Out of town last fall, I joined several members of my family
in meeting another family who will be joining ours by marriage, later this
year.
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 prospective
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 about the beauty of
the little church I had passed on my way to that evening's family
gathering. Ron agreed, but added that as he saw religious faith, it was
not about beautiful buildings and ritual ---- it was about 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 to non-believers, 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 to clarify my
understanding of 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 itself (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, and 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 (Ron's)
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 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," said Ron. "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 knowing 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 limiting view ---- less limited to just our
relationship with God through Jesus Christ. For them, the 'born-again'
experience of accepting Jesus is just the beginning. What follows is the
long-term process of 'spiritual formation', involving the application of the
teachings of Jesus in our daily lives, 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 about 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 home 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!
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These thoughts are brought to you by CPC's Adult
Spiritual Development Team, hoping to encourage some personal spiritual growth
this spring at CPC.
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