seethrough

i enjoyed reading Matt’s comments on prayer: Prayer: What’s the point and also some of the comments he received. While I find engagement with so-called “Atheists” energising and fascinating (they have usually thought abour their position far more thoroughly than most Theists have…) I am always curious about the experience of defining oneself by a negation - A-Theist… i.e. NOT-Theist. As a Christ-follower I define myself by what I am for. I am for the values that are embodied in the life and teaching of Jesus. An Atheist, presumably believes in something. I’m curious to know what an “A-Theist” has faith in (it’s not God, of course…)

here are my thoughts, posted on Matt’s blog:

you guys certainly spend a lot of time (and much passion) arguing against something that you regard as pointless.i think it’s pointless to argue against something that is pointless.

i’m wondering what you are FOR. how would you define your position if it weren’t for religion? i.e. what is an “atheist” without theism?

have you factored into your reasoning the role of experience? for some, REALITY is not primarily constituted by physical existence alone. when i speak to you i have FAITH that there is something out there that i am interacting with. I have no proof of that. it could all be part of my own dream. but what I can’t deny is the EXPERIENCE of interaction, conversation, relationship. i would argue that my conversation with you and Prayer require exactly the same kind of “faith” - neither of them are more real or provable than the other.

the more significant thing for me is: what do i experience through the act of communication… (whether it is with you or with “God”)

i am enjoying writing this comment. it helps me to clarify my own position and it holds the possibility of surprising conversation (a response that makes me reconsider…) i.e. it’s a good experience.

I enjoy praying. for a variety of reasons. your saying “it’s pointless” a) won’t diminish the significance of the experience for me and b) simply stands in constrast to my assertion that it definitely has a “point” for me.

in fact, to claim that something is “pointless” suggests that the entity doing the claiming knows what IS NOT POINTLESS.

so, please let me know. what IS NOT POINTLESS? (so that I can reflect on how appealing the rational world you live in really is…)

thanks! for a cool post

Yes and No

if by “Christian” you mean a person who has put their faith in Jesus Christ, then ok, yes, I am a Christian.

but there are so many problems with the term “Christian” that I’d rather use a different way to speak about my faith. I’m not very original on this one! Authors like Gordon MacDonald, Trevor Hudson, Dallas Willard and others have for some time preferred the term “Christ-follower”. The truth is that the term “Christian” has become associated with so much that is definitely not what I have faith in, that it doesn’t seem appropriate for me to use the term anymore.

a few reasons:

1. the term “Christian” is static. it sounds like a destination or an achievement. the early followers of Jesus (after he had left them) were most commonly referred to as “people of the Way” (e.g. Acts 9:2) This, along with other New Testament terms, like “believer”, are far more active. Christ-follower is another term which expresses that this is a decision which will impact on every moment, every decision, every circumstance… It’s the very opposite of static.
2. the term “Christian” has become associated with moral judgement. When you ask some very faithful Church people “Are you a Christian?” they actually hesitate before answering! The reason is fairly noble. Because “Christian” has so often been associated with moral judgement - it almost feels arrogant to proclaim proudly “I am a Christian!” - it’s almost like saying “I am a very good person!”
   I don’t want to have to hesitate when asked about my faith in Jesus.
   I also don’t want to be misunderstood as arrogant. So, I prefer the question “have you decided to follow Jesus?” or “have you felt the need to follow Jesus?” The answer is simple and clear. There is no judgement. It’s a matter of fact question about a person’s faith allegience. I am a follower of Jesus - a Christ-follower. And proud to say so!
3. In a similar vein - the term “Christian” doesn’t say what it means. Just like some people try to “Christen” their children, when coming for infant baptism (what does it mean to “Christen” someone????) in the same way Christian is somehow associated by some as a default option that has to do with cultural practices and family traditions. Now I have no objection to leading a funeral service of anyone! (even if they have no church connections) but assuming that because you are not Muslim or Jewish or Buddhist, you are therefore “Christian” makes the term something that has no attraction for me at all. Just as there are probably nominal Muslims and nominal Jews and nominal Buddhists, there are most certainly nominal Christians who regard the label as something that defines them along with which sports club they belong to and the charities that they support. No problem. They are welcome to the term then. I am not interested in nominal Christianity.

I experience Jesus as the most challenging teacher and formidable Leader. He is the Passionate Guide who opens the heavens and lets me glimpse the Dream of God for all creation. That Kin’dom vision - that powerful experience of Grace and Love has captured my soul. It’s everything now. Others may experience it differently, but for me it’s all or nothing. I can’t think about that all-embracing Dream of God and then turn around and go back to things “as they were”. Nothing will every be the same again… I’m a believer! I’m a sinner with a second chance. I’m a privileged partner with God (only because he invited me). I’m loved and accepted completely. And it’s only just beginning to sink in. The all emracing arms of a Loving God, reaching out to all creation with gentleness and compassion - it keeps me awake at night!

(I wonder how this post sounds to the reader… I don’t think of myself as a “jesus freak” kind of person, and yet reading this might make a skeptic take a few steps back… I just think that passionate faith in Jesus, his teaching, his example, his life, his death, his Way… doesn’t have to equate to a Bible-punching, gay-bashing, bigoted, closed-minded life. I am passionate about Jesus, and it’s a head AND a heart thing.)

So, I will answer to the term “Christ-follower”. Unashamedly. He’s touched my heart, and he’s challenged my thinking… most importantly he’s got me reconsidering what I want from this life. That’s why I have decided to follow…

I was recently asked to participate in a meeting where senior leaders of the various major faiths, along with a secular humanist, spoke about spirituality from their perspective.

The Mufti, Siraj Desai spoke about Muslim spirituality - the quest to reconstruct the link with God. He said that Islam is “not a religion, but a way of life.”

Chuck Volpe spoke about the value of acknowledging human achievement throughout history. Although he claimed no faith, I thought he showed tremendous faith in the human potential, as well as a strong faith in the essential goodness of reason as a “tool” for humanity to use.

I then presented a short paper which I hoped would express the basics of christian spirituality, as well as some personal convictions, in a fresh and interesting way.

Read my presentation here: Christian Spirituality.doc
(go here for a pdf version)