Last weekend I joined several members of my family in driving to
western New York State (The Finger Lakes Region) to meet another family who will
be joining ours by marriage, later in the summer. The prospective bride and
groom live in Colorado, and he is my brother's son. We went to Geneva, New
York, because that is where the bride grew up, and she has several close
relatives continuing to live there.
So, there was plenty to eat and drink as we progressed through the weekend.
But much more memorable were some of my conversations with other guests. In
particular, I had a long chat with the bride's Uncle Ron, who had flown in from
El Paso, Texas. He was a few years younger than me, and works as a medical
technician at a local El Paso hospital.
At one point, I remarked to Uncle Ron how beautiful I thought the little
church was I had passed on my way to that night's family gathering. Ron agreed,
but added that as he saw religious faith, it was not about beautiful buildings
and ritual ---- it was about strict adherence to some basic Gospel principles.
He explained that he was an evangelical Christian, and to him salvation by
faith was all about the sin-atoning death of Jesus Christ, which he had come to
believe in through personal conversion, the authority of Scripture, and the
importance of preaching as contrasted with mere ritual.
At that point. I had to sit down. Ron was a bit wound up now, so I thought
I had better ask him some questions about evangelical Christianity. Ron told me
that "evangelicals" do not form a distinct denomination ---- it is an umbrella
term applicable in varying degrees across many Protestant denominations.
Ron explained that American Evangelism has had two core convictions: (1.)
that a personal encounter with the risen Christ is necessary for our salvation;
and (2.) that Scripture (especially the Gospels) offer a wholly trustworthy
guide to God's will for mankind.
Ron told me that ever since American Evangelism broke with the mainline
Protestant churches about 100 years ago, the hallmark of evangelical theology
was a vision of modern society as a sinking ship, sliding toward depravity and
sin. He said that for evangelicals, the call to the church alter was the only
life raft ---- a chance to accept Jesus Christ, thus rebirth and
salvation.
I was glad he had brought our conversation back to the centrality of Jesus
Christ. So, I asked Ron what he meant by "a personal encounter with the risen
Christ"? Did Jesus appear to Ron in a dream, was there a distinct voice in the
darkness of night, or did something happen on a mountain top? How did Ron know
when there had been a "personal encounter" with the risen Christ, in his
life?
Ron said he had read the Gospels over and over, so he already had an
intellectual understanding about Jesus Christ, even though it left some
questions unanswered. But, at some point, Ron said, he began to feel an
emotional attachment to Jesus. He continued: "This analogy is quite simplistic,
but it was a bit like my courtship with the girl I eventually married. When we
were dating, I learned much about her interests, friends and life experiences,
and she learned many factual things about me. But at some point I began to have
feelings for her, as well as factual knowledge. On an emotional level we began
to have sort of a "personal encounter." I thought about her a lot, even when we
were not together. I continued to have some of my old impulses and appetites,
but I could see myself moving closer to her impulses and her way of
seeing the world. Then, whenever we were together, we really felt close." I
think a "personal encounter" with Jesus Christ is somewhat like that, It is a
process over time. When people say they have been "born again," I believe that
they are simply saying that at that point in the longer-term process they know
they have progressed in their relationship to the point where they
know they are "in love" with each other. And my "personal encounter"
with Jesus Christ was like this.
These days, Ron said, many younger evangelicals take a less fatalistic
view. For them, the "born-again" experience of accepting Jesus is just the
beginning, What follows, he said, is the long-term process of "spiritual
formation" that involves applying the teachings of Jesus in the "here and now."
Modern evangelicals do not see society as a dying vessel. They talk more about
the biblical imperative to fix up the ship by contributing to the
betterment of their communities and the world. Ron noted that modern
evangelicals support traditional charities, but also public policies that
address health care, race, poverty and the environment. Beginning in the
1970's, emphasis seemed to shift from just winning souls, to also saving bodies
---- evangelical "mission" became as much about making the world better as it
was about populating heaven," Ron said.
Ron went on to say, "We shouldn't allow a child to live under a bridge or
in the back seat of a car. We shouldn't be satisfied if elderly people are
being abused or neglected, even though they are living in a nursing
home." Ron, the evangelist, really resonated with me when he said, "You can't
just say 'respect life' and mean it exclusively for the unborn babies."
Quoting evangelical pastor Rick Warren, Ron suggested that if more
Christians worked to alleviate needs in their local communities, the church
would become known more for the love it shows than for what it is against.
At the end of the evening, I thanked Ron for sharing so frankly his
approach to faith. At first I had been a little overwhelmed, but Ron had left
me with much to think about. I especially remember his closing comment about
today's evangelicals: "People in my age group are much more attracted to
participatory theology," he had said, "and are very resistant to being
told what to do or what to think."
As I drove back to New Jersey the next day, I recalled my conversation with
Ron and wondered ---- are there not some members of CPC who would be very happy
embracing some of the modern evangelical theology? Perhaps I am one of
them!
_______________________________________________________________________
These thoughts are brought to you by CPC's Adult Spiritual Development
Team, hoping to encourage some personal growth this year at CPC.
_______________________________________________________________________
No comments:
Post a Comment