The Sound of the Underground
UPDATE: This post has gotten a lot of attention lately, primarily by people who want to say that I'm "bashing" the word "Christian". Before you read it, please understand that I was not trying to bash anyone, or the beliefs they hold dear. I don't want to spoil the plot, but I will say that my point in this post was to open our eyes to the way we Christians are seen by the world, and to prayerfully consider if these things are a result of actual righteousness and Christlikeness, or if they are simply cultural. If it is the former, then we should continue to stand with Christ, and not be surprised when the world hates us, because it hated him first. But if it is the latter, I truly believe we should reconsider the ways our sub-culture has driven some from the church, instead of drawing them in. Secondly, I want to point out that I do not claim to know whether Jesus would go to a frat party or a gay bookstore, or whether he would drink a beer. I simply state that "I would not be surprised," because, from what I know of Jesus, he made a sincere effort to socialize and associate with "sinners". Also, there is at least a decent chance (and nothing in scripture to refute) that he, being a first century Jew, drank fermented wine, however sparingly. Finally, I must say that I do regret having offended some people with my harsh language. Since the time this was written I have attempted to speak and write much more clearly and graciously. Please consider all these things as you read the following post.
I’m through being a Christian.
Christian: (n) An adherent to the western religious paradigm known as Christianity, identified by numerous cultural indicators, including: mandatory attendance at weekly religious performances, neat and tidy appearance, chipper attitude, straight-ticket Republican loyalty, big house less than 25 years old in an excellent school district, well-dressed and well-behaved children, homogenous circle of friends, SUV or minivan ownership, abstention from alcohol, tobacco and crude speech, upwardly mobile, and others of the like. Common usage: “I can’t let my family find out that my boyfriend got me pregnant; they’re Christians.” “I don’t want to work Sundays anymore; Christians are the worst tippers.” “Christians think that they can start a war, and God is always on their side.” (Source: The Non-Christian Worldview Dictionary.)
I don’t know very many Christians that would look at that definition and say proudly, “yep, that’s us!” But face it, this is the way the world has defined Christianity.Sunday after Sunday we ask ourselves the same questions: “Why aren’t more non-Christians coming to church?” and “Why aren’t more people getting saved?”
Because we’ve asked them to become Christians, and they have no desire to be brainwashed into fitting the above profile. This is Christianity to them: a cultural force, a system of religious trappings, a shame state. Have we given them reason to believe otherwise?
I was a Christian once, but now I’m done. Although I don’t think there’s anything inherently wrong with being neat and tidy, owning a new home, voting Republican, or anything else on that list (a couple of them describe me pretty well,) I have decided that I have no more interest in pleasing those who expect all these things of me. And I have even less interest in becoming known as a bad tipper, judgmental jerk, or nationalist warmonger.
By that token, I believe Jesus would be a terrible Christian. I wouldn’t be surprised one bit if he chose never to show up in church on Sunday, or had a beer at a frat party, or frequented a gay bookstore. And you know what the Christians would say? “This man doesn’t honor the Sabbath” or “This man hangs out with sinners.” Reminds me of something...
We have demanded that Jesus follow our cultural designs, while he is urging us to follow Him. He IS the counter-culture that simultaneously trumps the world, and causes us to be scorned by it. He and his true followers are rebels in every generation—they never fit in, they never settle down. They are always losing their lives to gain them, and coming in last to be first. They are CEOs sorting mail and Lieutenants on latrine duty. They are not worried about what they drive, how they look, or who they’re seen with. They do not congregate to exercise power in numbers, but to be known by their love for one another.
They are Christ-followers, and I want to be one of them.
Read "The Vision" by Pete Grieg
Labels: autobiography, culture, jesus, religion
Posted at 2:41 PM
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In a disposable society such as the one we live in, it's becoming increasingly convenient to throw things away and buy new ones, to tear down and build new rather than renovate. Efficiency and affordability have become ingrained in us by McDonaldization, the evil offspring of modernization. Goods are cheaply made these days... made to be thrown away in a few short years, months, or even days. Rather than wash food storage containers, we buy disposable ones. Rather than produce vehicles that will last 40 or 50 years, we manufacture cheap vehicles for which 10 years is a long life. Rather than build homes to last 100 or more years, we build them to last 30 or 40.
