I was reading while eating my biscuits and gravy this morning and came across a sentence that made me stop and think:
"Your beliefs, as a Christian, are not yours in the sense that you have rights over them, either to tamper with them or throw them away." --Harry Blamires, The Christian Mind
I don't get to define what being a Christian means ("well, this is what being a Christian means to me..." NOT!) Christianity (Christ) defines me, or else I'm just another heretic. Of course there is an element of subjectivity and interpretation, but there is also a reality outside of me (or, more to the point, a Reality). I wonder how much of who I am is me baptizing what I want to be rather than truly wrestling with what a real God wants me to be.
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4 comments:
This is really an interesting thought, but one that I am not comfortable with at all. I guess what truely defines me as a Christian is the fact that I accept Jesus Christ as my personal savior, and the savior of the world. It is because of Him, that we have the chance to be reunited to our Heavenly Father. Thank goodness we don't have to offer sacrifices and all we have to do is get on our knees and repent of our sins.
Right you are! The point of Mr Blamires statement is that we don't get to invent Christianity, Christianity gets to remake us. It is a stubborn reality and not a subjective reality. A lot of folk who call themselves "Christian" then go on to deny that Jesus is who he is. Their faith is a designer faith made of whatever is attractive to them, rather than an acceptance of what the faith purports to be.
Now, like you, I'm not comfortable with the thought myself, because I grew up with the notion that everything's ok. I described myself for years as a Zen Christian, because I grabbed elements of Buddhism and mixed them with my Bible (to the detriment, perhaps, of both faiths!) I peeked into the world of the esoteric Christian magick groups, wondering if I could have it all. I looked at how from the Middle Ages through Isaac Newton, alchemy (not just as a proto-science, but as a spiritual quest) was combined with Christian faith. I read the work of guys like Michael Harner, wondering if there was a place in Christianity for shamanism.
The human mind is capable of any feat of mental gymnastics. I can justify most anything. But does the God of the Universe call me to that, or does He call me to surrender before a really real Reality? That is the question.
I reiterate: Mmm, gravy....
OK, I'm just kidding. This rocks. I should not admit this to anyone, but that's why I like that Rich Mullins song. The concept that "I did not make it" but "it is making me," while apparently uncomfortable to other, normal people, really floats my boat.
Very interesting...
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