I see a lot of people have certain ideas about what it means to be a Christian. Many people’s only exposure to Christians is what they see on TV or hear in the news. There are certainly a fair number of you who have had negative experiences in your childhood or even as adults with with unthinking fundamentalist dunderheads, and that is unfortunate.
I am happy to be part of a Baptist church in a suburb of Richmond, VA that I think is (making an honest attempt at) living out our calling from God. I am a deacon, meaning I am a servant/leader in our congregation. I also teach high school age Sunday School. I will say that to me the word “Baptist” is incidental. The church where I found a home just happened to be a Baptist one.
My background - I was a hard partier from the age of 15 to 28. Lots of booze. Lots of drugs. Lots of indiscriminate sex. I did a lot of other things that you can call a sin or anti-social or whatever you want. My past does not give me the luxury of self righteousness.
So ask me my views. Ask me my customs. Ask me my opinions on any issue. Challenge my faith. Challenge your own opinion of a Christian man from the South. My hope is to give you an opportunity to see in to the heart of a follower of Christ.
The following question is meant only to pick your brain and not to challenge your beliefs or interpretations in any way: What do you know of the pesher technique for reading scripture?
When horrible things happen to seemingly innocent people (like kids being killed by their parents, people whose lives are destroyed by natural disasters), some Christians say that God is testing them or nobody knows God’s plan, how do you respond?
Why is that, when good things happen, some will say that God had a hand in it, but when bad thing happen, it’s always the person’s fault? Why would they not believe God was punishing them for some reason?
Did you consider yourself a Christian while you were drinking, using drugs, and having promiscious sex?
And a related question, what made you realize you need a god to make a change in your life?
I am an atheist, and I enjoy the opportunity to challege my lack of beliefs against someone who has faith.
Meh. I do believe that a huge amount of imagery and sybolism is found in the scriptures, but I am dubious about any system that claims to unlock the
“secret” meaning of scripture.
I really do not have any experience applying something you could call the Pesher Technique.
When I was 10 years old my brother, who was 5, dies at home. He had a heart condition, but his death was completely unexpected. So my family and I have some first hand experience with bad things happening to good (and innocent) people.
If you know of a Christian who says it is God’s way of testing us, you would have to ask them why they have that opinion. I cannot defend it. I would say that this is not a belief you will only hear from some Christians. Many non-Christians think fate tests us or that we are repayed for our evil ways.
Why did my brother die? I don’t know. But I do know that God loves my brother and is taking care of him. He loves me too. And you.
I have found that because I have endured real grief as a young child, I am much more compassionate when people have deaths or tragedies in their families.
I went to church as a kid a little, so I had exposure to the church. But as an adult I was hanging around with a very intelligent group of Buddhists, Rastas and Atheists who had issues with how Christianity had been used over the centuries to subdue people. I had confused the abuses of HCristianity with Chritianity itself. I threw the baby out with the bathwater. I had NO use for Christians and said that I would never go to church.
Then I ran into my high school sweetheart. We rekindled a flame from 14 years prior and I found out she was active in her church and loved it. I honestly went to her church just so I could take her to lunch afterwards. One day an old lady named Anne stood up and said that through the prayers of the church she was able to come off of her narcotic pain meds for fibromyalgia. Something I cannot explain told me to ask her after the service how I could help her. I did and ended up cutting her grass. When I was done I went inside to tell her I was leaving. I was sweaty and covered in grass clippings. I was probably a little “aromatic” as well. She grabbed me and hugged me and prayed, thanking God for sending me to help her. During that prayer, I became a servant of God. I knew that it was my calling to help those in need. Only later, after bible studies, did I realize that this is what Jesus intends for His followers to do.
So if I understand correctly, it is the attributions you make to the experiences you have. What you call a calling from God, I would call networking within the community. The woman used the church as a meeting place to find people to help her, whereas someone such as myself might use a barroom, or a poker table to network. If I met someone at the bar who needed the brakes changed on her car, but didn’t have the money to pay for the labor. I would help out. You call it a calling, but I would call it networking. Am I missing something?
