What, then, does a faithful and authentic Christian look like in the 21st Century?
I have been a little bewildered over the last few days. “What has bewildered you so, Roger?”, you may ask. Or you may not care in the least, in which case you may shortly click out of this article and find something more interesting to read. For those of you interested, I have found my self somewhat bewildered tonight about how, exactly, to live as a faithful and authentic Christian in 2010. Rest assured, this is not a ‘crisis of faith’, nor is it a crisis of identity. I am secure in my relationship with Christ and my position in the eyes of the Father, through Christ. No, I’m just wondering more about the finer print - how to live out the authentic Christian life in my context, in this time.
An array of incidents have contributed to my current state of bewilderment. For several days after the Israel/Pro-Gaza flotilla incident, I participated in a string of Facebook discussions regarding the flotilla incident, the wider Israel/Palestinian conflict, and where a Christian should position themselves in regards to this ongoing Middle East crisis. Some discussions were with Left-wing, pro-Gaza anabaptist and pacificist Christians. These are the the guys who follow the writings of John Howard Yoder, Martin Luther King, Dietrich Boenhoffer, Gandhi and Bono. Their particular take on Christian theology emphasizes non-violence, non-violent themes in the atonement, social justice, environmental justice, reconciliation and world peace. Other discussions were with more right-wing American evangelicals who were predictably pro-Israel and anti-Muslim. Both sides seemed to have a fairly reasonable set of scriptures and theological interpretations to support their particular factional flavour of Christianity.
Later that week, I watched an interesting interview by Australian journalist Andrew Denton with Ciaron O’Reilly, a Geldof-esque Catholic Christian pacifist with obligatory (and moldly-looking) dreadlocks that managed to both intrigue and repulse at the same time. See the interview here. O’Reilly’s particular interpretation of Christian theology leads him to commit recurrent acts of civil disobedience, trespass and property damage as a method of standing against what he sees as state-sanctioned violence and terror. These kind of Christian activists proudly wear their criminal convictions and physical bumps and scrapes like combat medals. They seem almost addicted to the thrill of civil disobedience and protest. I tried hard to keep an open mind while watching this interview, but couldn’t help coming to the conclusion that O’Reilly seemed to promote a form of radical left-wing extremism sanctified with a ‘Christian’ label. International Socialists or Greenpeace in Jesus sandals, you might say [See Ciaron's thoughtful and gracious response to my opinions in the Comments section].
Then tonight while flicking through the latest edition of Dispatch From Jerusalem, a publication of the Christian Zionist organisation Bridges For Peace (a remnant subscription from my past flirtations with Christian Zionism), I read an article on the Jewish and Christian interpretations of the concept of ‘Messiah’. In this article, the author (a prominent Christian Zionist) seemed more interested in acting as an apologist for modern religious Jews who reject Christ then for her fellow Christians. She did this by attempting to muddy the exegetical and hermeneutical waters of Christian and Jewish interpretations of the concept of the Messiah and by almost making excuses for why modern orthodox Jews continue to reject Jesus as the true Messiah. The author takes this position, no doubt, because of her particular dispensational interpretation of Christian theology and the prophetic role of modern-day Israel that motivates her to support Israel, no matter what. Genesis 12:2-3 is a particular favourite of the Christian Zionist movement:
I will make you into a great nation
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.
So for the Chrisitian Zionist, to unflinchingly support the modern State of Israel, no matter what is does and how it acts, is a ticket to personal blessing. To not support Israel, by these verses, is to invite God’s curse.
The last straw tonight was when, soon after putting down this article in frustration, and while flicking through Foxtel cable TV, I happened on the one and only Christian TV station in Australia. Rarely do I find anything of substance shown on this channel, and tonight I wasn’t disappointed. I sat for the next five or so minutes watching another Hillsong cookie-cutter church worship team (I gather from New Zealand) playing a very funky and catchy P & W song, complete with the professional musicians and beautifully groomed worship singers. A perfectly Christianized reproduction (counterfeit maybe?) of a secular R & B song, just with Christianized lyrics. Yet another interpretation of Christian theology and style, I mused.
This left me in my present bewildered and overwhelmed state. It forced me to hit the showers, warm water streaming on my face, asking God quite honestly, “If I feel strongly that all of these particular styles and interpretations of Christianity in the 21st Century all somehow miss the mark - what, then, does a faithful and authentic Christian look like in 2010?”. What indeed.
Here’s some of the options, as I see it:
1. The anabaptist, extreme left-wing, Christian pacifist who idolises John Howard Yoder, Dr King, Boenhoffer, Gandhi and Bono, and thinks that the Christian life should prioritize social justice, eco justice, radical non-violence, reconciliation, Marxist political and economic theory, and civil disobedience against duly elected governments who they see as promoting state-sponsored terrorism and violence.
2. The ‘Young, Restless and Reformed’ neo-Calvinist crowd who idolise long-dead Reformers and Puritans, often wearing T-shirts with slogans such as ‘Jonathan Edwards is my homeboy’. These are the ones who have made modern Calvinist preachers like Mark Driscoll, John Piper, Tim Keller, Albert Mohler and their ilk into nothing short of homiletic rock-stars, and somehow think that teachings like double predestination and particular redemption are theological concepts worth advertising proudly.
3. The faithful Christian Zionist who, like the dutiful and starry-eyed ‘little brother’ to modern day Judaism, thinks that Genesis 3 and other scriptures compels them to politely applaud if the modern State of Israel so much as passes wind in their general direction. Never mind if secular Israel seems to see Christian Zionists as nothing more than convenient and wealthy benefactors, potentially loaded and emotional-spending tourists, and a direct line to Western politicians. No, for these Christians, Israel has a prophetic eschatological role and must be supported no matter what. These Zionists are the ones that seem more motivated to make apologetic excuses for modern-day orthodox Jews who stubbornly deny Jesus as the Messiah already come.
4. The snipped, clipped and plucked middle/upper class young (or not-so-young-anymore) suburban Pentecostal who wants to be the next Darlene Zschech or other Hillsong-esque megachurch worship leader, who dutifully tithes a minimum of ten per cent, believing confidently in those (mainly Old Testament) verses that promise a rich harvest of health, wealth, prosperity and worldly acclaim, ten times or more what they sow into this, that or other schmick television ministry.
This is only a few ways to be a Christian in 2010. What I find bewildering is the staggering array of intepretations of the authentic Christian life. The almost endless interpretive factions of Christian theology and praxis.
How, then, shall I live as a faithful and authentic Christian in 2010? How indeed!
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