Focus

There’s been some interesting debate on this post from Leaving Münster. The original post was asking the question, “why aren’t Christians better people?” That is, not only aren’t Christians necessarily any better than other people – they’re often actually worse. Churches can be hotbeds of bigotry, hypocrisy, exclusion, arrogance, judgement and moralising. Bob’s conclusion was: “It’s not the Christians that are the problem; it’s their ‘Christianity.’“

In the comments, Caroline said:
“I tend to notice that I get things wrong when I start focusing on the truths of Christianity rather than the implications of Christianity. I can get wrapped up in the ‘whats’ and ‘whys’ of my faith and forget the ‘so whats’. This is not to say that the truths are any less true, but to suggest that they should become a window through which we can see our future actions or be a provocation to new acts of grace and mercy.“

Very true. Perhaps we should view theology in much the same way as the Orthodox view their icons – as a way to illuminate the truth and draw us to worship. That is, theology should not be an end in itself but rather a means to an end – in the old phrase, “faith in search of understanding”. The truths of Christianity are merely expressions and explanations of the experiences of Christians, from the earliest days to the present and ourselves. If they do not motivate us to action, to change and growth, then they are not “truths” to us at all. The reality is Christ and, unless we make Christ our reality and our centre, we will not be truly Christian at all.

When we become focused on dogma, on defining our faith and determining who is “in” and who is “out”, then we have lost our focus on Christ, the Person who demolished certainty, transcended all boundaries and was more concerned with including the outcast than in conforming to religious expectations.

If a Christian is someone who is focused on Christ then we should be more concerned with that focus than with our labels. If someone does not show the effects of that focus (the fruits of the Spirit in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control) then we can legitimately ask whether their focus is truly on Christ. If a church does not show that fruit, we may ask whether its focus has drifted from Christ to something else – whether that’s politics, dogma, the pastor or nothing at all.

Ultimately, it doesn’t matter whether we call ourselves “Christian” or not. What matters is whether we are travelling with Christ.

pax et bonum

Article posted at 1:15pm on 28 July 2005
Category: Faith, Musing

Caroline states my thinking better than I could. We would do best to remember that Jesus was not a Christian, just someone who lived a life of infinite compassion and tolerance.

Gary ()
4:23pm on 20 August 2005