Friday, August 22, 2008

"missional" should be implied

One word that bugs me among Christians is "missional". Christianity itself is missional. "Go and make disciples". "Faith without works is dead". Christianity is bowing one's entire being and life to the Holy God. Don't bother to tell me a ministry or church is "missional", although that's nice to hear. I'm missional. You're missional. Together, we are even more missional.

People like to point out that God doesn't despise creation, in order to emphasize that sex isn't repulsive in its proper time and place. I remind them that it also means that belief in God isn't only mystical or mental. Jesus stated that the kingdom of heaven had come. We are part of it now. We live in it now. Christianity has physical consequences. It can't help but be missional.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

the scapegoat everyone can agree on

American culture.

Apparently, regardless of a complainer's perspective or the specific, systemic societal downfall he or she complains of, American culture is to blame. If only it was more like ______, then people would act the way they should.

The sad yet amusing truth is that the accusation is somehow both simplistic and correct: American culture is in actuality brimming with subcultures and regional differences, but it is still an "invisible hand" that directs behavior. "Culture" is composed of so many pieces and assumed by so many minds that the bulk of it can't be suddenly changed. The most anyone can do is 1) produce counteracting works of culture and 2) cultivate and expand a counterculture.

And 3), remember that culture includes crucial items other than mass (crass) media. Human relationships, for instance. "Unplugging" oneself from electronic noise (this blog excepted!) is a fine way to become reacquainted with, well, reality, which Christians are called to beneficially engage in.

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Christianity without doctrine

Doctrine is divisive. This effect is intentional. To believe in doctrinal truth is also to believe in the possibility of doctrinal falsehoods. If doctrines delineate true and false, then the proponents of doctrines are similarly delineated into groups that each believe the others to be mistaken. Why can't Christians, for the sake of unity, toss all that stuff out the window?

Picture what that would mean. When a church, a body of disciples, has no doctrines, then everybody has nothing to disagree over (that's the ideal, anyway). The beliefs of individuals don't matter, because they can be neither right nor wrong. So no doctrine leads to each person holding to any doctrine. But if disciples can pick and choose their doctrines (passing over the question of what basis they use), then what is Christianity's distinction in the sea of ideas? Truth can't be chosen; truth is. Christianity without truth isn't a Christianity worthy of martyrs.

Nevertheless, the necessity of doctrine in order to uphold the very concept of solid spiritual truth doesn't (and shouldn't) prevent Christians from cooperating to accomplish good. In many causes agreeable to the Christian faith, they can also cooperate with other religions and secularists. Frankly, doctrinal differences aren't relevant to every action.

Yet doctrinal differences are inescapably relevant to Christian practice: sermons, governance, sacraments. Churches that profess no doctrine really do have doctrines, demonstrated by their words and actions. Faith isn't the same as "works", but works "prove" faith. Doctrines are analogous.

Sunday, August 3, 2008

a question of terminology

Is an enjoyable experience described as: 1) sinful, 2) heavenly? In either case, I hope the adjective is only being used playfully. But does the choice between these two words, trivial or not, indicate a deeper opinion about the very idea of righteousness? Does it reflect the actual level of belief in the benefits of living well? Which side is "fun" (no matter how shallowly it be defined), good or evil? Is heaven considered boring?

Just something to ponder the next time a "sinful" dessert is presented or a "heavenly" singer performs.