Christianity, Church and Authenticity

I read of "Christians" who torch villages of Buddhists or Muslims or Hindus.  I read of Christian leaders who connive, coerce, weasel and whore.  I read of churches where preaching/teaching a party line is more important than exploring, searching, and becoming.  And I wonder:  what does it mean to be a Christian?

I do not think it means being born in a Christian village, Christian culture or Christian home.  Tribalism is not a valid answer.

Here's what I think.  In Romand 10:9 the apostle Paul wrote:  "If you confess Jesus as Lord, and believe God raised Jesus from the dead, you will be saved."  Paul goes on to explicate a bit, but the concept seems personal, individual, and it involves a couple of important things.

First, it involves confessing "Jesus is Lord".  As Paul Brown once wrote, "If Jesus is Lord, then Caesar is not lord." A "lord" in the first century Roman culture, for which and in which Paul wrote, had the absolute power of life, death, obedience, punishment, etc. over those who owned him "lord".  In an essentially verbal society, confessing "Jesus is Lord" made a contract with society and with Jesus that one's life was Jesus to command, lead, send, shape, or end.

Following that to a reasonable next step, then, a person is a Christ-follower if she/he lives in obedience to the teaching and command of Jesus.  To the extent one does not, questions arise about whether one is a contract breaker (living in breach of contract) or a liar.  This confession must be personal and authentic.

Then there is believing that God raised Jesus from the dead.

Wow!  Paul puts his finger on the only real stumbling block.  The virgin birth is not worth fighting about.  Whether or not Jesus healed people, or turned water into wine is not worth arguing over.  But if God really, actually, literally, raised Jesus from the dead then a persons who believe that have a different basis for living, dying, obeying, laughing, staying silent, speaking -- for everything, really.  While one might still be afraid to die, at some level a person who believe God raises the dead can push through the fear and love his neighbor as himself, just as Jesus taught.  He or she can accept people who seem to need rejecting.  He or she can walk the extra mile when it hurts so much.  He or she can say loudly and often, quietly and persuasively, "I will not help burn my neighbor, or my neighbors village, or steal my neighbor's possessions."

I live in a community that is quite churchy.  The churches are churchy, whether right wing, middle or left wing.  Liturgies are more important than people, and large is clearly better than small.  Mostly peole are "raised" in church, but I am learning that while they might be Christians, they might not be either.

What do you think?  Leave a comment, a thoughtful comment, and let us know.