Monday, June 30, 2008

White Christianity

More and more I see that the Christianity I grew up with is sooo tainted with Americanism that it is often very hard to see what The Way -- as Jesus' disciples called the religion Jesus taught-- would have turned into.

So I read Pastor Richard Twiss' "One Church, Many Tribes."

Then I listen to Henry Lao of the Elijah Challenge.

Then I listen to Christian ministers from other countries.

And I can only say I feel a strange excitement in the air. The Christianity we have is so euro-centric and the evangelical charismatic religion we have is so influenced by televangelist and American culture that I stand amazed at what this religion will be like when non-whites, non-Americans, finally get an influence in our church. I'll admit I'll be a little scared too. After all, I'm American and some stuff I hold to will also be challenged. But I'm open.

One of the weird things about this movement toward indigenous Christianity and a Christianity that moves away from American suppositions, interpretations, telvangelism, racism, etc....is that I am CONTINUALLY getting into fights with American Christians who simply do not want to grow. They are sooo committed to the American interpretations of certain verses and of certain ways of being that you can see their fear that you have fallen into heresy when you mention something. It's like telling some Christian man who is into authority that the perfect woman of Proverbs 31 -=- the woman who is far above rubies-- is shown in the Bible as buying property without asking her husband's permission. They just look at you like.....

Or when you tell someone that new believers in countries where new believers are persecuted for changing their religion shouldn't have to leave their religions...that God will work with inside believers from within those religions, that Jesus called believers to a relationship with him, not to "change religions" or "become Christians"...they look at you like......

Or when you tell them that evangelism without the miracles of Christ isn't gonna cut in in some countries....they're like.....

I have to admit that my patience with normal American Christians is running pretty short. Perhaps because they are so connected to American ideas such as patriotism, The US is God's country, etc, or their addiction to fame and large churches...and "issues"...and whatever the latest hip thing Christians are studying (christians and being feminine, christians and bad girls in the Bible, christians and yadda-yadda... or whatever...) well, it just makes me very snippy and "short" with people.

And when it's another Christian writer telling me that my story is too Christian, too heavy-handed (although my atheist friends and my Moslem friend and my new ager friends loved it) I feel like saying, "Idiot! Don't you know folks are going to hell? And you are upset with a book because it's too Christian or it doesn't fall into the type of Christian fantasy you want (Elves, knights, etc.) Oh, it really just p*sses a person off!

Am half-curious to see how Inheritance with those sex issues will play among Christians. Will they say I have made my demon too sexy and scary for Christian audiences?

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Again, we have lift to a new standard of learning...we have become too americanized and have people interpret for us. Personally, I am afraid to travel to other countries and begin converting folks. I can discuss, maybe point out some scriptures, but I don't know about converting. If I am called to teach I will do that. By God I will and it is normal to have some nervousness; on the same token. going around evangelizing will take prayer...

Secondly, the book: who cares what they think? I was wondering if they thought the book Windfollower may have been too graphic or sexy(I had no problem with either). Christians are exposed to sexiness anyway- aren't their wives/husbands sexy? Why punish your book for that....ahhh.
-Erica

Carole McDonnell said...

Many Christians liked it but I got several cracks from a few about the excessive violence and sex. Very annoying.

If you ever get called to go evangelizing in another country, do it with signs and miracles witnessing. We are commanded to heal. Period. Believers are promised that if they preach the word and boldly assert that God uses miracles -- like Elijah-- to show that he has chosen Jesus as the savior of men...that God will witness to our preaching with miracles. We have to be bold though and we must believe that the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy and that the act of preaching the gospel brings with it God's power.

Anonymous said...

Deep :)

Carole McDonnell said...

Basic Christianity. Except that no one practices it. Paul said "When I came to you and preached the gospel it was not with persuasive words of men's wisdom but with power." So how do Christians preach the gospel nowadays? With persuasive words of men's power. No wonder there are some folks who will never be reached. Especially if they have a holy book which tells them that our holy book is a tonna crap. The only way they can be touched is for God to witness to them. This is what caused so many in Nigeria and in Pakistan and India to turn to Christ. Not the preaching but the miracles they are witnessing.

Jesus said "Heal the sick and preach the kingdom and tell them the kingdom of God is near you." Period. In the same way we preach the kingdom, we also should simply heal the sick. Not pray for the sick. Heal the sick. There are very few instances in the Bible where people pray for the sick. Instead, they command the sick to be healed. The only time we see anyone praying before commanding the sick to be healed is when the sick person is dead or the sick person is demonized. Peter healed Aeneas and the lame man with a command but he prayed before commanding Dorcas to come to life. And in the case of the epileptic child, Jesus told his disciples in such a case they should fast and pray.

And there is a vast difference between praying and commanding. Praying is the priestly anointing. We talk to God and God talks to us about the situation. Commanding is the kingly anointing. We just go out and command. We don't combine them both.

But we don't see Christians doing that at all. They pray for the sick. Which is good. But they don't command the sick person's body to be healed. Which is what Jesus did most of the time.

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