When I speak of the "R" word, I am referring actually to two separate words. The view one holds of these two words has the potential to dramatically effect their personal walk with Christ.
Admittedly, this will be another post focused towards my Christian (and even religiously Christian) brethren. Though, I'm sure those outside of the faith can get some insight as well. I want to discuss the current trend of using the world "religion" when speaking of someone adhering to the Christian faith. It occurs often in our daily conversations, and in truth, is not technically incorrect. But, I think the way we view this word, "Religion" has the potential to influence the way we share our faith, and also the way in which we are perceived by those outside the faith.
A quote that I still like, though may have become somewhat cliche as of late, goes something like:
"Religion is man seeking God, Christianity is God seeking man." -Unknown
Whenever I have a conversation with an unbelieving person, or even sometimes with the more liberal of my Christian brothers and sisters, I find the term "religion" tossed around a lot. I am not sure if it stems from a discomfort with the relational aspect of faith in Christ, or if it is is simply something picked up from the way our current culture tends to refer to Christianity, but either way, it is misleading.
Christianity has always been about the relationship. It is man's relationship to his Creator. It is the falling away of that relationship because of sin. And, it is the great love story of God (Creator) bringing man back unto fellowship by virtue of a perfect sacrifice (Christ) meant to bridge the gap created by man's sinful fall from grace.
Our relationship with Christ is the bridge that unites us back in fellowship with God. Without this bridge, we remain lost. Enter Religion.
There are likely thousands of various religions, and sects within those of which I could speak. We know the major ones, and in the past Christianity has been looped in with the big groups. We mention Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity more often than most, but there exist an abundance of others.
The three major mono-Theisitc (worship one god) religions are Christianity, Islam and Judaism. Each of these believes in one god. This is where the similarities begin to spread.
Likely due to the influence of the Catholic church in early church history, Christianity began to gradually be associated more with traditions and practices, than with the original relationship with Christ on which it was founded by His disciples. As man sought new ways of interacting with God, even still through Christ, new traditions formed, and much like Judaism pre-Christ, man-made practices began to take the place of the Gospel itself.
For example, during a particularly dark period in Christian history, the Catholic church and the Papacy began selling indulgences. These were basically like purchased 'Get out of Hell Free" cards, that would forgive the buyer of sin, and guarantee Heavenly status.
Obviously, it is not in any man's power (yes even the Pope) to grant forgiveness, as forgiveness is only by and through Christ. Still, practices likes these began to turn the relationship with Christ which formed Christianity, into a religion of man with Christ as its worship center. A small difference to be sure, but a significant one when we see some of the implications of this. Catholicism also has a somewhat unhealthy preoccupation with Mary and frequently elevates her to a level of equality with Christ, which is not Biblical. Someone once told me this was because people find it less difficult to pray to a motherly figure, as a Fatherly figure sometimes seems more condemning. I can see where they have a point, and that would explain why many people elevate Mary to status with God. It prevents the conviction of sin that we are under with God, and lets us as humans feel more in control. It is, however, not Biblical thinking.
In addition, if Christianity stands as just another religion, the exclusivity of Christ gets called into question. While many people (Christians included) would like the exclusivity to be questioned these days, it is certainly not the intention of the Gospel for there to be a means outside of Christ by which men can be saved (Acts 4:12). Therefore, turning Christianity into a "religion" like those other world religions, loops it in with false gospels and misinformation regarding salvation and the problem of sin.
Without trying to pick on them too much, the reason I use Catholics in the previous example is because they are most often the Christians that I hear referring to the faith as a religion. It makes sense as we can note many "religious" aspects of the Catholic worship experience. For many who claim Catholicism it is less about Christ and more about the obligatory mass attendance once in awhile. This leads to another problem.
If Christianity was simply about butts in the church seats each Sunday, it would have died out long ago. It is an active faith, and its adherents, at their best, should be actively sharing that faith and seeking ways to spread the message of hope, love and salvation to a world that is lost in sin. Simply mentioning sin; however, becomes a stumbling block for the more "religious" Christians. Like the Pharisees and scribes of Jesus time, some Christians are so locked into tradition that they fail to see Christ right in front of them.
