War Against Religion

I regularly see the following type of sentiment posted online as it concerns religion. "I don't believe in a religion, I believe in Christ and a relationship with Him. Religion kills faith." Or something along those lines, perhaps put more eloquently than I just did here. Lately, maybe for some time, religion has been under attack. Consider it some have a war against religion. But any type of the above statement is self-contradictory.

Dictionary.com first definition of religion is:

a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.

So logically, to say you reject religion while holding onto a faith in Christ, is the same as saying, "I believe in a relationship with Christ, but I don't actually want to have one." Because religion is, by definition, the structure and practices and beliefs by which you have that relationship. Without it, you cannot have a relationship.

Just as faith without works is dead, a relationship with God minus a religion is called an annulment.

"No, no! You don't understand," I can hear some people saying, "I'm talking about organized religions."

We still have a big problem. Because what you are saying is you don't like how the organized religions do it, so you'd rather ditch them and create your own thing out of thin air, or in some sort of pick and choose religion buffet. Because the question isn't whether you'll have a religion or not, but what religion one will have. One established by Christ, by a person like Zwingli, or by your own created religion?

"Oh, but what I'm doing is based on the biblical model of the early church." Oh, really? I think there are some big assumptions going on there. For some reason, there is a common picture that the early Christians ditched Judiaism and completely started over. That they sat around a big circle, sang a few popular songs someone had written shortly after Christ ascended, and then passed around the bread and wine, freestyled the words based what was on their hearts. That all the rituals and structure came later when Christianity became a legal religion.

But where in the Scriptures do you ever find Jesus preaching to the disciples to ditch Judaism? You don't. Indeed, you have Him teaching for his followers to "Do what they say, but not what they do." Because he railed against their hypocrisy and drove out their money changers from the temple. But He also taught them how to really be Jews. He came to fulfill the religion, not eject it. He not only taught them to follow it, He followed it himself except where it deviated from His original intent, like a lot of the Sabbath laws created to define what "work" was that could not be done.

So naturally when He ascended, the disciples continued worshiping not only on the Sabbath (Saturday), but on the "Lord's Day," the "New Passover," or also known as the "Eighth day of creation." And if you even today go to a Jewish synagogue and then a church that practices the oldest form of Christian worship, you'll see many similarities. This is because the early Biblical church didn't create a religion out of nothing. It took what it knew in Judaism and modified it according to how Christ fulfilled it.

You see this clearly in the first council of Acts, where it was obvious that the early church was very Jewish in its beliefs and culture and worship. Because their arose a debate over whether the Gentile converts coming in had to become Jews. And the decision was they didn't. But you would not have had that discussion if Judaism was rejected by Christ and the Apostles. Their worship would naturally reflect the rituals of a Jewish nature, modified to Christ's fulfillment of it, because that's what He said he came to do, just as the Jewish council modified what of the Jewish laws the Gentiles would have to follow.

So if we're going to use the early church model in the Bible, we would have deacons, bishops, and rituals, and unity of faith as they did in the early church. Bishops? Yes. It is generally translated as "overseer" or "elder" but that is the same Greek word bishop was derived from. And this is the religion that God established. First with the Jews, where God specified all sorts of religious rituals and practices they had to follow. Then with Christ who fulfilled and thus brought to an end, and established some new rituals, like the Lord's Supper, which was really a modification of the Passover itself, and why it was called then (and still in some communions) the "New Passover." And why Christ is described as the Passover Lamb, slain for the salvation of the world.

"Yeah, but, I've experienced a lot of legalism, hypocrisy, and people just going through the motions. That's why I'm ditching religion. It just isn't working."

So, since well over 50% of most marriages experience infidelity and divorce, we should just ditch the concept of marriage? Make up our own concept of marriage? I guess there are some in secular society that do think that way. But most of us don't see it as a problem of being married, but a problem of abusing and misusing the institution of marriage. Likewise, because some abuse or fail to take advantage of the religion doesn't invalidate that religion. It is a statement about the individual's lack of commitment to investing themselves into a relationship with God, or seeing the religion as the end goal instead of a tool to foster a deeper relationship with God. The solution then isn't to ditch the religion, but use it the correct way.

When it comes down to it, it isn't religion vs. real faith and relationship with God. It is embracing religion to have a real faith and relationship with God, vs. doing your own thing without accountability and hoping you get it right.

Be like Jesus. Embrace religion as the path to a relationship with God, not as a hindrance.

Guest Blogging at "Musings on This, That, and Other Thing"

That's right, I'm guest blogging yet again. This time my article is on "Fantasy Makes Christianity More Real." I'd be much obliged if you'd check it out and leave a comment if you're able. I'm sure you will enjoy it. Thanks.

Fishing for God

Back in the early 90s, I was the pastor for a small, country church in Noel, MO. On the same district, I happened to have a good friend who shepherded a congregation not too many miles away, named Tom. Occasionally, we'd get together and go trout fishing at a trout farm in Cassville.

The first thing you need to know is I'm not much of a fisherman. I did it a few times as a kid and teen, and even caught an occasional fish. First one was a small perch when I was in Jr. High School. And after filleting it, making batter and deep-frying it, it was a one-bite meal.  More like one popcorn fish. By the time of Tom's and my first outing together, I had caught a total of five fish in my life. Aside from that one small perch, some nine inch bass at a local lake in Austin, TX.

