Talking to Myself (Part 2)

I want to continue to critique hypothetical Matthew's note "Why I'm Not a Christian." That Matt made three arguments against Christianity (little unity, little joy, little fruit). A few days ago I responded to his claim that Christians are not unified. Today I want to respond to his claim that Christians are not joyful. Here's what he said:

Second, I can't believe in Christianity because I'm not even sure THEY believe in it! Supposedly, their God became flesh... died for all their sins... and rose from the dead (promising them eternal life!). But whenever I visit a church, they seem pretty subdued. And I don't mean they should be jumping on their pews... but at least have a sparkle in your eye, eh? Something isn't right here. Either Jesus rose from the dead or He didn't. Either God has done something that changes everything or He hasn't. If He has, why is church so boring? If he hasn't... well, I must conclude that he hasn't if I'm basing it off of what I see from the 'church.' More often than not it just seems like another human club.

The problem here, I think, is that hypothetical Matthew judged the church as joyless due to his Sunday morning experience alone. In his defense, if the churches he visited really were TOTALLY dead... cold... institutionalized... then I understand why he came to the conclusion that he did. But I'm guessing that within those churches there were, at least, some pockets of joy. Did Matthew expect that every person present on Sunday morning was truly following Jesus and experiencing the joy of knowing him? Shouldn't the fact that Matthew himself was present have tipped him off to the fact that Sunday morning is a pretty mixed mess of people?

Even if there were only a few pockets of joy in the midst of the congregation, he should have reached into those pockets to see if he could find something of value. If Matthew wanted to know what it was like to be a professional football player, it wouldn't have been enough to watch a game on TV. It wouldn't have been enough to go to a game. It wouldn't have been enough to stand on the sideline. To begin to understand what it's like, Matthew would have to spend some time with actual football players (not just on Sunday, but throughout the week when they are... practicing). And to finally understand what it's like to be a professional football player, Matthew would have to become one.

If hypothetical Matthew would take the time to immerse himself in the lives of some people who are dedicated to Jesus, I am confident he would find true joy. He would find peace that passes understanding. He would find strength that doesn't make sense. He would find vitality and vigor. He would find resurrection power. He would find love without limits.

All that being said, I am sometimes afraid that hypothetical Matthew might fail to find such people. Are there enough pockets of joy? Jesus once asked... "When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?" I wonder, when hypothetical Matthew comes... will he find faith in the church?

Talking to Myself (Part 1)

A week ago I posted a little article "Why I'm not a Christian" in which I gave 3 reasons why a hypothetical me would reject Christianity. Several people commented that I should respond to myself. While I still think the best response to all 3 points involves actions and not more words, there is nothing wrong with a both/and approach. So I'll devote a note to each one. Here's how non-Christian Matthew started out:

First, I can't believe in Christianity because Christianity doesn't know what to believe. Jesus supposedly lived, died, and rose again. Jesus himself said that when the Holy Spirit came, He would lead Christians into all truth. But it's been about 2,000 years now and Christians still don't really know the truth about anything! They disagree about everything! And it's not like they only quibble over little things. Ask a Christian to explain the Trinity! Ask them to explain how someone gets saved! They disagree about the very basic components of their faith! And not only do they disagree, they're NASTY about it. Am I supposed to be impressed by a religion that claims to be based on love and yet has to divide into a handful of churches (at least) in each town?

Hypothetical Matthew makes a pretty good argument! Christianity appears to be deeply divided. Catholics and Protestants don't get alone (and they both tend to ignore the Eastern Orthodox). Protestantism has protested itself into thousands of denominations. No two Christians agree about everything. Is this what Christians call unity?

That's a good question. If unity is measured by equivalent beliefs, then Christianity is certainly not unified. But why should unity be measured in that way? Isn't that uniformity rather than unity? If Christians throughout the world agreed on every little detail, wouldn't one suspect there is some sort of mass delusion at play (either demonic or due to drinking the same Kool-Aid)? The reality is that unity is not found in uniformity, it is found in common direction.

Are Christians all headed in the same direction? By definition. Christians are people following Jesus. If I start out in Buffalo and my friend starts out in Chicago, but we're both headed to Cleveland... we are going in the same direction and share a unified purpose. The fact that we are at different places to begin with, and all along the way, is really beside the point. Granted, some people who claim to be Christians aren't actually following Jesus at all. But that is beside the point too. We don't define a Christian by profession of the label, but by pursuit of the Lord. Christians share a unified purpose and will one day share a unified destination.

Hypothetical Matthew made the same mistake that real Matthew used to make... that is... he thought Christianity was primarily a list of beliefs rather than the love of a person (Jesus). Because of this, he defined unity along those lines. The cool thing is, once you understand unity as a shared love and pursuit of Jesus, the diversity of beliefs among Christians actually becomes a valuable asset rather than a mark against Christianity. It is in our intense diversity that we are best equipped to discern doctrinal truth! Indeed, perhaps the best way the Spirit leads us toward all truth is by means of diversity, discussion, and loving debate.

Why I'm Not a Christian

I have always been interested in arguments against Christianity (whether from atheists, agnostics, or adherents of other religions). Facebook hosts a plethora of anti-Christian propaganda. As a thinking Christian, I actually enjoy considering and dissecting them, whether they be gentle jabs or all out attacks. As strange as it sounds, though, I usually end up feeling both disappointed and delighted after reading them. I'm disappointed that arguments so confused, so weak, and so shallow are part of present day dialogue. Yet I'm also delighted that such arguments seem to be the best the non-Christian world has to offer against Christianity (this fact sometimes strengthens faith).

Even still, after reading so much rhetorical refuse, I thought it might be interesting to write AS AN ATHEIST. If I stopped being a Christian tomorrow, and decided to write an essay "Why I'm not a Christian," what would I write? Here's what I came up with.

