail miserably in this, the concept of doing good to others and serving those less fortunate such as the poor, widows, the crippled, and more is fantastically part of Christianity. Imagine a world where billions of people have radars up at all times - trying to find someone to help who needs it. This is a far cry from today’s cut-throat, ladder of success societies that humans have strived to build. Christianity is more about others than status.

Christians have a hope for the future that is unique to all the world’s religions. Yet, its the most promising of any. Christians believe that one day, all those who have opted to try to live their lives like Christ will be raised from the dead and will live on a new Earth that is merged with Heaven. Our foundation text, the Bible, also records that on that day, truly, we will be “like Him.” The great pursuit of our lives will be achieved, and for the rest of time, we will live on Earth with Jesus as emperor of Earth. He will rule the planet with justice, fairness, and integrity - all the things politicians claim but never achieve. As supreme potentate of Earth, Jesus will undo the wrongs and establish lives of meaning, excitement, and a journey that will never end. I cannot imagine a better afterlife.

I am, however, not naive. All these teachings are as ideal as it gets. Sadly, most Christians are not intentionally following these ideals. It is my belief that Christians will slowly gain insights into the power of these teachings and will unlock the mystery of their potential slowly with a key that only individual hearts can turn.

Most Christians gather in communities called “churches,” where the intent is to thank Jesus for what He has done and learn ways to deal with our everyday battle of becoming more like Him. While some churches do a miserable job of this, it is my belief that those who truly see the power of Christianity find ways to grow. They pursue love, or peace, or gentleness instead of anger, hatred, and betrayal. Churches are organizations that are filled with individuals who, like me, are not yet truly “like Christ.” As a result, Christians do things that are far from the teachings of Christ. It is my hope that this will change as time progresses and churches will be comprised of people who are better examples of why this lifestyle is preferable to any other option.

Christians pattern their lives after the world’s number one selling book, a collection of documents, poems, letters, and more we call “The Good News,” or “The Bible.” We consider this news to be good because, in light of these ideals I have outlined, there is hope for this planet that is in such disarray. Christians have the solution and have had it for 1900 years, nestled in a book of a few thousand pages. Our foundational text, the Good News, is full of stories so unbelievable, its almost embarrassing! We see prostitutes nearly stoned, but set free. Men raised from the dead by mere mortals praying. The sun standing still in the midst of a war. A planet engulfed with liquid for over a month with the hope for humanity and thousands of species of animals not becoming extinct in a little boat. While its stories are fascinatingly odd, what’s more odd is that it is difficult to dispute their contents when they are reliably backed up in many ways. Science aside, the ability of the contents of the Bible to predict its own miracles hundreds or thousands of years later is a mystery - a mystery that could only be spiritual.

Human beings are worth more than lives that desperately pursue power, sex, greed, and comfort. There is a lifestyle I have lived for nine years that has proven a trifle challenging, but bountifully rewarding. Christ never promised an easy pattern to follow, but He did promise that great effort would bring a better existence and a better world. Despite all the challenges, potential doubts, and stench of others not doing the same, I have opted to try to be a Christian because I believe it is the only hope for a screwed up world. I have no faith in the other religions I have explored, or in humanity’s ability to govern itself into a better world. Only the raw, flavorful teachings of Christianity appear to be the med kit for a world gone sour.

Christianity is hope for a dying world, good news to those who have heard it all, and life to those who feel like dying. I want to be like Christ.

Christianity for Strangers (Madea)

A previous post, Facing Illiteracy, faced the harsh reality that we are entering an age when the upcoming generation has a horde that are not fluent in Christian thought, ideas, stories, etc. I suppose that using this platform, we have both positive and negative to deal with.

Using that, I present to you, Madea teaching Peter walking on water.

Dimensional Hypothesis

I realize that I’ve traveled this road before, but I find myself rather frustrated by a lack of Christians really getting this:

Christianity is not about going to Heaven.

There, I said it. Decades of misplaced salvation by preachers that didn’t know any better has created an American church that is ready to die, but not really ready to live. Its no wonder that in Jesus Camp, we hear Becky Fischer utter that she sometimes just tells God she can’t wait to get this life over with.

But I would submit a theory that we’ve had a rather wrong view of the divorce between Heaven and Earth. Imagine that during the Age of Eden, Heaven and Earth were one in the same (explaining Adam’s relationship with God being so personal). With the Fall, not only do you get Adam banished from the garden (paradise), but a virtual split of the God-ordained ecosystem. Earth becomes purely physical, Heaven spiritual in another dimension (but not far away).

