What makes a 'Good Christian'?
I lead a bible study for young adults (Real young adults, 13-18, not church young adults, 25 - 35). In this bible study, we don't go through a workbook with assigned readings, and I try to keep my preaching to a minimum (read that, I don't preach at all). Instead what we do is this: In the prior week we all read the same two or three chapters of whatever book of the bible we are working on, then we get together and talk about what it meant or means to us. We also ask questions, and while our questions (and answers) are often different, we still learn a great deal from the answers.
So during one of these sessions, I had just finished sharing what this particular section meant to me. My good friend and disciple* Sam asked me, "When I read this (the bible), I don't think of this same kind of stuff. Does that make me a bad christian? "
I told him no, it didn't make him a bad christian, that being a good christian isn't having all the right phrases or words or ideas, or being able to quote the bible chapter and verse verbatim, but that it was something else.
If I had to isolate one question that 'christian' churches have failed miserably at answering, this would be it. It can be asked or thought in different ways, for example "How can I be a good christian" or, "If I do/think/say does this make me a bad christian".
These are the questions that people new and old to the faith struggle with every day, and the answers that the churches give us are the answers that make us say I don't think I want to be a christian.
People come to services on Sunday seeking answers, yes, but usually the answers that they seek are not about God, or the traditions of the church, or the facets of belief that separate your denomination from the others. People come to church wanting to know about themselves, about how they fit into the cosmos, into the bigger plan of things. People want to know if they have screwed up so badly that even God cannot love them. People want to know what gives their lives meaning.
And the meaning the church gives them is a stale, rotten substitute for what the truth is. For along time, I wouldn't call myself a christian, even though I believed in Jesus, and God and all that. I just didn't want people to associate me with the mess churches have made (I still struggle with that in a lot of ways. I was filling out a profile for a forum, and I put shepherd instead of pastor for the same reason).
Some churches help you to feel good about yourself by pointing out how awful the other sinners are: "We are sinners saved by grace, but they! They are just sinners! Look at them sin!"
Some churches help you to feel like you have an important role in the tradition of the church: "You may now wear a robe and carry this candle!"
Some churches help you to feel intellectually superior: "Learn all these traditions, and special words like orthodoxy, orthopraxy, sanctification, and you too will be wise and welcome in the kingdom of God!"
Every (protestant) church I have been to has a discipleship class. The funny thing about this is discipleship isn't learned in a class. The definition of the word is, yes (although I would argue incorrectly). Similarly being a christian is not something you learn in a class, or a sunday school, or a bible college.
Being a christian, a real christian, a good christian, is not performance driven. In fact, this is (in my mind) the main thing that separates it from other world religions. Being a christian is not saying or knowing the right things. Being a christian boils down to two things: 1) Having a belief in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. 2) Taking that belief and applying it to our daily lives, and accepting the change it will require.
I would like to clarify some things now:
Having doubts about your faith does not make you a bad christian. Having questions about your faith doesn't make you bad. Slipping up and calling your sister a bitch doesn't make you a bad christian (a bad person, yes... just kidding). Not believing everything they teach at the church down the road doesn't make you a bad christian.
Believing everything they teach at the church down the road doesn't make you a good christian. Having a special parking spot for giving the most money to your church doesn't make you a good christian. Wearing a WWJD bracelet or putting an ichthus (that is the wire outline of a fish) on your car doesn't make you a good christian.
We don't magically become perfect when we become christian. I wish we did. We don't magically have everything go our way when we become christian. I desperately wish it did. And despite what Joel Olsteen preaches, you do not suddenly become rich when you are a good enough christian.
Look at how we judge each other. "Oh he can't be a christian, he smokes." or "She can't be a christian she swears." or "He can't be a christian he has sex." It isn't that these things are good (or bad, in and of themselves). It's that these are not the things that identify christians. We don't suddenly get perfect.
If you are interested in becoming a good christian, the best way to do it is to find someone you trust, respect, and look up to (it will be helpful if they are a christian). Follow that person around, and ask them questions. Argue with them. When you feel like everything is fucked up and you don't want anything to do with God, or His 'church', tell them. Tell them the ways that things christians believe don't make sense. You can also have these kinds of discussions with God. He is a big boy, he can handle it.
If you are interested in growing and nurturing people into good christians, seek someone out and invest your life into them. Listen to them when they do all of the things in the last paragraph, and lovingly help them through. It does not mean you give them all the answers, in fact, sometimes you will hold answers back so they will learn. It doesn't matter if they are "saved" or not, this is how we are supposed to love people.
