BELIEVING vs. BECOMING
by SteveMarcus Borg recently described an encounter he had with a fellow airline passenger while flying across the country. His seatmate was a woman who said she was very interested in religion and spirituality, but Christianity held no attraction for her because it was all about believing rather than becoming. I understand very well where that lady was coming from. American Christianity has indeed come to be, in most places, about correct doctrine and belief rather than about a transforming relationship with the God revealed in Jesus.
This sad situation did not develop overnight. Indeed, its roots can be traced back to the Enlightenment in the late 18th century. Prior to the Enlightenment, when Christians used the verb “to believe,” its object was always a person. “To believe” meant to believe IN a person, having faith in that person, trusting that person. During the Enlightenment, when scientists of the period began to make discoveries about our universe which called some biblical teachings into question, e.g., the age of the earth, the reaction of the Church was to circle the wagons and dig in its heels, insisting that what they believed the Bible taught must be trusted over scientific facts. What the Church really feared was the loss of power and authority, so it insisted that to be a Christian, a person must believe THAT certain things were true. It is one thing to believe IN a person. It is quite another to believe THAT certain things are true about that person. Thus the metamorphosis of the meaning of belief.
The same idea is popular today. To be a “real” Christian, we are told, we must first believe the right things. Any careful reading of the gospels will show that Jesus never asked potential followers to believe anything as a prerequisite for becoming a disciple. He simply called people to follow him, and what happened was that in the following, believing took care of itself.
Jesus is still looking for followers. He does not ask that you get your doctrines right, or insist that you believe 5 unbelievable things before breakfast. He asks only that you fall in behind him, get in step, and follow him on a lifelong path of transformation. The transformation usually occurs in small increments, as in the give-and-take of the journey, we develop and deepen our relationship with him, and wonder of wonders, become like him.�
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For many years, I’ve struggled with two things in my spiritual journey:
I’ve struggled with the fact that I have heard for all of my life that “real” Christians believe certain things, some of which I can’t reconcile with what I know in my heart is true for me. And I’ve struggled with the fact that I don’t feel God with me all of the time; I always thought that “real” Christians felt God with them all the time.
Those misconceptions were major stumbling blocks in my path for many years.
How freeing it is hear and to realize that Jesus only wants followers and that we don’t have to be flawless. How freeing it is to know that I don’t have to feel God in my life to believe and to follow Him.
I wish that I had realized earlier that I didn’t have to be a “real” Christian. Imagine how fabulous and free the world would be if we could all get the “real” Christian expectations out of our heads….
How do we get rid of the “real” Christian myth in the perception of non-Christians? How do we get the “real” Christian myth out of our expectations for ourselves?
Eliza…It’s comments like yours that give me hope. It seems that wherever this message is proclaimed, the most common reaction is “why hasn’t somebody told me this before?” And the exciting thing is that the message is taking root all over the country! Even conservatives and evangelicals of all stripes are finally beginning to understand…the original content of the “gospel” or “good news” was simply “Jesus is Lord, not Caesar!” And that simple statement has enormous implications for us…if he is Lord, then his intention and desire is that we follow his way. His way is a way that leads first to death, then to resurrection and new life. His way means that the things that are important to him should become important to us. His way means that the things he loves and has special concern for, we begin to love and show special concern for.
We’ve messed things up by making Christianity all about the messenger while paying no attention to his message! I’m optimistic about the future, because I believe that many are finally beginning to get it right. Recently a national evangelical leader wrote that he had finally realized that the 27000 children who died of disease and starvation yesterday are much more important to God than gay marriage. That is a huge, positive move, and there will be more of them.
You are definitely on the right track. The only recommendation I will make is to suggest that you read Marcus Borg’s book, The Heart of Christianity: Rediscovering a Life of Faith. My best to you and Jason, and thanks for reading the blog.