A while back, I downloaded the free Logos Bible app and more recently, I have been using it to organize my prayer lists and do some Bible study. What annoys me about Logos, however, is that if you want to use certain features--like, say, the interlinear Greek option of some translations--you have to buy a Logos software set, the cheapest of which is $250!
I may, someday, invest the $250 in Logos software. I'm sure it's worth the cost.
But my experience with using Logos has me wondering about the different "trappings" of Christianity.
I live in a Christian culture. I get to use a Christian software app in order to read and study the Bible. I can go down to Family Christian Stores, or Lifeway Books, and look up the latest Christian books and/or other media. I listen to Christian praise music. I go to church on Sundays and Wednesdays and sing on a praise team. I read (and write) Christian fiction, as does my BFF. There are loads of Christian notebooks, tips on how to have a good "quiet time", version upon version of the Bible, videos to entertain the kids with clean, Christian entertainment, and, to top it off, Christian decor to place on your walls and on your shelves. I've done a number of Bible studies where you get the workbook, fill in the blanks, have group discussion, and watch the accompanying video. I can, off the top of my head, name several prominent Christian authors/celebrities: Beth Moore, Kay Arthur, Priscilla Shirer, John MacArthur, James Dobson, Max Lucado, etc. If you can afford it, you can send your children to Christian school or Christian colleges. Or, you can homeschool your children using a Christian curriculum.
What would happen if all of these "trappings" of Christianity disappeared?
Is the faith of the average American Christian based in Christian culture? Or is it truly based in Christ?
I hear, at this time of year, the gripes about the supposed "war on Christmas" and how "Jesus is the reason for the season" and how Christians are supposed to be offended and to "stand up for Jesus!" when someone says "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas". Never mind that, during December, there's also Hanukkah, and that Kwaanza starts the day after Christmas. (And today marks "Festivus for the rest of us!" the annual airing of grievances made popular by Seinfeld.)
I also hear the usual screaming about how "God isn't allowed in schools!" and how things would be oh, so much better if we could just put God and prayer back in schools. As if God slams into an invisible wall whenever a believer steps onto a public school campus and deserts him/her, only to reinhabit him/her when the believer steps off the campus.
There are Christian brothers and sisters that don't have the "trappings" of Christianity that we think are so important in American society. In Iraq, Iran, China, and other places, they don't have access to Christian bookstores and many of them may not have even heard of the Christian teachers I've named above. Possession of a Bible is a crime in several countries. Confession of the name of Jesus can, and sometimes does, get you killed. Just ask people in ISIS-held territory.
What would the average American Christian do if they wound up in a country without a Christian culture? What would they do if they only had a Bible and nothing else? Would they keep their faith, or would it wither and die? Would they complain because their children couldn't pray in public schools, or not hear "Merry Christmas" from a store clerk? Or because there are no Christian schools to send their children to? Or because they can't get their latest copy of a Beth Moore study?
I really wonder, at times, where is the faith of the average American Christian based? I ask this question of my faith as well. Without the "trappings" -- without the "Christian" culture that I am so accustomed to -- would I lose my faith? And if I did, how strong was that faith to begin with? What was my faith based in?
Our fellow Christians throughout the world seem to do just fine worshiping God without Christian trappings. Can't we do the same?
Just my .04, adjusted for inflation.
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Showing posts with label Christianese culture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christianese culture. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 23, 2015
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Worship Wednesday: Christianese
I hate, detest, and despise Christianese. But, rather than subject you to my diatribe against Christianese--and also, because I've been sick this week--here's a few videos that describe Christianese and will leave you with a good laugh:
And this last one, about Bubble Creek Canyon, hits closer to home than some of us would like to admit:
Just my .04, adjusted for inflation.
And this last one, about Bubble Creek Canyon, hits closer to home than some of us would like to admit:
Just my .04, adjusted for inflation.
Saturday, May 23, 2015
Christianese culture--I'm done!
After this week, I am officially done with Christianese culture.
I am not done with Christianity. There is a difference between Christianity and Christianese culture.
The tipping point for me? The report that Josh Duggar, of the reality show 19 Kids and Counting, confessed to the sexual abuse of five girls when he was 14. Four of them were his sisters. Given the amount of publicity surrounding this family, and the amount of public information about them, just about anyone can do the math and come close to figuring out who the sisters were that were abused.
I am reading where Josh should be forgiven, where we shouldn't bring up something that happened so long ago (he is now married with three children and one on the way). I am reading where he was a stupid kid who messed up and it shouldn't be held against him. I have read where Josh apologized (which he did in a public statement this week) and I have read where his sisters have forgiven him.
But let me see if I can detail my problems with this whole event:
1. This was not a one-time deal. This happened several times before the behavior was discovered.
2. The father waited for a YEAR before reporting it to the police.
3. Neither Josh, nor his victims--to the best of my knowledge--received ANY kind of professional, impartial counseling to help them deal with the event.
4. As another blogger pointed out, "kids who molest have often been molested themselves". Is it possible that Josh himself was a victim of molestation? (I'm speculating here. I have no proof that Josh was ever a victim.)
5. Josh was sent away for four months to do hard labor at a family friend's place. When he came back, he was given a "stern talking to" by a state trooper--another family friend--who has since been arrested and imprisoned for possession and distribution of child pornography.
6. He came back and continued to live in the same house as his victims.
7. There is a question as to whether or not TLC knew of these events, and yet went ahead anyway with the 19 Kids and Counting show.
