a friend of mine recently read a book by Richard Dawkins - The God Delusion - which has unsettled her. i think (she can correct me if i’m presenting her wrongly) it’s a good unsettledness but nevertheless, an unsettledness which is usually challenging.Dawkins is “anti-theist” - he’s not just a non-believer - he’s opposed to religion. I haven’t read the book but from various reviews and articles I gather that he includes an Appendix for those “needing support in escaping religion”. I think it’s enough to say he has an agenda. just as the Bible and other “authoritative” texts will be scrutinised for signs of personal and societal prejudices presented as “from God”, so Dawkins work - if it is to offer itself as a help to those “imprisoned in religion” - will surely be treated with the same scrutiny.
But I think the source of the unsettledness for my friend is that Dawkins makes such a strong and convincing argument for the Theory of Evolution . Christians have taken the question of “the Source of things” so for granted that this presentation of how things came to be seriously challenges old paradigms and begs the question - is there a place for faith in God in a Reality shaped by Evolutionary Progress.
so is there? it’s a challenging question! I hope to speak with my friend again and will report how she’s living with the question. but one thing that is becoming clear to me is that faith in God shouldn’t require a rejection of scientific knowledge. If we have placed our faith in something that is believed (by reasonably tested and commonly accepted scientific opinion) to be false - then we should consider the real possibility that we placed our faith in something that was not reliable (sure?) enough to be termed “God”… the faithful person (i would like to suggest the biblically faithful person) can pursue the questions of science (observation and rational inquiry) without fear of ultimately losing Faith. but - i suspect - we must expect some deep challenges to old taken-for-granted “knowledges” that prove to be no longer helpful.
i recently was challenged by a comment made by Rob Bell in a talk i have on cd - he said (something like) “if someone is searching for truth don’t stop them - even if they are searching in weird places. If they keep digging, at some point they are going to reach bed-rock, and then they’ll know they truth”. and as scripture says - the truth will set you free. He is also quoted as saying that “I affirm the truth anywhere in any religious system, in any world-view. If it’s true, it belongs to God.” [ref]
if it’s true - it belongs to God. yeah!
my son ruben is teaching me again…
elaine and I shower in the mornings. Ruben is becoming mommy and daddy’s little helper… when he hears the water stop he runs into the bathroom shouting “Doek! Doek!” (that’s afrikaans for “towel”.) He gets the towel off the rail and hands it to us… Cute!
more interesting, i was lying in bed this morning… elaine finished showering and I realised that ruben wasn’t around. Without a second thought I asked: “Elaine, can I get you a towel?”
if you ask my partner about what get’s me out of bed in the morning, she’ll tell you that there’s not much… and yet a small little routine of my son managed to move me from my comfort.
we should give some thought to the tension between Performance and Principle - where “performance” refers to the actual practice of an activity and “Principle” refers to the theory or value or motivation that supports the activity.
for a long time, i’ve been taught (and was fairly convinced) that no real “outer” change can happen without an initial “inner” change of the heart. fair enough. the theory makes sense. you have to get the Principle in place, in order to motivate the Practice…. you have to have your heart touched in order to reach out your hand in kindness… or do you?
ruben’s little “doek” routine - and it’s infectiousness - suggests that getting into a rhythm of Practice may be more effective than grasping the Principle behind it… maybe we should try getting into a Routine of Kindness and see how that affects our Theory (Principle) - and our Heart, for that matter…
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:
- 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.
- 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!
- 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…