This is not a new concept, thought or even self-critique from others. Matter of fact it sounds like some trendy, hip, progressive, post-modern, (whatever is cool to say these days in christianity) saying. But it has been something i've been thinking about for about a year now. Sara said this(the title) to me a few weeks ago and I have not been able to let it leave my thoughts. And the statement, "i do not believe in Jesus" is followed up by, "because if I did my life would not look like it does." This thought became more heightened on the heels of the tornado on the north side of minneapolis and across the midwest and south. specifically thought in north mpls, the tornado struck one of the most poverty stricken areas in minneapolis, leaving people with, in some cases, nothing. so what should my response to this be? go help clean up? and if so, go everyday? should my job be a priority or should helping others be a focus? give money? pray? secure my home and possessions?
another example is the way in which we live in America. How can any of us say we truly believe in Jesus and live the way we do? I will be the first to blame myself for not living how I think Jesus said I should. And what am I willing to do about it? Am I saying to God that I am following Jesus to the point of comfortability and the moment I fear or become uncomfortable, I acquiesce to what I want to do and the way I want to live. How can I fully believe in Christ and then own the things I do? Is the Bible and the story of Jesus more radical than we want to believe, I think so. Stephen Colbert, though his MO is more to be funny, he said something pretty profound that I have shared in the past that I think pertains to this post. He said on his show "If this is going to be a Christian nation that doesn't help the poor, either we have to pretend that Jesus was just as selfish as we are, or we've got to acknowledge that He commanded us to love the poor and serve the needy without condition and then admit that we just don't want to do it."
(I have posted this video in the previous post.)
These are just my thoughts. What I am going to do with them, I am not sure. I would hope it moves me to change. In what direction? That is the hard part. I feel like the answer is real easy but I am self aware enough to realize I do not want to change how I feel I should. So then what does that say about me? Do I really believe in Jesus?
another example is the way in which we live in America. How can any of us say we truly believe in Jesus and live the way we do? I will be the first to blame myself for not living how I think Jesus said I should. And what am I willing to do about it? Am I saying to God that I am following Jesus to the point of comfortability and the moment I fear or become uncomfortable, I acquiesce to what I want to do and the way I want to live. How can I fully believe in Christ and then own the things I do? Is the Bible and the story of Jesus more radical than we want to believe, I think so. Stephen Colbert, though his MO is more to be funny, he said something pretty profound that I have shared in the past that I think pertains to this post. He said on his show "If this is going to be a Christian nation that doesn't help the poor, either we have to pretend that Jesus was just as selfish as we are, or we've got to acknowledge that He commanded us to love the poor and serve the needy without condition and then admit that we just don't want to do it."
(I have posted this video in the previous post.)
These are just my thoughts. What I am going to do with them, I am not sure. I would hope it moves me to change. In what direction? That is the hard part. I feel like the answer is real easy but I am self aware enough to realize I do not want to change how I feel I should. So then what does that say about me? Do I really believe in Jesus?
Okay, so I had a whole long reply written for you, but it got deleted while logging into my wordpress account to post the comment.
ReplyDeleteWith that said, let me paraphrase for you:
I also have been thinking these same things lately. Especially while reading through Jurgen Moltmann's 'The Crucified God', where in chapter two he talks specifically about the radical nature of the cross, Jesus, the life of the apostles and the martyrs soon after the death of Jesus. All that to say, it has made me realize that what many of us in the US (and other places in the world) call Christian, simply looks nothing like it.
So here is the question: What does following Jesus really look like today? Because obviously it cannot look the same as it did then: we have a very different set of circumstances for which we live in, and a whole new set of powers that people are up against.
So, while I have no answers for any of this, know this: you are not alone in your confusion about all of this. Not alone at all.