Monday, April 02, 2007

Living in a Land of Make Believe

"Narrow is the way to life and those that find it are few."
So said the Lord Christ.
"But Christianity is one of the world's leading religions"
So said you, correcting your Lord's dark mutterings.
If you decide not to correct the Lord (as I have decided) there is some 'splainin' to do. What are all these souls cumbering the pews of Christendom actually up to?
They are, for a large part, playing make believe. It is hard for someone who truly believes to see and understand that some of the most intense defenders of that belief are just playing religion and have happened to choose the true one to play. But pretending it is true is a sight different from faith. This is how faithful young people growing up in the youth group and a Christian home walk away from it so easily when they reach college. The little girls are all done playing "daddy's little chastity princess" and the young men find more important games to play. The parents keep on playing that game until their sexual needs in conflict propels them to deny the faith if just to get out of their marriage. This is why the children play the faith, pretend Christianity is all they have ever seen. So the church and the movement ramp it up. We have to make sure that the "make believe" is permanent. We will give them an entire culture, be it indie bands or colleges or prairie muffin values.

This effort is being done not just by those who don't know Jesus Christ but make believe that they do. It is also done by those who, by real faith, have passed from death to life. Why do they do it? They don't believe what Jesus said, that is why. Even the truly believing want a movement, want to win, want to keep score against the Philistines. "Hard to find", "difficult to attain", and "few achieving" are not phrases you can build a profession of ministry around. Not with a decent salary that is. How to get people on board? Step aside Jesus, we are gonna make this puppy easy to find, almost automatic to conclude, and we will be satisfied with nothing less than millions on millions buying the Jesus Extreme t-shirt.

No insistence on a movement equals no problem with the text.
Where did Jesus tell us that he came to start a movement?

The Oracle says: My father's Christianity had absolutely nothing to do with the church we attended. I believe because I saw a Man, not a Movement, who knew God. You either know Him or you are pretending to know Him.

4 comments:

Evan B. Wilson said...

Of course we should be patient and they shouldn't be elders.
I Timothy 3
[2] Now a bishop must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sensible, dignified, hospitable, an apt teacher,
[3] no drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, and no lover of money.
[4] He must manage his own household well, keeping his children submissive and respectful in every way;
[5] for if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how can he care for God's church?
[6] He must not be a recent convert, or he may be puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil;
[7] moreover he must be well thought of by outsiders, or he may fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

I am wondering whence your comment and question. It followed in no way, the post on belief. Perhaps you can make a connection for the audience?

Evan B. Wilson said...

Good answer.
I agree.

Unknown said...

Hello mr. wilson!
This is Rachel Hackwith. I wanted to let you know that I was very excited to find out you had a blog. I find what you write to be very inspiring. Thank you.

Rachel Hackwith

Evan B. Wilson said...

Rachel, Great to hear from you! Greet your parents and the sister whose blog you stole.