Learning from other religions?

 

Historically, the Christian Church has taken two major approaches when it comes to other religions. Just to be clear, when we’re talking about religions, we’re talking about Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, Wicca, Christianity, etc. We’re not talking about Methodists, Roman Catholics, Baptists, and Lutherans and so on. These groups are all members of the same religion (Christianity), albeit different denominations of that same religion. Hopefully, it is clear to most Christians today that we immensely benefit in learning from one another how to follow Jesus more faithfully.

The question about learning from other religions is more complicated. As mentioned, the Church has tended to take two major approaches to other religions throughout history. The first (and older) is to take what is good in that religion, what is compatible with Christianity, (and much in other religions is not!) and incorporate it into the faith (e.g. Celtic Christianity). The second (and newer view) is to reject wholesale anything associated with another religion.  

These twin approaches are rooted in specific theologies of revelation and truth. Behind the first view is an understanding that while the full truth and power of God are found only in Christ, this does not mean that there is not some truth about God and some truth about human living to be found in the other great religions of the world. The second view is that there is no truth – whatsoever- to be found in all these other religions; they are nothing more than idol worship.

If you hold the second view, the only learning you can glean from other religions is how not to do things, how to rebel against God and so on. If you hold the first view, it is quite possible to learn from other religions. However, learning from other religions can be dangerous, because on some fundamental points they disagree with what God has revealed in Jesus Christ. This could potentially lead one away from God as He truly is (which is by the way a definition of heresy). However, a mature Christian, who is well connected to the Christian community, could certainly learn from other religions.  Some things to keep in mind while doing this:

1)      Does what you’re reading/listening to/doing lead you away from God in Christ? If so, this is a red flag and something you likely need to stop. Learning from other religions shouldn’t involve non-Christian forms of worship or prayer (in which you are not worshipping the Triune God but something else), because as Christians we worship one God through Christ (Matthew 22:36-40, John 14:6).

2)      Does what you’re reading/listening to/doing encourage you to center your spiritual life in anyone or anything but Jesus? If so, this is a red flag and something you likely need to stop.  

3)      When you find something interesting in another religion you should search the rich treasures of Christian history and spirituality to see if there is a Christian counter-part. For example, part of my own spiritual journey included experimentation with various forms of Eastern mysticism. My choice to become a committed Christian and to distance myself from these other religions was the discovery of the Christian mystics, who anchored their experiences in the person of Jesus.  

A whole lot more could be said about this, but in short, with careful discernment, and careful guarding of our hearts and minds, I think it is possible for Christians to learn from other religions.

What am I missing here? What have you found helpful or dangerous?

Becoming Fully Alive

     

        

The goal of Christian living might aptly be thought of as the process of becoming more fully alive, more fully human. So often we think of holy people or saints as being super-human or rather un-human in their pursuit of God. However, Biblically speaking, and throughout the centuries of the Church, Christians have understood the opposite to be true. It is the human being fully connected to God that is most fully alive, most fully human, and capable of seeing, feeling, and experiencing things that most of us are not.  This concept is not a new one. Saint Irenaeus, a third century church father, is often quoted for his memorable statement, “The glory of God is man fully alive.”  

  

Instead of thinking of Christian growth (read “sanctification” if your more Protestant minded or “holiness” if your more Catholic minded) as the pursuit of a set of strange behaviors and an even stranger set of mental beliefs, think of Christian growth as the process of you becoming more fully you. Christianity has always said if you want to see what it means to be truly human look at Jesus Christ for “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation” (Colossians 1:15). Since we we’re created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27), we look at Jesus (Hebrews 12:2) to see what that image should look like in a flesh and blood human being.  

 

This doesn’t mean that we’re all supposed to grow long beards and wear sandals. Becoming more fully alive, more human, is not about becoming Christ Himself (impossible, sorry would-be-Messiahs!), but about becoming a unique reflection of the Triune God. You do that by taking all the elements of who you are and by grace developing them into their God given best. Fully alive persons (often referred to as saints in Church history) come in all sorts of packages, with differing personalities, are women and men, lay and ordained, single and married. In other words, when we run from sainthood, holiness, Christian growth, discipleship (whatever you want to call it), we are actually running away from our true selves. We are actually heading in a direction that will make us less human and less alive – sounds like a dead end to me?

