Why Christianity Deserves a Fresh Look
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A vague grouping of all the Christian denominations? A
particular Christian religion, such Lutheranism or Catholicism? An image of
old, judgmental people smug in their certainties, who have all kinds of biases
and antipathy toward people who are unlike them?
I hope it’s not the later image because that would merely be
a stereotype. There may be a disproportionate number of older people among
people who profess Christianity, but in my experience, they’re not any more
judgmental, smug or biased than anyone else. In fact, I believe they are less
so.
So what of the other images? When we think of these
“groups,” we may think of why many people aren’t attracted to religion. We
think of the institutions, of their political and social views, their religious
services, which we may see as boring. Or we think of the clergy, which in the
case of Catholicism, may include the publicity given to abuser priests (though
the vast majority of priests are dedicated and hard-working).
Take Another Look
But are these what really constitute religion? I don’t think
so, and I hope readers who may have given up on Christianity will take another
look.
Out of the gate I should say that to write about Christianity
doesn’t imply indifference or hostility toward non-Christian faiths. And I speak
from the viewpoint of a Catholic, which doesn’t imply antipathy toward other Christian
religions.
Though I don’t believe “all religions are the same,” the
kernel of Catholicism is shared by many other Christian faiths. In my opinion,
it involves love of God and neighbor, the determination to take Jesus and his
message seriously, and a sense of community, including communal worship as a way
to God.
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A good description of what it means to be a Christian, in
fact, is written down. It’s an easy-to-read “book” in the Bible called the Acts
of the Apostles.
I’ve often thought that the Acts of the Apostles could be
the starter biblical book for people who are turned off by the Bible. Many
people are as likely to read the Bible as they are to read Shakespeare. It may
be considered a “classic,” but who has time to read something written centuries
ago with little relevance to my life?
Even a quick read of the Acts of the Apostles will dissuade
you from that view. The second of a two-part work said to be written by the
physician/disciple Luke, Acts is in the form of a letter, written in a fresh
and simple way, to a guy named Theophilus. It relates the beginnings of the
Christian faith during some 30 years following Jesus’ death. The first part is
the famous Gospel of Luke.
Among other things, Acts details the progress and growth of
Christianity along with the problems it overcame. Among them was the question
of the new faith’s universality. Specifically, Acts shows how early Christians determined
that Christianity would be more than a Jewish sect.
Overcoming Hostile Crowds
And if you love travelogues, this is the biblical book for
you. The Acts chronicles the journeys of the Apostle Paul, in which he overcame
hostile crowds, jail, beatings, shipwreck and the attempt to make him a god.
Acts shows what it meant then, and what it means now, to be
a Christian. It wasn’t principally about an institution or its clergy, though
it included those, but about how love of God and neighbor played out in the
everyday lives of Christians.
Ignatius Hunt, my seminary Scripture professor - one of the
two best teachers I ever had - wrote in his classic little book, Understanding
the Bible, about the passion and energy of the early Christian community as
described in Acts.
“These enthusiastic Christians could not keep silent about
their new-found faith,” he wrote. “They loved it, built their lives on it, and
had no intention of keeping it to themselves….”
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