*This is discipleship. Strangely enough it is also evangelism. Even stranger, this is what we are commanded to do: Go and make disciples of the nations.
Please check out live from the source.
So during one of these sessions, I had just finished sharing what this particular section meant to me. My good friend and disciple* Sam asked me, "When I read this (the bible), I don't think of this same kind of stuff. Does that make me a bad christian? "
I told him no, it didn't make him a bad christian, that being a good christian isn't having all the right phrases or words or ideas, or being able to quote the bible chapter and verse verbatim, but that it was something else.
If I had to isolate one question that 'christian' churches have failed miserably at answering, this would be it. It can be asked or thought in different ways, for example "How can I be a good christian" or, "If I do/think/say does this make me a bad christian".
These are the questions that people new and old to the faith struggle with every day, and the answers that the churches give us are the answers that make us say I don't think I want to be a christian.
People come to services on Sunday seeking answers, yes, but usually the answers that they seek are not about God, or the traditions of the church, or the facets of belief that separate your denomination from the others. People come to church wanting to know about themselves, about how they fit into the cosmos, into the bigger plan of things. People want to know if they have screwed up so badly that even God cannot love them. People want to know what gives their lives meaning.
And the meaning the church gives them is a stale, rotten substitute for what the truth is. For along time, I wouldn't call myself a christian, even though I believed in Jesus, and God and all that. I just didn't want people to associate me with the mess churches have made (I still struggle with that in a lot of ways. I was filling out a profile for a forum, and I put shepherd instead of pastor for the same reason).
Some churches help you to feel good about yourself by pointing out how awful the other sinners are: "We are sinners saved by grace, but they! They are just sinners! Look at them sin!"
Some churches help you to feel like you have an important role in the tradition of the church: "You may now wear a robe and carry this candle!"
Some churches help you to feel intellectually superior: "Learn all these traditions, and special words like orthodoxy, orthopraxy, sanctification, and you too will be wise and welcome in the kingdom of God!"
Every (protestant) church I have been to has a discipleship class. The funny thing about this is discipleship isn't learned in a class. The definition of the word is, yes (although I would argue incorrectly). Similarly being a christian is not something you learn in a class, or a sunday school, or a bible college.
Being a christian, a real christian, a good christian, is not performance driven. In fact, this is (in my mind) the main thing that separates it from other world religions. Being a christian is not saying or knowing the right things. Being a christian boils down to two things: 1) Having a belief in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. 2) Taking that belief and applying it to our daily lives, and accepting the change it will require.
I would like to clarify some things now:
Having doubts about your faith does not make you a bad christian. Having questions about your faith doesn't make you bad. Slipping up and calling your sister a bitch doesn't make you a bad christian (a bad person, yes... just kidding). Not believing everything they teach at the church down the road doesn't make you a bad christian.
Believing everything they teach at the church down the road doesn't make you a good christian. Having a special parking spot for giving the most money to your church doesn't make you a good christian. Wearing a WWJD bracelet or putting an ichthus (that is the wire outline of a fish) on your car doesn't make you a good christian.
We don't magically become perfect when we become christian. I wish we did. We don't magically have everything go our way when we become christian. I desperately wish it did. And despite what Joel Olsteen preaches, you do not suddenly become rich when you are a good enough christian.
Look at how we judge each other. "Oh he can't be a christian, he smokes." or "She can't be a christian she swears." or "He can't be a christian he has sex." It isn't that these things are good (or bad, in and of themselves). It's that these are not the things that identify christians. We don't suddenly get perfect.
If you are interested in becoming a good christian, the best way to do it is to find someone you trust, respect, and look up to (it will be helpful if they are a christian). Follow that person around, and ask them questions. Argue with them. When you feel like everything is fucked up and you don't want anything to do with God, or His 'church', tell them. Tell them the ways that things christians believe don't make sense. You can also have these kinds of discussions with God. He is a big boy, he can handle it.
If you are interested in growing and nurturing people into good christians, seek someone out and invest your life into them. Listen to them when they do all of the things in the last paragraph, and lovingly help them through. It does not mean you give them all the answers, in fact, sometimes you will hold answers back so they will learn. It doesn't matter if they are "saved" or not, this is how we are supposed to love people.
*This is discipleship. Strangely enough it is also evangelism. Even stranger, this is what we are commanded to do: Go and make disciples of the nations.
Please check out live from the source.