Faith and Relationships

Valentine's Day ( it's Thursday) brings a mixture of sentiments: obligation (“if I don’t do something she’ll get mad.”), hope (“Maybe this year he’ll do something romantic”), and pain (“Are things always going to be like this?” or “I miss him/her so much”).

The day itself, while perhaps more fun and flirty than substantial, is an occasion for us to reflect on the meaning of relationships and Christian faith. I fear we don’t spend enough (any?) time pondering what it means to be a Christian and dating, divorced, widowed, married, celibate, or whatever. We simply take our cues about relationships from those around us and the wider society at large.

I invite you to spend some time reflecting on how your faith does (or does not) give direction to your relational life. From a discipleship perspective, our faith should saturate and color all that we do. Lent, which just begin yesterday (I’ll resist making joke about a Valentine’s Day being a penitential observance), is a good time to ponder how all your relationships relate to God.

To help you begin this process I’ve included some resources below.

Feel free to share your own thoughts and resources in the comment section.

A Prayer for Married Couples

A Dating Prayer  
A Prayer for Broken Hearts
A Prayer for Those Who Live Alone
Sex: Creation and Fall
Sex and Marriage
Sex and Singleness
Chastity is for Everybody
More on Chastity (masturbation, co-habitation, fantasy, etc.)
Homosexuality
Combining Faith and Love
Sexual Ethics
Healing from BrokenRelationships
Faith and Friendship
Faith and Marriage
Faith and Dating 

Self-Denial? Really?

Next Wednesday is Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the season of Lent. Within the Episcopal Ash Wednesday liturgy the congregation is addressed with the following words, “I invite you…to the observance of a Holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God’s Holy Word” (emphasis added, Book of Common Prayer, 265). Self-denial’s importance is found not only in the historic observance of Lent, but throughout the history of Christianity itself. If this wasn’t enough to convince the self-denial skeptic we only need to quote the words of Jesus, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24).

It has become fashionable in recent years for people to say, “Oh, I don’t take something away during Lent. I add something.” As if self-denial was a repressive practice with no meaning or purpose; a hold-over from a darker time, when kill-joys ruled the Church delighting in removing all pleasure from human existence. Self-denial – as is made clear by Jesus’ words – is an integral part of the Christian life. Lent is a season where we are invited to work our spiritual muscles more intensely.

A foundational part of this spiritual work-out is self-denial. The purpose of self-denial is to train the human will to cooperate with the will of God. If I can learn, with God’s grace, to deny myself chocolate during Lent, for example, then hopefully I will also be able with God’s grace to deny myself those things which are harmful to my life. If I can say no to meat on Fridays during Lent, then  hopefully I've strengthened my ability to say no to the temptation, whether to gossip about a co-worker or to say no to the desire for revenge and so on.

Self-denial trains us to say yes to God; yes to all that is good, and no to those forces which oppose God. Self-denial helps say no to our sinful tendency to make life all about us and our wants. So this Lent make sure to practice self-denial. It’s perfectly ok to also add a spiritual practice. I recommend you do that, but don’t forget self-denial. You might deny yourself meat, or Face Book, or texting, or any number of things which have taken control of your life. Lent starts next Wednesday, how are you going to practice self-denial?

Preparing for Lent

Lent is a forty day period leading up to Holy Week and the celebration of Jesus’ Resurrection on Easter Sunday and the fifty-day period called Eastertide. This year it begins on Wednesday, February 13, with the celebration of Ash Wednesday, and concludes during Holy Week prior to Easter Sunday, on March 31. Lent is a season of repentance, spiritual exercise, and self-denial. Lent is a preparation for Easter. That’s true. However, Lent is more than just a warm-up to the big day. Historically, Lent has been a period of spiritual growth and development for Christians.

 

There are many customs and traditions associated with Lent that can be observed by individuals, couples, and families. There is a tendency by many Christians to limit Lent to “giving something up” or “taking something on.” Self-denial is an important part of Lent so you should give something up. Taking on new spiritual practices is also an important part of Lent and something you do too. However, Lent is about more than just cutting back on bad things and adding more good things to your life.

 

Lent is a period of time where we more intentionally focus on God. It’s a time to push away other concerns and focus more intentionally on our spirituality and our relationship to Jesus Christ. Think of Lent as a spiritual marathon. During Lent we raise the intensity of our spiritual practice. The hope is that by God’s grace (because you will never do all you want to do for Lent without grace) you will become a more dedicated disciple of Jesus Christ or to say it different, you will become more fully human as God intended.  

