The Awkward Questions

 

It is curious to start identifying and understanding how many things in life have been influenced or formed by Protestantism. The use of money, the approach to employment, the form of government, marriage. Romance/emotions/dating, the raising of children, appearance/fashion/modesty, the use of entertainment, housing/family connectivity, the centrality of the church, and the methodology of/labeling of crime / sin.

But one needs to step back and, with an understanding of the theological flexibility that exists in the Protestant/American Evangelical world, question the validity of these relatively new beliefs and practices. We should be asking the question, “What has the Church always believed and taught in this regard?”

Remembering Context

 

It’s all about context. When someone speaks or writes, they are writing within a cultural context, within a personal context, within historical context, and from a foundation of genetics and family influence. The million variables that make up a person cannot be fully understood by another.

Some people are open to dialog which can lead to a change of perspective, but some people are not. Simply winning an argument does not necessarily mean that you have changed the person’s mind. Someone will not be convinced of their logical or historical errors simply by being shown that they are wrong, especially if that error is used as a weapon to humiliate them.  

Putting our effort into understanding someone else’s perspective is vastly superior to simply proving them wrong. Learning to ask the right questions, especially of ourselves will lead to growth and deeper understanding. Being willing to admit that we don't have all the answers and that someone else's perspective may be valuable will move us and others ahead.

Reinventing the Wheel

 

I would say that it is odd that so many people identify as “spiritual but not religious” but this mentality fits perfectly with the Protestant idea of individualism. Because this idea is the foundation to Western culture, what we are seeing today is the fruit of that misguided thought. It began en masse when Luther and Calvin went solo from the church in Rome. There is no argument that the Roman church had greatly deviated from the historic Christian faith.

Instead of trying to start a new church, Luther and Calvin (and the Anabaptists as well) should have connected with the rest of the body of Christ, that is, the churches in Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, and Constantinople/Moscow. Rome was an unfortunate deviation / break off from the rest of Christendom. The creation of Protestantism was a tragic mistake that has led to a terrible global splintering of those who take upon themselves the label of Christian.

Relationship as the Goal

 

We need to stop thinking of Christianity as a philosophical system or a book of rules to follow. Those two categories originate either from European rationalism or Old Covenant/Jewish thinking. Prior to the incarnation, men were childish and enslaved to sin and death but with Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, mankind is now free to pursue holiness and to love.

God restoring mankind to a place of freedom puts him in a place where he can have a relationship with God through the guidance of the Holy Spirit within the Church. The relationship between God and man has always been about relationship and within “the people of God”. Loving God and loving one’s neighbor is the framework we are to build our lives within. Our goal is not a checklist of “things not to do” but of loving and being loved.

The Shifting of Definitions

 

You’ve heard the metaphor of the frog in a pot of water with the temperature slowly rising. Whether or not the science is true, you understand the meaning. One only needs to think through the last one hundred years of history in the United States to see that this is exactly what is happening in our culture.

What was considered sin seventy years ago is now culturally acceptable and even considered normal.

What was a shameful situation seventy years ago, is now ‘no big deal’.

What was considered immodest seventy years ago is now regularly seen in churches and accepted as fashion.

There is no arguing that our culture influences us and when we are unaware and uneducated, we think nothing of it. Our taste in fashion, our definition of good and true, and our definition of love must not be defined by our culture but by the Church. Even though the Church does not lay out a list of rules, it does expect us to be wise and do all things according to love.

Organized Religion

 

People will say, “I have an issue with organized religion,” while I understand what they mean, the meaning of what they are saying is nonsensical. What then is the inverse of what they oppose? Unorganized religion? Chaotic religion?

They are trying to contrast personally invented “religion” against faiths that have been extant for millennia. But if one steps back and looks at the foundation for this argument, the result is less than fulfilling. They are suggesting that beliefs about eternity, about the existence of god/gods, and the multitude of philosophical questions are better answered by oneself with decades (at best) of experience and knowledge versus the millennia of experience and study by millions of people. Refusing to stand on the shoulders of the giants that came before them, they willingly truncate their potential for growth in wisdom.

Is this not the epitome of American arrogance? In essence, their argument is this. I, with my personal experience, with my very, very limited knowledge, know and understand more than the millions who have gone before me as a collective whole.

This approach is the definition of American Evangelical private interpretation. Ultimately this is about a worldview and belief system that is based on feelings, rather than objective truth, and authority outside of oneself.

Our Goal and the Results

 

We are called to love our neighbor, but we are not called to seek out being loved in return.

We are called to holiness, but we are not called to be nice.

We are told that the world will hate us.

The more holy one becomes, the less he will be like the world and the world will like him less and less.

The man who is walking the path of holiness will be seen as a fool by the culture around him.