WHY I'M NOT A CHRISTIAN

First, I can't believe in Christianity because Christianity doesn't know what to believe. Jesus supposedly lived, died, and rose again. Jesus himself said that when the Holy Spirit came, He would lead Christians into all truth. But it's been about 2,000 years now and Christians still don't really know the truth about anything! They disagree about everything! And it's not like they only quibble over little things. Ask a Christian to explain the Trinity! Ask them to explain how someone gets saved! They disagree about the very basic components of their faith! And not only do they disagree, they're NASTY about it. Am I supposed to be impressed by a religion that claims to be based on love and yet has to divide into a handful of churches (at least) in each town?

Second, I can't believe in Christianity because I'm not even sure THEY believe in it! Supposedly, their God became flesh... died for all their sins... and rose from the dead (promising them eternal life!). But whenever I visit a church, they seem pretty subdued. And I don't mean they should be jumping on their pews... but at least have a sparkle in your eye, eh? Something isn't right here. Either Jesus rose from the dead or He didn't. Either God has done something that changes everything or He hasn't. If He has, why is church so boring? If he hasn't... well, I must conclude that he hasn't if I'm basing it off of what I see from the 'church.' More often than not it just seems like another human club.

Third, I can't believe in Christianity because Christianity doesn't seem to be making a difference. The Bible itself says that we will know the truth of something by its fruit. What is the fruit of Christianity? I don't see many churches really making a difference in their local communities. In fact, what difference would it make if churches just disappeared tomorrow? I'm not sure it would make much of difference. It might even help because, at least then, some other institution would build something on their land and pay taxes!

Of course none of my reasons for not being a Christian have much to do with Christ Himself. But why should I assume what they say about him is true? I was reading the Gospel they call John one time. Jesus was praying. He prayed that his followers would 'be one.' He prayed that his followers would 'have the full measure of his joy.' His prayer was that they be 'sent into the world.' I don't see unity. I don't see joy. I don't even see them in the world (they stick pretty much to themselves). If Jesus' prayers aren't even answered, why would I even try? If his followers can't get it right after 2,000 years, why should I pay attention. It seems to me that the supposed evidence that Jesus is alive... is dead.

How God Destroyed my American Idol

I loved sports.

I loved playing sports. I loved watching sports. I loved the NFL, NHL, and NBA. I loved college basketball and football. Eventually I even started following Major League Baseball. I would watch other sports too when my favorites weren't on. Heck, I wouldn't even pass up a good curling match (match?) on the Canadian channel.

I took pride in knowing stuff about sports. I knew all the scores, schedules and statistics. I collected the cards (indeed, pretty much any time I got money, as a kid, I spent it on packs of cards). In my free time, if I wasn't playing some sport somewhere, I was probably inside watching one (or playing the video game or, later, doing fantasy sports).

I didn't realize how much sports were part of my identity. I certainly didn't realize my love for sports had become an idol in my life. But at a most basic level, an 'idol' is simply something (other than God) that you devote your life to and center your life around. Sports had become my center, my god.

But it's not any more... and I thought it would be interesting to reflect on how that changed... to write about how God helped me to stop idolizing sports.

First, looking back, I actually wonder if one of God's prevenient graces in my life was the fact that I wasn't very talented when it came to sports. I was a late developer (mostly because I didn't realize I had poor vision for quite a while, and then resisted wearing my glasses as long as possible). But even after I developed, I was never great at sports. I had my moments, but it was clear I was never going to be a star athlete. Perhaps God protected me from falling even more deeply into idolatry by not gifting me in these ways, but this is pure speculation.

Second, I came in contact with a greater god, the one true God. I was 17 when I really understood, for the first time, the bigness of God, what God had done for me, and what God wanted to do in my life. I don't think one even has the capacity to get rid of an 'idol,' until something greater comes along (even if it turns out to be just another idol), so my surrender to God was essential to overcoming idolatry. But beginning to truly worship God did not automatically destroy my idols any more than entering the Promised Land destroyed Canaanite high places for ancient Israel. Like I said, at that point, I didn't even know sports was an idol in my life.

Third, God put me in touch with a little article by Keith Drury titled "God #2" (link below). Drury asked me to think about how sports had set itself up, in American culture, as a competing God and how many Christian men were treating it as a god without realizing it. I'd like to say that Drury's questions were enough to convict me into repentance of my own idolatry. But the truth is, I was only impressed with his insight and saw the article as a helpful tool to use in order to confront other men with this issue (you know, the ones who REALLY struggled with sports idolatry).

Fourth, I was invited to be part of a short-term mission trip to China. What does that have to do with sports? Well, it was my internal reaction to the invitation that ultimately alerted me to the fact that sports was not just an idol, but MY idol. My first thought upon being invited was... what sporting events will I miss? At that point I realized that I dreaded missing March Madness... or even the NFL Draft... MORE than I delighted in serving the real God.

Breaking the sports IDOL took more than just awareness that sports was a god in my life. It took turning from sports and toward China. It also took time. In the years following that first trip to China, I found myself less and less dedicated to sports. It wasn't that I started hating sports. I started liking sports instead of loving sports. Sports became the thing that it is, and stopped being the center of my life and an object of devotion. I didn't get upset when I missed my favorite team play. I cared less whether they won or lost. I spent less time on fantasy sports and basically no money on memorabilia.

Demolished as an idol, sports has become a tool. I use sports as a point of connection for fellowship. Sports is a fun hobby. I enjoy sports for the lessons it can teach me about God and His kingdom (which are many). I like sports a lot. But I love God.

http://www.drurywriting.com/keith/sports.htm