The split between Heaven and Earth

We have often thought that once we get to Heaven, all will be well and good. However, I would submit that both dimensions are missing something with the split, indicated in Scripture. Consider these thoughts:

Earth

• Humans do not experience God as fully as they were intended to without the other dimension readily connected
• Animals that appear to be natural enemies get along better, like the lion and lamb laying down (Isaiah 11:6)
• Humans are given greater abilities to move about (see Jesus seemingly teleporting post-Resurrection)

Heaven

• Humans intended to reign and rule with God
• Post-mortem humans can’t eat without a body as they are intended to do

I’m just now developing these thoughts about the separation. Certainly these lists could last much longer. The good news is that one day, in the resurrection with the “New Heaven and New Earth,” they shall be re-united in space and time’s ultimate divorce reconciliation. Multiple millennia has seen a groping of Earth and longing of Heaven for “thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.” On that day, the two shall become one dimension.

Subversive Fundamentalism

I am unapologetically not a fundamentalist. This is not to say that I don’t have standards and beliefs that are non-negotiable. I’m all for the tenants of the Apostles’ Creed and other foundational theologies. However, one of the unique aspects of Christianity is that it is not entirely a cut-and-dry faith. The Bible isn’t explicit about how our church and everyday experiences should be. Rather, as Rob Bell teaches, its an open book - able to be considered and discussed.

In the process, of dealing with this, I took several months in early 2006 to deconstruct a lot of theologies I had been taught to assume correct. Those five months were severely difficult, but have helped to frame me into the person I am now.

Following this process (though to an extent, its ongoing), I’m finding that there are many organizations within Christianity that never made the jump and are still swimming in fundamentalist waters. Such ideology is very difficult because it spends more time tearing down minor issues than focusing on big picture issues. Consider these two options for what to focus on:
Tearing Down

• Don’t play video games - they could lead to your mind getting poisoned
• You should only hang out with friends who are Christians - you’ll fall otherwise
• Stop listening to music that isn’t Christian - the other stuff doesn’t glorify God and will hurt your mind
• Don’t dress in all black clothes - it makes you look angry

Building Up

• When you evaluate media, ask yourself if its true? Is it beautiful?
• What kind of people did Jesus make his friends? Tax collectors? Doctors? Prostitutes?
• Christianity is about finding way to change yourself to become more like God intended humans to be from the foundation of the planet

The differences are insane.

Facing Illiteracy

Today’s youth culture is creating an issue not faced by Christianity since 1440. Today’s youth are progressively emerging as teens who either have severe issues with reading at an eighth grade level (50% of adults now can’t do that). Those who can read are able to read at a proficient level are decreasingly choosing to read not just books and magazines, but (from my observations on Facebook) even content to grow.

I would propose that, instead, the medium of ideas is emerging to be (in this order)

• Spoken word from equals
• Social norms, cliches, and ingrained philosophies
• Lyrics in musical expression
• Parental influences
• Video and other like media
• Advertising and other promotional materials

If this is now the medium of exchange of ideas, perhaps Christian leaders need to do radically rethink how we approach spiritual formation for average Americans. In prior generations facing illiteracy, methods of conveying ideas of the Word have included:

• Call-and-response in worship services
• Memorization through repetition
• Discussing Scriptures, how they relate to each other, and today’s culture, etc (binding and loosing)
• Publicly reading the Scripture (explaining the audiences of the epistles)

Story of the Year (Black Swan)

On my way to and from vacation, my brother and I listened to a song over and over, becoming more and more impressed as we went.




Story of the Year’s album paints a picture of a world in disarray, diagnosing the symptoms very accurately, though failing to diagnose the the actual root of the problem. Sample these lyrics:

Everyone has a god standing up for what we think we know
Do we know?

There’s so much more to learn
There’s so much more to live for (So much more to live for)
More than we will ever know
It’s a message to the world

It seems that platonism and humanism are beginning to combine, creating a religion of pessimism. Its an indulgence in finger-pointing, but never really finds a solution.

Elsewhere on the album, the artists attempt to diagnose the problem, pointing to a lack of reason in society.

Now the damage has been done
And this machine has begun on a path of destruction
We need the medicine
To reverse what’s been done
Before this disease has destroyed everything we know

With our weapons drawn and all our resources gone
We’re facing extinction
The only antidote consists of blood, sweat, and hope
And a blueprint to save us from all that we’ve become

All we need is a reason (All we need is a reason)
All we need is right here inside us all
All we need is a reason (All we need is a reason)
All we need is right here inside us
Here inside us all!

Brian Mclaren in Everything Must Change calls the system set in place a “suicide machine.” Suicidal in that we are killing ourselves, and a machine in that it was set by humans with a preset process. Story of the Year has realized the eventual demise of this planet, but it isn’t reason that will provide a surefire solution. Humanity attempted this in the Renaissance (postmodernism, anyone?), but that grand experiment didn’t lead to the repair of the planet. Rather, it led to imperialism flattening others globally.

