Sunday, August 20, 2006
Christianity
Christianity is not merely a theology.
In fact, there are several theologies that would fall under the category of "Christianity" because of the central role Jesus Christ plays in them. Even that is beside the point.
If one takes the teachings of Christ seriously, then Christianity is a lifestyle. When Jesus says not to worry about tomorrow, Christianity is about changing the way I think about living. When Jesus says to care for the down-and-out, the widow, the orphan, and the foreigner, Christianity is about changing the way I seek justice. When Jesus says to turn the other cheek, Christianity is about changing the way I demand my personal rights. When Jesus says that it's better to pluck out my eye than to look lustily at a girl, Christianity changes the way I think about right and wrong. When Jesus says "come to me all of you who are weary...and I will give you rest," Christianity is about changing the way I view independence. When Jesus says to seek primarily after God's Kingdom, Christianity is about changing my entire focus.
When Jesus declares himself the son of God and declares that the only way to God is through himself, Christianity becomes more than a lifestyle change. It becomes something that affects every moment of life and every fiber of being.
Hebrew, or Jewish, beliefs established the concept that man once had friendly relations with God, but that due to direct disobedience of a simple guideline, humans found themselves in a place where their imperfection could no longer exist in God's presence. So that God set up a series of laws that, if kept, would allow him to have friendly relations again with humans, laws that required a blood debt for repayment when people disobeyed them. The system had a lot of faults. Well, it had one: that people kept disobeying the laws. After a while people just started depending on the repayment part of the law and stopped caring whether or not they did good or bad things. That's not how the system was supposed to work.
Christian beliefs would step in here and say that God had a better plan so that he could keep up friendly relations with humans. The sacrifices that were being offered were imperfect animals sacrificed by imperfect priests EVERY YEAR for the community at large, besides the sacrifices made for invidual sins (or "crimes"). So God sent himself in human form to be among his humans. And while he was there he fell down and scraped his knee, experienced betrayal, showed love, taught the people how to get back on track from their legalistic interpretations of the guidelines God had set for them, and offered himself as sacrifice to pay the blood debt that the humans owed.
Christianity would say that this offering, this sacrifice freed us from the debt owed and gives us the freedom to pursue God and his goodness. It would say that just like Jesus, God in human form, died and came back to life, we can end our current struggles against that thing within us that makes us do the things we know we shouldn't do, and lets us begin anew in a fresh life that can choose to seek goodness. It would say in the way that he ascended from Earth, we have been given new strengths in the presence of God in us to bring about a goodness here on Earth.
And that should change everything. It's more than belief in God and the afterlife. It's more than (if it can even be considered) a moral code. It's more than a way of thinking. It's a way of doing. It's not something that leads us to hate; it's something that causes springs of love to overflow into every part of life.
And I think that if the presence of God is heaven, a place where only goodness happens, and God is living in us, as followers of Jesus, then we have been given the strength and guidance to bring about heaven on earth. A place where the needs of the needy are met. A place where no human, plant or animal would ever be mistreated. A place where disagreements are settled and peace is prevelent. And I think that's what God wants. I think that seeking after this kind of kingdom, first and foremost, a kingdom where God's will is followed, would cause all these things to happen. And I think that's what God had in mind from the beginning. And I think that if everyone did this, God could again be present among us. And that's what I want. And that's why I would want to call myself a follower of Christ.
In fact, there are several theologies that would fall under the category of "Christianity" because of the central role Jesus Christ plays in them. Even that is beside the point.
If one takes the teachings of Christ seriously, then Christianity is a lifestyle. When Jesus says not to worry about tomorrow, Christianity is about changing the way I think about living. When Jesus says to care for the down-and-out, the widow, the orphan, and the foreigner, Christianity is about changing the way I seek justice. When Jesus says to turn the other cheek, Christianity is about changing the way I demand my personal rights. When Jesus says that it's better to pluck out my eye than to look lustily at a girl, Christianity changes the way I think about right and wrong. When Jesus says "come to me all of you who are weary...and I will give you rest," Christianity is about changing the way I view independence. When Jesus says to seek primarily after God's Kingdom, Christianity is about changing my entire focus.
When Jesus declares himself the son of God and declares that the only way to God is through himself, Christianity becomes more than a lifestyle change. It becomes something that affects every moment of life and every fiber of being.
Hebrew, or Jewish, beliefs established the concept that man once had friendly relations with God, but that due to direct disobedience of a simple guideline, humans found themselves in a place where their imperfection could no longer exist in God's presence. So that God set up a series of laws that, if kept, would allow him to have friendly relations again with humans, laws that required a blood debt for repayment when people disobeyed them. The system had a lot of faults. Well, it had one: that people kept disobeying the laws. After a while people just started depending on the repayment part of the law and stopped caring whether or not they did good or bad things. That's not how the system was supposed to work.
Christian beliefs would step in here and say that God had a better plan so that he could keep up friendly relations with humans. The sacrifices that were being offered were imperfect animals sacrificed by imperfect priests EVERY YEAR for the community at large, besides the sacrifices made for invidual sins (or "crimes"). So God sent himself in human form to be among his humans. And while he was there he fell down and scraped his knee, experienced betrayal, showed love, taught the people how to get back on track from their legalistic interpretations of the guidelines God had set for them, and offered himself as sacrifice to pay the blood debt that the humans owed.
Christianity would say that this offering, this sacrifice freed us from the debt owed and gives us the freedom to pursue God and his goodness. It would say that just like Jesus, God in human form, died and came back to life, we can end our current struggles against that thing within us that makes us do the things we know we shouldn't do, and lets us begin anew in a fresh life that can choose to seek goodness. It would say in the way that he ascended from Earth, we have been given new strengths in the presence of God in us to bring about a goodness here on Earth.
And that should change everything. It's more than belief in God and the afterlife. It's more than (if it can even be considered) a moral code. It's more than a way of thinking. It's a way of doing. It's not something that leads us to hate; it's something that causes springs of love to overflow into every part of life.
And I think that if the presence of God is heaven, a place where only goodness happens, and God is living in us, as followers of Jesus, then we have been given the strength and guidance to bring about heaven on earth. A place where the needs of the needy are met. A place where no human, plant or animal would ever be mistreated. A place where disagreements are settled and peace is prevelent. And I think that's what God wants. I think that seeking after this kind of kingdom, first and foremost, a kingdom where God's will is followed, would cause all these things to happen. And I think that's what God had in mind from the beginning. And I think that if everyone did this, God could again be present among us. And that's what I want. And that's why I would want to call myself a follower of Christ.
# posted by Adam @ 3:30 PM 