Not really. One of the struggles that the church faces as we move into a new era is that there are plenty of opportunities to do and be “good” that do not require you to go to church.
Going to church used to be part of your civic responsibilty. In order to demonstrate you were a responsible member of society you went to church and sang songs and tithed. But over the last several decades we have seen an influx into middle America of people who are not Christians, but who are still good. The immigrant community is not confined to the major metropli any more. Many are here. Many are not Christians. Many are “good”. Without Christianity. Where does that leave the church? Fighting irrelevance…?
So in essence I agree with you. However I believe that God orchestrated my call not only to help Anne, but to make my life one of following Christ’s teaching. Love your neighbor. Pray for your enemy. Clothe the naked. Feed the hungry. Love - love - love everyone without barriers or borders. Let God decide who is good and who is not. I am to love unconditionally, as Jesus taught.
Tell me about your community networking experience that has called you to a life of service. I am not doubting you have one. I am just wondering how you keep the momentum alive without a dialogue with God, or an example like Christ to atemp to emulate. What is your service model? I belive that if you are actively serving your neighbor in love, the you are doing God’s will wether you acknowledge it or not.
By the way, I had something serious happen to me this week financially. My bank accounts are drained and I don’t know how I am going to feed my family until I get paid at ehe end of the month. My mortgage is late and I am the one who needs help now. Seriously. Do you want my address so you can send assistance?
In your opinion, why did Christ come to the world at the time He did? There are so many more people here now as opposed to then.
At one time, I was a devout Christian. We spent more time in church than at home, it seemed. I was happy, at the time (I was also deep in the closet, and in denial). Through life events, I’ve had a lot taken away from me, and as a result of that, my faith has dwindled to almost nothing. I acknowledge that there is a Plan and a Guiding Force in the universe, but I’m having trouble seeing Jesus Christ as that force. Why does God allow people to lose faith?
newcrasher, I can appreciate your situation. I have had financial problems in my past. I, however, cannot directly provide you financial assistance. I don’t do that as a general rule. I would think that your church would provide food for you. Use the networking resources available to you. If your church is unwilling or unable to help you, and you cannot feed your family, there should be resources within your county that can provide assistance. Do you have family members that can help you?
To get back to the OP.
I do not feel that I have a life of service. If I see someone in need of help, I will try to provide assistance. If you need help in getting linked to resources within your community, let me know where you are, and I will attempt to provide contact information. I don’t feel that a belief in a god motivates me to do things like that. I believe that most people will try to help others, because it is the right thing to do. For the most part, that is what people are conditioned to do.
If you know Christ you know the Father. If you know the Father you know Christ. God is love. So if you know love, you know the Father and the Christ. I see Jesus as more the “vessel” of the Christ. God is the Creator. Christ is the Lover. The Holy Spirit is the Guide.
If I were you I would try to liberate your mind from some of the the dogma you have learned over the years. These rigid guidelines are often crippling to your walk towards faith. If you believe there is a “Plan”, then there must be a “Planner”. This is God. And if you know him you know love. If you love, you know the Christ.
This is not math, where you can “prove” anything. But you know something is pulling at you… you canot find it with a calculator.
I for one believe that the bible’s intent is not to give us a map to God, but instructions on how to seek him. The seeking is what is important, and where you will find hope and faith. It is more important to travel joyously than to arive…
By closeted I assume you mean gay. NEVER EVER let anyone try to limit your access to God or your ability to accept God’s love because of your orientation. God created you and loves you. He wants you to know him and love Him too.
Or you can believe that I am unwilling to help. I am interested as to why your church will not help you feed your family. I still believe that there are resources within your community that can help you. Do you know what those resources are? Do you need help contacting those resources. I can attempt to facilitate that. But I do not provide direct financial assistance to people in need.