 

Today, and certainly no later than this week, take time out by yourself, with a friend, or with your family to plan for Lent. Think of planning now as a deposit on an investment, an investment that will profit in transformed lives as you and yours observe this ancient and powerful season of the Christian year. In order for this to happen we have to prepare ourselves for Lent.

Here are some resources to help you get started.

 

Feel free in the comments section to share your own resources, ideas, and plans for Lent this year.

 

Why Bother with Lent?
Archbishop’s Video Lenten Reflections

What is Lent? A Brief Introduction

Lenten Customs

More Customs and History about Lent

Lots more Lenten resourcesfrom the Anglican Tradition

Preparing for Advent

Advent marks the beginning of the Christian year. This year it begins on Sunday, December 2, and concludes on Monday, December 24. Advent is a season of preparation. Not only is Advent about preparing to celebrate the first coming of Christ as a baby, but it’s also about preparing for Christ’s second coming as judge. In Advent we are reminded that the Christmas story began thousands of years before the birth of Jesus, with the people of Israel. In Advent we are reminded that the Christmas story is not over; Jesus will return. On that day we will sing the old carol “Joy to the World! the Lord is come; let earth receive her King” in a whole new way.

Advent is a rich season with many ancient customs for individuals, couples, and families to observe. Sadly, many Christians fail to celebrate Advent meaningful. This is because observing Advent is counter-cultural. Advent challenges us to wait, to hold off on celebrating Christmas until we’ve prepared ourselves rightly. I believe that a real observance of Advent by individuals, couples, and families would transform our faith, making it a part of our daily lives. In order for this to happen we have to prepare ourselves for Advent. If we don’t plan for Advent our lives will be shaped by the frenzy of the holiday season.   

Today, and certainly no later than this week, take time out by yourself, with a friend, or with your family to plan for Advent. Think of planning now as a deposit on an investment, an investment that will profit in transformed lives as you and yours observe this ancient and wondrous season of the Christian year.

Here are some resources to help you get started.

Feel free in the comments section to share your own resources and ideas.

The Advent Conspiracy

The Spirituality of Advent by the Archbishop of Canterbury

How to Make and Use an Advent Wreath

What is Advent? An Introduction

Advent Customs

Lots more Advent Resources from the Anglican tradition

Advent Preachers Challenge

The historic season of Advent is near; it begins Sunday, December 2. As you know, Advent marks the beginning of the Christian year, also called the liturgical year. The liturgical year is a rich resource for Christian life and practice. These riches are not exhausted by Sunday color coding and Sunday lection appointments. The real power and beauty of the liturgical year only begins to unfold when Christians begin to observe it outside of the Sunday celebration. The Christian year’s formational dynamic sizzles when individuals, friends, and families find ways to weave its themes into the ordinary fabric of their lives.
 

Preachers are often discouraged by the low-levels of faith literacy among their congregants. Preachers (especially ordained ones) sometime complain about the lack of attendance at educational offerings and special services. We complain because we care. We wonder if our work is contributing to the growth of Christian disciples or whether we’re perpetuating an institutional form of Christianity that is doomed to fade away in the foggy future of post-Christendom and post-modernism. Advent is an opportunity for each of us as preachers to trust that despite the fog, hope is coming.

What better way to proclaim this hope then to challenge our people to observe Advent at home. If we could restore observance of the liturgical year to the home, we would see faith-literacy increasing organically in our congregations. If we could restore observance of the liturgical year to the home, we might find there is greater interest in educational offerings and special services. If we could restore observance of the liturgical year to the home, our preaching would be heard in the context of Christian life and practice instead of being heard as a strange blip on the ordinary radar of popular culture.

How do we do this? I’d suggest three starting points:

 

1.      Preach about it in general

Preach boldly and repeatedly on the key themes of Advent. Scripture is rich in resources here (including the Lectionary readings for those who use them). Make sure to explicitly link the themes of Advent (judgment, repentance, restoration) with the season of Advent.

2.      Provide resources

People’s lives are so rushed that they don’t always have time to research ideas on their own. Provide your people with web links, ideas, and other practical resources to observe Advent at home. Sunday school, adult forums, committee meetings and any other gathering could be used for this purpose.

 

3.      Preach about it in particular

Be specific in your application. Don’t only tell your people that need to repent or have hope, but how they are to embody repentance or hope in their lives.

Advent is near.

 

How will you encourage your people to weave the observance of this season into their ordinary lives?