As leaders in the next generation of church, we must find ways to point humanity to admit the obvious: this planet is a suice machine in need of repair. We really can’t repair it, but there is a Repairman who is rather skilled in his craft and may be able to help us if we’ll just trust him with His skills.

Conformed

One of the hallmarks of the fundamentalist movement has been its methods of engaging with the culture. The thought behind it appears to have been that the culture is rather vile, so there are a couple ways to respond. The first mirrors the Pharisaical reponse to Roman culture two centuries or so on either side of Christ. There, the thought was that if the culture could be outwardly purified enough, Messiah’s reign would arrive.

Other fundamentalists (some while doing some of the above) opted for an Essene-style reaction by ejecting from the culture so they would become a stark contrast to Roman (hence, American) culture.

In both cases, the response fails miserably. Engaging the culture through politics and protest does more damage to our ability to have a voice above the issues than it helps it. Why are Christians who protest that Christianity supports a better quality of life those who angerly picket abortion clinics with faces of rage? Its no wonder that Christians are thought to be anything but Christ-like.

We should be culturally savvy. In the world, but not part of it. We should enjoy its good, but not tinkering with its ugly side. And no, I don’t mean ignoring the ugly. I mean not becoming ugly.

“Even so, life with Christ in the Roman world will require a specific set of skills. Mindless, undisciplined Christians will soon find themselves extruded into a foreign mold by the viselike pressure of Roman outlooks and practices.” - Christopher A. Hall (Renovate Bible, 1 Peter)

Ingredients

Many influential individuals within the body of Christ are proclaiming that the missing ingredient in American churches is revival. While that might improve the Christian experience temporarily, I think its actually more shallow than we at first suspect. I’m all for miracles, mountains moving, and major moves of God. But imagine that from day one of a person’s death, their only experience of Christianity was a traditional revival, complete with seven night per week services and the whole nine yards. At what point would this person’s character be renovated? When does a time of testing and “stick-it-out” Christianity happen?

I desire hundreds of individuals to let God refine their desire to sleep around, their poor self-image, their hatred, their jealousy, their disdain Gor their existence, and more. A real revolution is bound to happen from there.

Physically Spiritual

I’m on vacation in Estes Park, Colorado as of today. Its one of those getaways where it seems easier to smile at God’s creation. The thin air, mountains, streams, pine trees, and elk suddenly crossing a road in front of you all add to the aesthetics.

While in town buying a hoodie, I encountered a bumper sticker that is probably more thought provoking than the purchaser realizes:

My fear with this statement is that, while it could be correct if read with the right perspective, is its intended to mean something incorrect. Most Christians have a perspective that we are spirits trapped inside a physical body. Only through death can we be released from our physical bodies, emerge into Heaven, then really begin living. This view, a Christian twist on Platonism, leads to some unintended consequences.

1. Christians fail to really want to live today because life hasn’t begun yet
2. We appear to be weird to the rest of society when we imply that we’re just spiritual beings in their world. Almost like a baseball player saying, “I’m not really part of this team - I’m just in uniform.”
3. Christians read scriptures like Colossians 3:2 and tune right in, but with the wrong signal.

God created us as human beings, complete with a body. We weren’t really made to not have a body - angels already fill that role. Humans are created to be physical creatures with a body like an animal, spiritually driven like angels, but with the breath of God. Its a purely unique creation and one we should be proud to embody.

One day, despite all the hoopla over going to Heaven, we will experience a resurrection where we will be reunited with our bodies. I have a sense that, while Heaven is a great place, something will appear to be missing. Humans were made to be completely human. Jesus could have stayed as a spirit if He had chosen to do so. Just appear to everyone and proclaim that since he’s still alive spiritually death is technically defeated. From there, you should all desire to be like me one day - a spirit. Instead, we read in the New Testament that one day, we will be like Him. I believe that in every sense of the term, this is a true statement. We will be physically alive. At that point, truly, we will be Christians.

“The Annointing”

Some segments of the body of Christ get really excited about the über Christianese term “annointing.” Many messages and conferences have been devoted to this subject. Yet, there’s something missing in this pursuit. Christians that pursue this tend to ascribe to the ATM model of Christianity that turns prayer into a spiritual economy of praying in exchange for whatever you want.

Prayer is super important and doesn’t happen enough. However, I’m not seeing much in our New Testament bringing this to the forefront. Nothing says, “seek first the annointing and all these things will come hook you up.” Christians should uncover their gifts and talents, but this is not to be our top pursuit. We seek the Kingdom coming in Heaven just like on our planet.