What the heck does this have to do with your post? Several renowned theologians grieve over Western culture's abandonment of accurate vocabulary, particularly when it comes to faith. They (and I) believe that when you dispose of a word due to the connotations it has acquired over the years, that this is a tragic death. That "gentleman" no longer refers to a wealthy land owner in Europe but now means a rather kind and respectful fellow is to be mourned. This is but one example of the way we have given up on the defense of good language.
Rather than throw away a word which should mean a born-again believer (and subsequently, follower) of a real God-man named Jesus of Nazareth who really raised himself from the dead, I join the ranks of many scholars and Christian leaders who have an alternative vision for Christian vocabulary. It is to reclaim the authenticity of our words... of "Christian", of "evangelical", of "church", of "holiness". If we do not learn to stop throwing away words because the world perverts them, then we will incessantly continue to have to dream up new words and increasingly lengthy strings of words to say what once could be said with a simple, accurate word. We must train ourselves not to succumb to our disposable society which lends itself to convenience.
Actually, I think convenience is often the reason why the old words keep getting used over and over again.
But as a matter of fact, I agree with you, beloved, when it comes to "Christians" using words with each other. We all should grow to understand the meaning of "sanctification" and "redemption" and "atonement" and the like.
But why on earth would the culture around us be interested in adopting our lexicon, if they don't even subscribe to our beliefs? Yes, I know that it could easily become comparable to a dog chasing his tail, always trying to replace the words that get soiled by society. But you should know as well as anyone that denotation is about the least important of all communication mechanisms. I could be wrong, but I put them in this order:
1. Body language
2. Tone of voice
3. Connotation
4. Denotation
Naturally, none of these can be discarded... they are all extremely important. Granted, number 1 is irrelevant on the phone or the radio, and numbers 1 and 2 are irrelevant in the written word.
But if we're not paying careful attention to the perceived connotations of the words we're using, we are failing to learn the language of our hearers, and thus failing to, as Paul puts it, "become all things to all men so that [we] might win some."
And I also believe that it's a good exercise for Christ-followers to always be looking for new words to describe our faith. It forces us to see it from every angle, and helps keep it from becoming stale and rote.
Will beloved268, you make a good argument but I agree with Coreman because of the following prophecy God gave to me beginning in 1976 and culminating in 1982:
God Speaks to Ariel the Summer of 1982 during the time frame that Jerry Falwell steps onto the Political Puppet Stage:
"Because these bigots have polluted the word ‘Christian’ – the term ‘Christian’ will now be replaced..."
Replaced with what? you might ask.
Answer: 'New Israel' in the New World.
More prophecy:
“New Israel (the beginning of the Messianic Age) will officially be consecrated, sanctified and commenced in a formal ceremony, right here in the New World. This will happen for the benefit of all Believers in Jesus the Christ, as Christianity evolves into New Israel.”
From this prophecy, we now know that even God wants the term “Christian” to be an antiquated term ~ historical, but antiquated.
Coreman, I think I was posting my comment when you were posting yours. So I am reading your new comment now...
I understand and agree with the main thrust of your post, coreman. However, I would like to enter a question about Jesus' character. Are there places Jesus would not go? I would argue that He would be willing and eager to engage all types of people, but would he necessarily frequent their "hangouts." For instance, I have a hard time picturing Jesus "frequenting a gay bookstore."
1. After He neglected to buy any books/magazines/materials for the 2nd or 3rd time, his continued presence in the store might be seen as an obstacle to sales than an genuinely welcome "feature" of the shop.
2. There are some activities that Jesus (or the writers of scripture)never waffled on; it is difficult to posit that homosexuality is an acceptable lifestyle from either the New or Old Testament. (Nor is prostitution, serial killing, or evading taxes, to name a few of varying "severity.")
I am NOT arguing that Jesus would be unwilling to encounter people of the "gay persuasion" (I hate that terminology and the "new" connotations of the word "gay"), but rather that he would likely approach them with the same compassion he showed the woman caught in adultery--and then encourage them to "go and sin no more."
Am I a bigot? I hope not. I hope I share this position with Jesus who is my model, sanctifier, atoner, and Lord. If I'm wrong, please explain why.
No, Disciple... I don't think you're wrong at all. I would not necessarily "expect" Jesus to frequent a gay bookstore. But based on what I know of Him, I would not be all that surprised if He did.
