unclassifiable
For the past two weeks I have been trying to classify myself as a certain type of Christian. Being at Cal has taught me how hard it is to relate to people when I approach situations from a very 'conservative' Christian view. Talking to fellow Christians about spirituality doesn't necessarily present these problems, but talking to my non-Christian friends about topics like 5-point Calvinism isn't what I would think is apporiate. However I have also seen how hard it is to fall into sin and stumble when approaching Christianity from the 'liberal' perspective. I have many friends that have spent their first semesters here at Cal being Sunday Christians (if at all) and then realizing how far they had strayed from God and His Kingdom.
During these past few weeks I have been trying to place myself somewhere between conservative and liberal Christianity. One of my friends put it well. I enjoy reformed (conservative) teaching, but also want to live with the freedom that that Donald Miller projects in the book Blue Like Jazz. This formula that I had created in my mind doesn't work at all on the linear scale of conservative to liberal because I want somehow to be on the far right and far left at the exact same time.
I have come to realize that this whole thought process is entirely pointless. This whole time, I had been focusing on trying to classify myself by some world standard and my focus had been on me and how I want things and how I think and how I can function. I realize now that I should have just come to God and worship Him and serve Him on his own terms. It's pretty stupid for me to try to classify myself as something when I could instead be focusing on how I can abide in Christ and focus on His kingdom. I'll leave my placement up to God.
3 Comments:
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[^Person above me^ I still remember you(do you me?) and read your posts, I just don't have xanga so I don't comment.]
Anyway,
It -is- very hard to relate to other people who are different, especially those who seem in contrast to you, in general. I don't think I quite understand what you mean when you say that it is hard to fall into sin from the "liberal perspective" unless all that 'sin' is from a "liberal perspective" is not going to church on sunday. For me it really, and I think has always been, a challenge to stay with God and honor and worship him and not only just because of the really hard obvious reasons that you can come up with(like lust or stealing etc), but that it is just so easy to fall into any sin because it is in our nature to do so: lately, just as an example, I've been having trouble with truely honoring/worshiping God because even though I constantly tell myself to and try to, I can see that some parts of me are still...stuck.
heh that total obliteration of the linear spectrum of perspectives was awesome...it reminds me of Superman and "3-D time".
So Focus on Christ, Amen. God Bless.
someone had left my church a short while after having a baby boy, due to differences in church doctrine (infant baptism). not with any hard feelings, but just differences.
i was rather upset about it for a while. i asked my dad why there had to be this type of division between denominations.
i don't even remember the answer to that question, but i do remember him saying, "when judgement day comes around and we're all standing before christ, do you think he'll ask what denomination you were?"
that's stuck with me for a long time.
another phrase i've been given is "christian message in a non-christian package". relating to people by revealing the character of christ to them doesn't necessarily mean compromising your views. when i come across people who wince at the word 'religion', most of the time it's the packaging, not the content, that they're really uncomfortable with. WWJD?
still haven't gotten around to reading blue like jazz. it's on the list of things to do. honest.
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