I don't speak for all Christians...
...I think that's a just one of the problems in our world is that too many people say they do. Pat Robertson, Benny Hen, The Christian Right, The Moral Majority, Homer's neighbor Ned Flanders... Stereotypical caricatures. They are the "they" other people talk about accusingly referring to Christians. Christians tend to be our own worst enemy. People always disappoint. God never does.
You doubt that? Or do you just find it trite. I did not so long ago myself. Three years ago at the age of 35 I finally found faith in a being greater than myself. Rather, I should say God came to get me. I did go looking seriously for the first time, but spiritual matters are things I've always mulled over. For various reasons I really can't comprehend, He decided it was my time to claim my sonship in His family.
What he did for me was different than some people. I had intellectual road blocks like, "Christians say I should believe the earth is 6,000 years old when I know we have so much observational scientific evidence that it is a much more ancient place." When I asked how I could believe, asked Him, He showed me by clearing away the clutter that religion has put up as a stumbling block to faith.
There's a huge difference between faith and religion. Many Christians don't get that. Because of this deficiency, they can seem judgmental, accusing, closed minded, and often just plain dumb to the outside world. Their own worst enemy. I know Christians who won't question any portion of the dogma they subscribe to for fear of losing their faith. I worry they don't have the faith talked about in Romans or even the faith of a mustard seed to use Jesus' metaphor.
I also know Christians of all stripes who do. Who have questioned and strengthened their faith repeatedly. God put a couple of these guys in my life who befriended me, were interested in my thoughts on philosophy and theology, and were open to His guidance when I made a serious attempt to find faith.
I hate to call such people "real Christians" because I can't condemn those who seem to have what seems to me a superficial "religion" that they practice. The validity of either approach isn't my judgment call. I can't draw lines around the "faith" referenced by Paul in Romans 3 in verses 27 and 28
I'm writing this for two audiences. Those who are religious and those who don't believe, but are interested. If you aren't even interested, you won't be convinced and it's probably not your time. When God is calling you you'll be interested. I suspect, however, that if you weren't interested you wouldn't have gotten to this paragraph.
To those who are religious (yes I used that word on purpose) I hope to clue you in on some of the barriers to faith you can put up. I know you all mean well and I'm sure those people and groups I referenced earlier do too. I don't want to alienate you. The need I'm trying to meet here is to make finding a Christian faith easier for a certain type of seeker who has to have it all explained. Who can't just believe and follow a set of rules. I hope to give you a better understanding of us skeptics and how to relate. I also believe in my heart that you may find a deeper more meaningful faith if you question the peripheral tenents of religion and strip away all that is ancilary to your relationship with our Lord.
I do thank God for those real people who believe in Christ who He has put in my life. I now strive to be one of them to others which is a nice segway into why I'm writing this blog.
When I first believed, I wanted to write a book about overcoming all the things that had kept me from it. One of those real people who believe in Christ, my friend the youth minister, and I even outlined the chapters. Now, three years later it is still unwritten.
A month into my faith, I got up in front of the church on a Sunday morning and gave a sermon on these things and how God had gotten me through my unbelief. You don't realize how short a sermon is when you are on the receiving end. There is no way to put all the important detail into a 45 minute talk even if you run over by half an hour ;-) I tried though.
Blogging is relatively new for me, but I've been keeping a couple up for disaster relief organizations I have been working with and building over the last 5 months. Hurricane Katrina relief has been an amazing place to see God at work if you are looking. He's pretty obvious in critical situations. It occurred to me today that this is a good format to at least get my thoughts down and work on organizing them.
So here we go. This morning there were 6 or so topics I had in mind. We'll see if I can't get them out of my head frequently enough to keep readers of this blog interested.
A final note, I am counting on your comments. Correct me where I'm wrong in grammar or in understanding. I welcome your questions, your doubts, and your support.
Thanks for reading!
John McGuire
Westerville, Ohio
February 16, 2006
You doubt that? Or do you just find it trite. I did not so long ago myself. Three years ago at the age of 35 I finally found faith in a being greater than myself. Rather, I should say God came to get me. I did go looking seriously for the first time, but spiritual matters are things I've always mulled over. For various reasons I really can't comprehend, He decided it was my time to claim my sonship in His family.
What he did for me was different than some people. I had intellectual road blocks like, "Christians say I should believe the earth is 6,000 years old when I know we have so much observational scientific evidence that it is a much more ancient place." When I asked how I could believe, asked Him, He showed me by clearing away the clutter that religion has put up as a stumbling block to faith.
There's a huge difference between faith and religion. Many Christians don't get that. Because of this deficiency, they can seem judgmental, accusing, closed minded, and often just plain dumb to the outside world. Their own worst enemy. I know Christians who won't question any portion of the dogma they subscribe to for fear of losing their faith. I worry they don't have the faith talked about in Romans or even the faith of a mustard seed to use Jesus' metaphor.
I also know Christians of all stripes who do. Who have questioned and strengthened their faith repeatedly. God put a couple of these guys in my life who befriended me, were interested in my thoughts on philosophy and theology, and were open to His guidance when I made a serious attempt to find faith.
I hate to call such people "real Christians" because I can't condemn those who seem to have what seems to me a superficial "religion" that they practice. The validity of either approach isn't my judgment call. I can't draw lines around the "faith" referenced by Paul in Romans 3 in verses 27 and 28
Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on our good deeds. It is based on our faith. So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.I'm not qualified. Not my job.
I'm writing this for two audiences. Those who are religious and those who don't believe, but are interested. If you aren't even interested, you won't be convinced and it's probably not your time. When God is calling you you'll be interested. I suspect, however, that if you weren't interested you wouldn't have gotten to this paragraph.
To those who are religious (yes I used that word on purpose) I hope to clue you in on some of the barriers to faith you can put up. I know you all mean well and I'm sure those people and groups I referenced earlier do too. I don't want to alienate you. The need I'm trying to meet here is to make finding a Christian faith easier for a certain type of seeker who has to have it all explained. Who can't just believe and follow a set of rules. I hope to give you a better understanding of us skeptics and how to relate. I also believe in my heart that you may find a deeper more meaningful faith if you question the peripheral tenents of religion and strip away all that is ancilary to your relationship with our Lord.
I do thank God for those real people who believe in Christ who He has put in my life. I now strive to be one of them to others which is a nice segway into why I'm writing this blog.
When I first believed, I wanted to write a book about overcoming all the things that had kept me from it. One of those real people who believe in Christ, my friend the youth minister, and I even outlined the chapters. Now, three years later it is still unwritten.
A month into my faith, I got up in front of the church on a Sunday morning and gave a sermon on these things and how God had gotten me through my unbelief. You don't realize how short a sermon is when you are on the receiving end. There is no way to put all the important detail into a 45 minute talk even if you run over by half an hour ;-) I tried though.
Blogging is relatively new for me, but I've been keeping a couple up for disaster relief organizations I have been working with and building over the last 5 months. Hurricane Katrina relief has been an amazing place to see God at work if you are looking. He's pretty obvious in critical situations. It occurred to me today that this is a good format to at least get my thoughts down and work on organizing them.
So here we go. This morning there were 6 or so topics I had in mind. We'll see if I can't get them out of my head frequently enough to keep readers of this blog interested.
A final note, I am counting on your comments. Correct me where I'm wrong in grammar or in understanding. I welcome your questions, your doubts, and your support.
Thanks for reading!
John McGuire
Westerville, Ohio
February 16, 2006
posted by John McGuire at 9:16 PM
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