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I read a wonderful book (A Severe Mercy) this summer that I have been coming back to frequently in my thoughts on a couple of issues. When Nate and I watched "Slumdog Millionaire" last night (which is, from what I've seen of India, quite realistic), I was reminded of a number of social injustice issues that I think about but don't know what to do with. I often have to lay aside the frustration of being unable to do anything to change the world and focus on: How AM I living for God where I am right now? Lots of times I see how bad things are around me and I just pass by because I don't know what to do. I think that's how most of us are. Some people are able to actually make a practical difference... I have so much more thinking to do about all of this- maybe I'll write again on it sometime.
One thing I do NOT want to do is put up 'stumbling blocks' and live in a way that confuses people about WHO I live for. This is hard, especially in a 'christian' culture that seems to cry out: "embrace everyone and everything - be a nice person!" and in the midst of a national culture that lures people of many nations to hunt for 'peace' through hinduism or buddhism. I wonder what messages we foreign Christians send when we put up buddhist prayer flags, take yoga lessons, burn incense, celebrate Diwali, decorate our bodies like Hindus, admire Hindu and Buddhist temples and practices... the list goes on.
I am confident that my God is above all things and is alive and well. I am also certain that evil not only exists, but we are in the thick of a spiritual battle that rages in this land. I find it very difficult to sort out the 'cultural' from the 'spiritual' here and I had one short interaction with a canadian yoga instructor this weekend that clarified it a bit for me. In response to someone asking him if his draw to yoga was physical or spiritual, he answered, "I see them as completely related." (I would have answered that too, but I suspected that I thought that because I am a Christian... now I find out that someone who is deep into yoga also sees the connections- they really must be there.)
Somone else brought up the point to me that we're all essentially searching for the same things in this life and yoga is yet another type of worship - the worship of self - stripping everything else away until you are simply your 'perfect' self. In Christianity, however, I believe that I am only to worship God - He is what completes me and makes me whole and peaceful. He is the source and the end of all I am. And I want to live that out in a real way for people to see - and I pray that my embracing of certain cultural things here does not invite evil into my home/heart. I pray that I and fellow believers here will be very discerning and wise. I want to learn how to engage others in discussion about how the spiritual/cultural of this nation does or doesn't fit with what we believe. And I want to do it in a way that is 'seasoned with salt'.
I want to be First and only, God's child.
"Christianity was a faith.
And by now we knew that it was important. If true... - it was, very simply, the only really important truth in the world. And if untrue, it was false. No halfway house. First or nothing. I wrote:
It is not possible to be incidentally a Christian.' The fact of Christianity must be overwhelmingly first or nothing. This suggests a reason for the dislike of Christians by nominal or non-Christians: their lives contain no overwhelming firsts but many balances."
-excerpt from A Severe Mercy - by Sheldon Vanauken, chapter IV : Encounter with Light
ah! Many balances. Isn't that what so many cultures are striving for today? It's dangerous, though, I fear, and if we're not careful, we'll get tricked into settling for 'a balanced life' too.
*** If you have insight or responses to these thoughts, I want hear what you have to say. I wish so much that I knew more about all these other religions and could sort things out better than I can. Thanks for bearing with me as I fumble for words and meaning to make sense of it all.
6 comments:
Joie, I think you've hit on something very true - it can be very hard to separate the cultural from the spiritual. And I think afer living in various cultures it's easy to see that there are different ways of doing things - the tendency might be to accept different ways of believing, too - but Christianity really is an exclusive, not relativistic religion.
I enjoyed your thoughts here, Joie. I have lately been concerned seeing so many nominal Christians around me absolutely not applying ANY Christianity to their daily lives. God has also been working on grace with me though. We as Christians also tend to be extremely judgmental of other Christians. Which isn't how it should be. When people are saved, they are not instantly convicted of everything they're doing wrong. I think you're wise to think through the various little things you do that may confuse others. I have also been convicted how little I do to change social injustices. How often I just listen to people I completely disagree with as they're contrary to the truth. Boldness is always called for. Keep it up, Joie, meditating day and night! jumbled thoughts :-)
very good, Joie. It is so easy to not be salt and light. It is easy to take the middle ground. I appreciate that you are working through all of this.
Dad in WI
Thanks for this post. It is very thought provoking. I actually thought about this a few years ago when we first moved to Korea and when we traveled to Thailand- mainly the idea of going to be a tourist at many buddhist temples. I end up just going to old places of idol worship as a tourist and say to myself it is a cultural experience but by being there am I guilty of idol worship as well because I am spending my time there admiring the architectural work, observing another cultures religious practices (and keeping silent about the truth that I know about God) , silently observing and taking pictures of sites of another culture that does not worship the true Living God? The more I think about it, it does send mixed signals. The world does tell us its a balance, but Christianity is not about a balance. It's 100% about God and worshiping our Lord and Savior. Him and Him alone!! You encouraged me to dig deeper into this as well. Thanks for posting a blog to sharpen some iron!
Great post Joie! We kind of live in the opposite culture. Here you have the cultural icons of Christianity, but there is no faith behind it. There are beautiful cathedrals in this country that they charge you to enter.
You are right. Christianity is not a balance. It is all or nothing. Unfortunately the world has yet to see what would happen with just one person giving themselves fully over to Jesus, but by God's grace we all press on to that point. It is frustrating though to see believers who are still drinking milk when they should be on solid food already.
Dave Bliss
Great post and thought-provoking questions. I guess what this comes down to is how to be in the world but not of it, no matter where we are. For example, where we are living in Scotland, social drinking is a HUGE thing, and everybody goes out to pubs and has a few pints (or many more), which often leads to drunkenness. The question is, should we as Christian react to this pub culture by not going to pubs, or by going to pubs but just not getting drink. I would favor the latter approach, because the former would not be fitting to the biblical drama. Therefore, I can go to pubs and have a drink because that is consistent with my Christian freedom, but I cannot become inebriated.
The specific decision you have to make about living as a Christian in your context are difficult, and will take much prayer and wisdom. But I am glad you are wrestling with it and asking these questions!
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