There is a danger of apathy, amongst other things, that can come from treating Christianity as just another religion. By doing so, one also misses the entire point- a relationship with Christ. It is not by accident that the Bible calls the church the "bride of Christ." It is meant as imagery to display the importance of the church to Christ. A church that is not actively seeking that closeness with its bridegroom, Christ, is like a bride simply telling people she is engaged, but never seeking to spend anytime with her betrothed. The groom becomes an afterthought. I notice that the most apathetic Christians are the ones most likely associated with a denomination or sect which focuses more on traditions and statements of faith, than actual relationships with Christ. Where is the hunger for His word? Where is the submission to His will? It often seems absent.
So in the great comparison of religion versus relationship, we should be approaching Christianity as a relationship. It's no secret many have fallen away from Christianity when it becomes too "religious" for them. Often these fallouts then become the very people calling it a religion. And, in their case it would be understandable. If a church becomes more about religion then genuine seekers may be put off and see Christianity as a whole in religious terms instead of relational terms.
This was the experience I had growing up in a mainline denominational church. I knew I needed to attend on Sundays. I knew what songs we would sing and what creeds we would recite. I knew that someone would dryly read from God's word-often calling to mind Ben Stein from "Ferris Bueller's Day off." There was no passion for the Word of God, it was recitation. Repeat after me was more important than learning meaning behind what we were repeating.
Now, I don't think it was totally the fault of the denomination, as I have since learned of other churches within this denomination that have a much more passionate worship experience. And, once a year at church camp, when the district came together, some of that passion would sneak into the camp worship. It was a taste of what Christianity could be, but once that week ended, it was back to the dry worship experience.
In youth group we occasionally reached these peaks of passion during devotional songs. Between those moments, and church camp, I began to feel inside a drawing towards a more active knowledge of my faith in which I had been raised. Had anyone asked me if I was a Christian growing up I would have said, " yes," but if they asked if I knew what that meant, I would have been clueless.
I don't want to blame the structure of denominationalism in America, but it's not surprising to me that so many are falling away from these traditions in favor of a non-denominational, Bible/Jesus-based worship experience.
I discovered this type of worship first on Tuesday nights in college during "Overflow." This was a once a week service of just songs, and the movement of the Spirit in that place was quite noticeable. It was something I hadn't felt during my regular Sunday services growing up. It was something I had glimpsed occasionally at camp, but never fully in a weekly capacity. From there, I began attending the non-denominational church that my friends were going to, and heard my first sermon on what it actually means to be a Christian. I learned more on salvation, sin and God's grace in one sermon than I had learned in 10+ years of my home church.
I can't say I was a strict adherent to my newly discovered faith in my college days, but the seed was planted, and it continues to grow even now within.
My point is simply that if being raised in the church was the only requirement to be called a Christian, I would have been considered one without a doubt. But, looking back, I was not really following Christ in those days. I know some do follow Christ in that church to this day, but I know others have fallen into simply attending out of a sort of misplaced religious duty. This "duty" is what I'd like to avoid by the clarification present in this post.
We cannot believe that by calling ourselves Methodist, Catholic or Baptist, that we automatically have a relationship with Jesus. It simply isn't true. It takes a submission of self to God's will, an acceptance of Christ's sacrifice for our sins, and an attitude of repentance. Simply going to church once in awhile, sitting through a service, and then actively forgetting Christ throughout the week is not Christianity. It is a form of false religion, and it is so close to the real thing, that it is often one of the saddest spots in which someone can be. The truth is practically bashing them in the face, and yet it continues to be ignored.
I'm not trying to say that by calling oneself "Methodist" or "Baptist" or "Catholic" that we are not Christians. There are Methodists, Baptists and Catholics aplenty that are true followers of Christ. I've seen it first hand, even in the Catholic church, which until college I thought worshipped Mary more than Jesus. That's a blog for another day, but I do understand now there are saved Christians within all denominations.
So, the heart of my post here is, "do we really know Jesus?" Have we confused religion for relationship? Are we attending church out of obligation instead of opportunity for fellowship with our Savior? A butt in the seat does not a Christian make.
Let's reassess our standing with Christ. Let's call ourselves Christians because we trusted Christ for our salvation, not because we are a Sunday regular. Church attendance is important for fellowship and growth, but knowing Christ is relational first. Whenever and wherever we find ourselves, we can make that jump into relationship with our Savior. We can step out of religion, and into a relationship with our Savior, Jesus Christ.
*For more on the differences between the Catholic tradition and Protestant views, this great tract was recently passed along to me, and sums things up quite well. I would definitely encourage my Catholic brothers and sisters in Christ to read it, as it can help call back from the danger of falling into tradition over true faith in Christ.
Roman Catholic and Protestantism Gospel Tract
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