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VOW
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Confused
Spirituality, Conflicting Articles
The September/October Horizons, the Presbyterian Women’s magazine, is focused on “Nurturing Our Faith.” Charlotte Johnstone, author of the “Dispatch from Forbearance Presbyterian Church” column, in her perceptive, slightly comical and deeply sad article, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow With Claire,” writes of Claire, Her bedside table became increasingly crowded with the kind of self-help books of vague spirituality that promised serenity, clarity and unclouded purpose. She was an uncritical student and the culture accommodated her enthusiastically. (7)After experimenting with such practices as yoga, astrology and feng shui, Claire finally drifts away from the Church altogether while looking for “the right thing,” so that “everything would be fine.” The author makes it clear that Claire is not nurturing her faith; she is rather trying out a smorgasbord of spiritualities. Claire in a very dramatic way has “suspended” her beliefs as Jack Walsh recommends Christians do in another article entitled, “Suspend Your Beliefs Without Losing Your Faith.”(19) Walsh is attempting to help the reader “embrace and honor all faiths,” without losing their own “religious convictions.” He suggests “our belief systems can be a roadblock to unity and prevent us from walking with our brothers and sisters.” (He is talking about all faiths here, not just other Christians.) I am reminded of the words of Jesus to His disciples, Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven. Do not think I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. (Matthew 10:32-34)Of course, Jesus doesn’t mean that those who believe in him should bear the sword against the unbeliever, but rather the unbeliever might very well be disposed to bear the sword against those who confess Jesus Christ as the only Lord. We as Christians are to be respectful and loving toward those belonging to other faiths, and we should for the sake of witness know what they believe. But we are not called to suspend our beliefs for even an iota of a second. Unity is meant to be a fruit of the body of Christ, not the body of world religions. R.T. France comments on verse thirty-four of Matthew, “Jesus speaks here, as in the preceding and following verses, more of a division in men’s personal response to him. As long as some men refuse the Lordship of God, to follow the Prince of peace will always be a way of conflict.” (Tyndale: New Testament Commentaries, 188) Walsh quotes
James A. Connor’s statements about holding on to life, and how that is
possible for Christians, Jews, Muslims and Buddhists together. “It is possible
for Buddhists because enlightenment reveals the true nature of life,” he
writes. So perhaps Claire taking a class in feng shui and learning about
“chi” is okay since that is a Buddhist practice and belief. Or perhaps
we have just become so confused and syncretistic in our spirituality that
it is almost impossible to publish Christian material that is faithful
to the Lord. One of our problems is a failure to grasp the faithfulness
of God, the certainty of the love of Jesus Christ for His children. Johnstone
writes that Claire, “wanted answers,” and “wanted reassurance.” Well of
course, Christians have no assurance of physical or even emotional or mental
well-being. But they do have the promise of the forgiveness of their sins,
the assurance of resurrection, and best of all the promise of being now
and forever with Jesus Christ, of living forever within the fellowship
of the Trinity. As saint Paul said, “More than that, I count all things
to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord,
for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish
so that I may gain Christ.”(Phil.3:8)
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