Live.Awake

Domesticated Christians?

// July 11th, 2007 // Church Life

Nathan Rice recently posted an article that got me thinking. I wonder if one of the reasons Christians often get so defensive (or downright angry) when their belief system is challenged is that they simply are not used to it.

Christianity has been the top dog for a long time in this country. Homosexuality was an underground lifestyle. Abortions were something to be ashamed of. Kids prayed in school even if they were Buddists at home. Courtrooms often had the ten commandments on the wall. Everyone went to church even if they didn’t believe. It was hard to tell the difference between a pharisee and a disciple. No one talked about their faith in public circles, especially if it was other than Christian.

Things have shifted a lot in recent years. Immigration and globalization has brought more differing religions into our communities. Post modern thought has made it much more acceptable to discuss faith and religion publicly. In fact, it may be more acceptable to talk about atheism, buddhism, etc than it is to talk about Christianity now. Homosexuality is portrayed as normal on tv. Kids don’t pray in schools. The ten commandments have been pulled. Times have changed.

I don’t think the church has reacted well by and large. It’s as though we’ve allowed our time on the top to weaken us. Our spiritual muscles have atrophied. We’ve forgotten what it’s like to live in the wild. Like domesticated dogs, we’ve lost our ability to survive outside our air conditioned cages and canned food. When we get challenged outside the safety of our churches, we don’t know how to react. We fall back on what seems safe to us: religious platitudes and dogmatic proclamations that mean nothing to a non-christian. When faced with our own impotence, we retreat back to the safety of our fortress-churches never to venture out again.

I’ve been there. I’ve done this. I’ve felt the fear of the challenge. I’ve retreated many times. But I’ve learned that the fear is nothing but a mirage. A spector of light and shadow with no substance. I’ve learned that my faith is real because my God is great. I’ve learned that it is possible to discuss faith, religion, God and the rest with someone else in a way that builds relationship and communicates the love of Christ.

Certainly none of us have arrived in this regard. But I think it’s time we venture out into the wild once again.

[tags]christianity, church, evangelism, post modernism, faith, religion, discussion[/tags]