08-30-24

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
August 30, 2024
Recently, I saw someone post on social media the following:

Christianity isn’t just a set of beliefs, a list of dos and don’ts, and a group of rituals. Christianity is a relationship with God in Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit.

At first glance, I do not find anything wrong with that statement about Christianity, but then as I read it a second and third time, I find myself being a bit cautious. Again, I don’t disagree, but how helpful is the statement to someone who has little or no background in Christianity? These kinds of statements tend to be made with great exuberance, yet to that individual who has never walked inside a church, what is the value of having a relationship with an invisible divine entity who is connected to an ancient guy through a so-called sacred apparition? I don’t see anything that might be exciting or enticing. If I were to rewrite it, I would make a couple of modifications. In today’s world, Christianity shouldn’t present itself in terms of beliefs or even qualified relationships. It begins with belonging. So I would even drop the word “just” at the beginning and say:

Christianity is not a set of beliefs, a list of dos and don’ts, or even a group of rituals. Instead, Christianity begins with belonging.

Jesus never started with beliefs or even with an expectation of rule following. He started with an open door, a place at the table, and love. 

Holy God, we need your help. We too often get stuck in the finer points of our belief systems, while losing sight of Jesus and how he led with love for the sake of making sure people knew just how loved they were. We need your help, God, if we are going to be like Jesus. Amen.