And it is tricky to wonder whether Jesus would buy anything there. To assume that a gay bookstore would carry nothing but rauncy propaganda is short-sighted, I believe. I think that if the clerk recommended a respectable used non-fiction book about what it's like being raised by "two daddies" then it's possible that Jesus might pay 5 bucks for it, in order to engage the clerk in that topic, and learn more about the lives of the people that surround Him.
I certainly wouldn't expect Him to spend a lot of money there, though, and be a major factor in keeping the lights on. But I don't think he would pray for them to go bankrupt, either.
AMEN to what you said, Coreman.
If the word “Christian” is turning people off (and it clearly does) it is time to move on. In 30 years, when people ask of me: “So what are you? Are you a Christian or Messianic Jew --- what?” My response has been for 3 decades: “Neither. I am a Believer in Christ and the Messianic Age that is here and is to come.”
Even if I did not know that “New Israel” is the beginning of the Messianic Age, for over 30 years (since my sister Sharon came home from New York in 1972 proclaiming Jesus as Lord & Savior) even back then the term “Christian” had a negative connotation; especially among non-Believers and especially non-Believers who happened to be Jewish.
Personally, since 1972, the term “Christian” makes me cringe. It was not until God gave me Messianic Era Prophecy that I understood why.
Back in ’76, I had a drawing framed of the Crucifixion. Just to see what the frameshop owner would say (by the way this guy’s hair was down to the middle of his back just like Christ in the picture) when I picked up this picture of Christ hanging on the Cross, I said to the frameshop owner, as he was wrapping it up for transport: “Man,,, Ancient History..” He said: “Auh Yahhhh…….yes!!!”
There is not a doubt in my mind that this person equated the Crucifixion with the term “Christian”, and he clearly thought it was “Ancient History”.
~~~~~~~~~~~~/~~~~~
To Disciple Chair:
Jesus hung out with sinners. During the time of Jesus, tax collectors were considered to be of the worst offenders, equal to prostitutes and thieves.
Quote:
“As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and “sinners” came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and ’sinners’?” On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Jesus was also called a drunk and a ‘wine bibber’; so I am sure you are right, Coreman, Jesus would not have hesitated to have a beer at a frat party.
Coreman, we keep posting around the same time...I can't keep up with your comments. Back with you later.
So you really think that Protestantism's break from the usage of Latin in worship was a good thing? Gosh, what's your problem. ;-)
Sure, translation is of utmost necessity. The argument for defense of historically utilized terminology becomes ridiculous when taken to the nth degree. I just feel that there are certain terms that, when conceded to liars and perverts, do a terrible disservice to Christ. It appalls me that, even with the word "Christian", we already have to add qualifiers to distinguish ourselves as authentic, such as "born-again" or "evangelical". It borders on insanity that one would have to say, "Well, I'm a true Christian, not to be confused with those liars who wear the Christ label but have not identified with Him in His death and resurrection."
Maybe "Christ-follower" just comes off a bit cheesy, or maybe even a bit one-uppedy. Strange as it may seem, "follower of Jesus Christ" or "disciple of Jesus Christ" rings better to my ears. But perhaps it all depends on your intonation, be it "Christ-follower" or "Christ-follower". The emphasis will determine how you come across
As I was lounging around yesterday (sick), reading, thinking a lot, this conversation popped into my mind, and all of a sudden it hit me... It's no wonder "Christ-follower" seems incomplete in describing who we are--it is incomplete. But not only is it incomplete, it's virtually insignificant apart from the truest definition of a Christian. So what's this definition? One who is in Christ.
See, it's the same difference between our identity statement and mission statement... one tells who we are, the other tells, in essence, what we do/are doing. Following Christ is what those who are in Christ do.
Of course, it's never bad to tell people you're a follower of Christ any more than it's bad that you tell them you work at Second Baptist Church or Community Partnership or Burger King. Granted, following Christ infinitely trumps all of these.
Yet you might say that when someone asks you about yourself, you're not going to tell them who you are, but rather what you do or like, where you live, who you're married to and/or the parent of, and so forth. (This, by the way, is a truly Western phenomenon.) We can't discount the importance of explaining the essence of what we do with regard to Jesus. But we also cannot neglect the larger, more preeminent reality, which is that we are members of Jesus... saints. So it stands to reason that whatever term we decide to use needs to reflect at least this preeminent reality. An "action word" doesn't quite do the trick.
Here's a thought... I know it's way out there, but just see what you think. What about the term... "Christian"? ;-P
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