A number of years ago the
novelist Anne Rice rejoined the Catholic Church. Miraculously she had been
drawn back to a life of faith after many years of questioning the existence of
God and flirting with atheism.
After a time Ms Rice was
shocked and became deeply disheartened by what she found. Too often, she observed
that the Christians with whom she was having fellowship, based their own
identity in terms of the ideas and people they were against. In particular she
found that many Christians were hostile to Muslims, Jews and those who
supported same sex relationships.
Knowing that as a Christian
her own identity was rooted in her personal relationship with Jesus Christ, Ms
Rice left what she had returned to. She wrote that she left the church ‘in the
name of Christ’, adding that ‘following Christ does not mean following his
followers.’
At a recent conference, the
author Brian McLaren, addressed what he called "The Crisis of Christian
Identity."
He argued that across the
denominations, some believers have a "strong-hostile" religious
identity; while others, careful not to offend, have a "weak-benign"
identity.
McLaren argued that neither
of these is satisfactory. Based on a
thorough study of the Gospels, he said the ideal that best reflects the values
and practice of Jesus is a strong religious identity based not on hostility to
others but on benevolence toward them. Sadly, much of church history has been
about the dishonouring of this ideal.
What do 21st
century Scottish evangelical Christians base their identity on? Do we play the
game of ‘follow the leader’...........TV evangelist, apostle, pastor, or are we
true followers of Christ truly walking in His light with His power and guided
by His values and His presence.
Just in case there is some
confusion on this issue, scripture is very clear. Here’s what the Apostle Paul
said in his letter to the Galatian church...................
‘I have been crucified with
Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I
now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave
himself for me.’
Let’s follow Jesus and show
benevolence towards others with our words and deeds.
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