In this blog entry, the writer examines parts of the specific Christian culture that the Duggars come from. They use homeschooling materials put out by the Advanced Training Institute, founded by Bill Gothard. Gothard is a well-known name in religious homeschooling circles. He founded the Institute in Basic Youth Conflicts in the 1960's (later known as Institute in Basic Life Principles). (Click here for the Wikipedia article.) Later, he developed the curriculum for the Advanced Training Institute.
He has also been accused of inappropriate behavior with young females--and this website has done an excellent job of documenting stories of that inappropriate behavior.
What I resent about Christianese culture is its emphasis on, "If you just do what we do the way we do it, you, too can have the happy life/happy family that we have!"
I came out of a group that taught just that. If you just "did it" the way the group taught, you, too, could be spiritual and close to God. If you just had your "quiet time" daily, confessed your sins weekly to a prayer partner, attended every gathering of the body, dated only Christian men within your group, and invited everyone you knew to church, Bible study, etc., then you, too, would be "spiritual".
Well, that didn't work. In the group I left, we had plenty of examples of power struggles, shunning, and sexual misconduct. I have never been a victim of sexual abuse, thankfully; but I was the victim of spiritual abuse, as were many, many others who came out of the group I was part of.
We Christians in the US are very prone to worship at the altar of the Christian celebrity. We want the "5 steps to", "3 ways to", etc. Our faith is a mile wide and an inch deep. We bicker and fight about how many days it took for the world to be created, about what "modest" dress is, about whether or not we should have prayer in schools, whether or not the 10 Commandments should be posted on public property . . .and where has it gotten us? Where?
Last week the Pew Research center published a study where it showed that the percentage of the population that identifies as "Christian" has declined to 70%. Personally, I think that our emphasis on "majoring in minors", and our refusal to take a good, hard look at some of our unhealthy teachings on certain subjects goes a long way towards why people--especially our young people--are leaving Christianity.
Our Christianese culture is leading people to abandon Christianity.
I, for one, have had enough.
I am done.
Just my .04, adjusted for inflation.
I am not done with Christianity. There is a difference between Christianity and Christianese culture.
The tipping point for me? The report that Josh Duggar, of the reality show 19 Kids and Counting, confessed to the sexual abuse of five girls when he was 14. Four of them were his sisters. Given the amount of publicity surrounding this family, and the amount of public information about them, just about anyone can do the math and come close to figuring out who the sisters were that were abused.
I am reading where Josh should be forgiven, where we shouldn't bring up something that happened so long ago (he is now married with three children and one on the way). I am reading where he was a stupid kid who messed up and it shouldn't be held against him. I have read where Josh apologized (which he did in a public statement this week) and I have read where his sisters have forgiven him.
But let me see if I can detail my problems with this whole event:
1. This was not a one-time deal. This happened several times before the behavior was discovered.
2. The father waited for a YEAR before reporting it to the police.
3. Neither Josh, nor his victims--to the best of my knowledge--received ANY kind of professional, impartial counseling to help them deal with the event.
4. As another blogger pointed out, "kids who molest have often been molested themselves". Is it possible that Josh himself was a victim of molestation? (I'm speculating here. I have no proof that Josh was ever a victim.)
5. Josh was sent away for four months to do hard labor at a family friend's place. When he came back, he was given a "stern talking to" by a state trooper--another family friend--who has since been arrested and imprisoned for possession and distribution of child pornography.
6. He came back and continued to live in the same house as his victims.
7. There is a question as to whether or not TLC knew of these events, and yet went ahead anyway with the 19 Kids and Counting show.
In this blog entry, the writer examines parts of the specific Christian culture that the Duggars come from. They use homeschooling materials put out by the Advanced Training Institute, founded by Bill Gothard. Gothard is a well-known name in religious homeschooling circles. He founded the Institute in Basic Youth Conflicts in the 1960's (later known as Institute in Basic Life Principles). (Click here for the Wikipedia article.) Later, he developed the curriculum for the Advanced Training Institute.
He has also been accused of inappropriate behavior with young females--and this website has done an excellent job of documenting stories of that inappropriate behavior.
What I resent about Christianese culture is its emphasis on, "If you just do what we do the way we do it, you, too can have the happy life/happy family that we have!"
I came out of a group that taught just that. If you just "did it" the way the group taught, you, too, could be spiritual and close to God. If you just had your "quiet time" daily, confessed your sins weekly to a prayer partner, attended every gathering of the body, dated only Christian men within your group, and invited everyone you knew to church, Bible study, etc., then you, too, would be "spiritual".
Well, that didn't work. In the group I left, we had plenty of examples of power struggles, shunning, and sexual misconduct. I have never been a victim of sexual abuse, thankfully; but I was the victim of spiritual abuse, as were many, many others who came out of the group I was part of.
We Christians in the US are very prone to worship at the altar of the Christian celebrity. We want the "5 steps to", "3 ways to", etc. Our faith is a mile wide and an inch deep. We bicker and fight about how many days it took for the world to be created, about what "modest" dress is, about whether or not we should have prayer in schools, whether or not the 10 Commandments should be posted on public property . . .and where has it gotten us? Where?
Last week the Pew Research center published a study where it showed that the percentage of the population that identifies as "Christian" has declined to 70%. Personally, I think that our emphasis on "majoring in minors", and our refusal to take a good, hard look at some of our unhealthy teachings on certain subjects goes a long way towards why people--especially our young people--are leaving Christianity.
Our Christianese culture is leading people to abandon Christianity.
I, for one, have had enough.
I am done.
Just my .04, adjusted for inflation.
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