And because I had caught so few fish in my life, despite having spent hours tossing a lure into the water and reeling it in, I had decided I didn't like fishing. To much work, very little reward, and long boring hours of doing nothing.  I figured I had things I really wanted to do rather than spend hours sitting by a lake or river accomplishing nothing in most cases other than wasting time.

Before I get responses about how great fishing is for others, I recognize for many it isn't a waste of time. We all have our priorities, what we enjoy doing. But for me, fishing isn't one of them. Because of that, I've probably deprived my children. I've never taken one of them fishing. But that's another story and post.

So the first time I head out with Tom, because I figure at least it will give us a chance to spend time together even if I didn't catch anything, we arrive at the trout farm. I'd never been to one of these before. We walk in and this small stream runs through the place, and the fish! Yes, lots and lots of fish filling up that small stream. I couldn't believe it. It appeared there was at least one trout for every cubic foot of water.

Well, my hopes shot high. I figured, "If I can't catch a fish here, I can't catch one anywhere." I knew I would grab me several before the day was over. How could I miss when there were so many fish?

I plunked my lure in and reeled. Nothing. Did it again. Still nothing. I did it over and over again. I began to wonder if the fish had just been fed or something. So I tried other spots. Meanwhile, Tom's catching some. I don't recall how many he had that day, but by the end of the fishing trip, he had several. I had zero. I couldn't catch a fish if it jumped into my hands and surrendered.

At a later date, I agreed to submit myself to the same torture. We went back to the farm, and after an hour or two of Tom catching some fish, and I still couldn't get even one measly fish to pay attention to my lure, Tom checked it out and determined that my line was too thick. It was scaring them off. So he pulled out some of his line, cut off a piece, and tied it to the end of my line, then attached the lure to that.

I started tossing and reeling again, and after a few minutes, I had a bite! Yes! Reeled in my first catch in who knows how many years. By the time we left, I had two or three. Not great, but much, much better than zero. And I at least felt maybe I could catch a fish, if I had to, I guess.  All I needed to do was use the right line.

Most Christians know the the phrase Jesus used to Peter when he called him to be a disciple, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." And then He proceeded to show them how it was done on numerous occasions. And the approach Jesus had was to speak to people where they were at. He used their language. In other words, He used the right line to fish with so as not to scare them away, but instead draw them to Him.

As a Christian writer, I have stories that have Christian themes to them. Sometimes it is obvious as in my Reality Chronicles series, or other times not so obvious, but there nonetheless, at least a basic worldview where God exist, even if He doesn't enter into the story or religion is never mentioned. Concerning my more subtle Christian themed work, one could make the claim that I'm trying to hide my Christianity so as to slide the Gospel in undetected into impressionable minds.

Two thoughts to that. One, I'm not hiding it, I'm simply presenting it in a manner that a non-Christian can digest and understand. It's not like I'm intentionally trying to be evangelistic in my subtle writing, but simply present good stories that are based upon a Christian worldview, even if no character ever prays, worships, or talks about God or religion. I don't call that hiding, I call it using the right line, by presenting my worldview in a way that my target audience will comprehend and understand. It has nothing to do with hiding, but how it is presented. Exactly what Jesus did. He spoke to the person, not according to a man-created formula of "how to save a soul." If I'm writing a story for the general market, the last thing I want to do is have a bunch of preachers saving a horde of people, or using a bunch of Christian jargon. It will scare them away. It sends up too many red flags and won't fly in the general market, by and large.

This is not to disparage folks who are writing primarily to a more Christian audience, and use such jargon, and have people regularly finding God and getting saved. If you're writing to that group, more power to you. But don't assume because another author writing to a different audience who would be put off by that same kind of story, writing a story where Christ isn't mentioned, not having anyone pray or get saved, is by default "hiding" their Christianity. Or not doing God's work, what He's called them to do.

Likewise, secular readers shouldn't assume because of that, that such a writer is trying to slip Christianity in unnoticed so that we can ultimately save someone from hell. Sure, we'd love for that to happen. But it also may simply be we want to tell a good story on our hearts, and do it from a Christian worldview so that we are represented along with everyone else. You can't claim tolerance and deny Christian artist their place as equally as anyone else. Otherwise, you are being bigoted and discrimiatory.

Which leads into point number two. For those secular folk who do decry, as one reviewer who sent back my book with a note that said, "I don't review Christian propaganda," that the Christian worldview is being hidden and slid in unaware by such books, look no further than your own backyard.

How many secular science fiction promotes a purely secular worldview, often a very anti-Christian worldview, where God is derided and humanism promoted? How many fantasy books are mere propaganda pieces for pagan religions? Why do they get a pass on this litmus test applied to writings from a Christian worldview?

It boils down to simply because you think you're right and we're wrong. It is cultural arrogance. It is tolerance to everyone except those you can't tolerate. But if it is okay for shows like "Star Trek: The Next Generation" to promote a secular worldview without God, and even that man will eventually become like God, and be accepted as not trying to influence people to a particular belief system, then neither should stories from a Christian worldview be singled out and labeled as trying to trick people into Christianity. No more than secularist are trying to trick people into secularism.

So I'll keep fishing, attempting to use the right line, the right lure for the right fish. Naturally I hope that by presenting Christians fairly, both the good and the bad, I hope to break down some walls of preconceived, caricatured ideas of what Christianity is about, and hopefully allow some to give themselves permission to move beyond those and see what we're really about. Just as the secularist wants to promote their worldview in their writings. And it isn't hiding it, it is presenting it differently for a different audience, in a way they can receive it and understand.

How would you go about presenting Christianity to a secular audience?