Dropping everything to go teach in a Biblical studies course is not something that many people of my age would be very eager to do, but I did it. Now why on earth would I do that?
Well, the short of it is, I do this in the hope of the betterment of both Christians and Non Christians alike.
Now before you go thinking that this is some kind over-zealous evangelistic crusade, let me explain.
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A while back I was listening to an episode of CBC’s Ideas, and this particular episode was on the Freedom to Believe. In this episode, Micheal Coren gave a very interesting perspective on the Secular State, during which he made some observations about Christianity that I felt spoke right to the heart of why I am doing what I’m doing.
“Today, if we think for a few moments. What is a Christian? As a Canadian, when I think of Christianity what do I think about? What is the belief system of a Christian?
Well I'd like to think you'd say - ‘Oh, it's a person who believes in love and justice and tolerance and turning the other cheek and social reformation and the redistribution of wealth’ - but I bet you don’t.
I bet you think - ‘They’re opposed to abortion aren't they? And sex ed is not their thing. And equal marriage, well they wouldn't call it that, would they? Euthanasia, that's another one of their issues.’
And you know what, if that is your conclusion, I have complete sympathy, because that is often all that I hear as a Christian, from politicized Christians.”
Micheal Coren on CBC’s Ideas - Five Freedoms: The Freedom to Believe
I first heard this on the radio while driving, and I soon as I got home I found the episode online and I listened to this part over and over, slowly digesting every detail of what he was saying. This is the reputation that Christianity often has in the West, and much like Mr. Coren, I completely sympathize - heck I empathize, with those who carry this opinion. And although many conservative, politicized Christians would feel victimized by this reputation, I believe North American Christianity has brought this reputation upon themselves.
So how the heck did it get this way guys? How did a group of people, called to love their neighbours, get to be known as a bunch of anal retentive jerks?
Well, to answer that question fully, I’d probably have to go through a bunch of Church History for you, but we just don’t have the time for that, so I’ll give you a quick summary of my theory. I think many Christians in the West have completely lost their bearings. Outside the physical building of the church, and even sometimes within, they have completely abandoned the core principles of the faith. They care more about being heard on what they think, than seen for what they believe.
What frightens me more, is that the repercussions of this two-faced religious act affects more than the Christians. When Christians neglect their core principles; to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with their God, it affects everyone around them.
How did we lose sight of the basics? Well, I think a large part of it is that a vast majority of Western Christians have neglected their personal responsibility of educating themselves on what the Christian faith is all about. That’s right, personal responsibility. Of those Christians that have chosen to remain involved in the church, many believe that it is the responsibility of their Pastor/Clergy to educate them. However, I would argue that is only partly true. Although Christian leaders play a part in the education of their congregations, there is a personal responsibility that all Christians bear in their own education.
Why might you ask? Two main reasons;
1. To hold ourselves accountable
2. To hold each other (other Christians) accountable
Pastors, clergy, and other Christian leaders don’t always get it right. They are fallible human beings just like you and I. But how are you supposed to know if they are wrong, if you haven’t done the research yourself? Where is the standard that you are supposed to hold them and yourselves up to?
Well, if you’re a Christian, those answers can be found in the Bible.
I know. That probably seems like the most old fashioned thing for me to say, but I’ll say it anyways, because I strongly believe it to be true.
If the thought of reading the Bible seems like a gruelling task, don’t worry, I get, and I’ve been there. Let’s be honest, the Bible is not always the most exciting book to read. It is very easy to see the Bible as a long, droning book of rules which occasionally treats you with an inspirational quote, or some HBO level drama.
This is mainly because it was not written with a 21st Century audience in mind. It was written by many different authors during a period of 1600 years, over 1800 years ago. It is often talking about places most people have never been, and practices that most people have never seen. So if the Bible seems old fashioned, well that could be because it is very old in its fashion.
Yet despite its age, millions of Christians over centuries have believed this book to possess timeless principles that we can apply to our lives today. Principles that make up the core of the Christian faith. But in order for one to actually learn what is still applicable in there for us today, one has to actually read the Bible. Even then, further research is often required to understand the cultural contexts that it was written in. But rarely do we go to that effort.
Instead, Christians have stopped reading the very words and testimony the faith was founded on. Christians have been content with letting others summarize the Bible for them, or neglected it all together. Some of those who do actually read it, twist the Bible to fit their own agendas, or they have so little knowledge of the history behind the Bible that their ignorance twists the Bible just as badly.
When this happens, it becomes very easy for the church to cause a lot of damage, to Christians and Non-Christians alike.
Now I want to be clear, this is not a problem that plagues every single church or every single Christian, but it is a problem none-the-less. It is a problem that has troubled me greatly. It has broken my heart to hear stories of Christians allowing wrong to be done in the name of the church, rather than promoting love and justice. And that is a large part of why I do, what I do today.
I do my best not only to study the Bible for myself, but to train other Christians in how to read it, so that we can fulfill our own personal responsibilities of knowing what we stand for and how to stand for it. I do this in hopes that we can each do our very best to do justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with our God. Because our own personal convictions about our faith effect not only ourselves, but can effect all of those around us.
So if you’re a Christian, pick up your Bible and learn how to read it. The world is watching.
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