On Any Given Day... - If it was against the law to be a Christian... what evidence would there be against you? My Jumbled Thoughts

On Any Given Day...

Jul. 15, 2009

If it was against the law to be a Christian... what evidence would there be against you? My Jumbled Thoughts

I just finished reading this and I am left not sure how I feel about it. I think I will read it again and process it. But since I am snagging it for my own records I figured I would share it as well. What are your thoughts about it?

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http://www.parablesofaprodigalworld.com/2009/05/peter-rollins-on-why-i-quit-blogging.html

The following is the first parable from Orthodox Heretic...for all those who asked me "Why?"

"In a world where following Christ is decreed to be a subversive and illegal activity, you have been accused of being a believer, arrested, and dragged before a court.

You have been under clandestine surveillance for some time now, and so the prosecution has been able to build up quite a case against you. They begin the trial by offering the judge dozens of photographs that show you attending church meetings, speaking at religious events, and participating in various prayer and worship services.

After this, they present a selection of items that have been confiscated from your home: religious books that you own, worship CD's, and other Christian artifacts. Then they step up the pace by displaying many poems, pieces of prose, and journal entries that you had lovingly written concerning your faith...

Throughout the case you have been sitting silently in fear and trembling. You know deep in your heart that with the large body of evidence that has been amassed by the prosecution you face the possibility of a long imprisonment or even execution. At various times throughout the proceedings you have lost all confidence and have been on the verge of standing up and denying Christ. But while this thought has plagued your mind throughout the trial, you resist the temptation and remain focused.

Once the prosecution has finished presenting their case the judge proceeds to ask if have anything to add, but you remain silent and resolute, terrified that if you open your mouth, even for a moment, you might deny the charges made against you. Like Christ, you remain silent before your accusers. In response you are led outside to wait as the judge ponders your case.

The hours pass slowly as you sit under guard in the foyer waiting to be summoned back. Eventually, a young man in uniform appears and leads you into the courtroom so that you may hear the verdict and receive word of your punishment. Once you have been seated in the dock the judge, a harsh and unyielding man, enters the room, stands before you, looks deep into your eyes and begins to speak.

"Of the charges that have been brought forward I find the accused not guilty."

"Not guilty?" Your heart freezes. Then, in a split second, the fear and terror that had moments before threatened to strip your resolve are swallowed up by confusion and rage.

Despite the surroundings, you stand defiantly before the judge and demand that he give an account concerning why you are innocent of the charges in light of the evidence.

"What evidence?" he replies in shock.

"What about the poems and prose I wrote?" you reply.

"They simply show that you think of yourself as a poet, nothing more."

"But what about the services I spoke at, the times I wept in church and the long, sleepless nights of prayer?"

"Evidence that you are a good speaker and actor, nothing more," replied the judge. "It is obvious that you deluded those around you, and perhaps at times you even deluded yourself, but this foolishness is not enough to convict you in a court of law."

"But this is madness!" you shout. "It would seem that no evidence would convince you!"

"Not so," replied the judge as if informing you of a great, long-forgotten secret.

"The court is indifferent toward your Bible reading and church attendance; it has no concern for worship with words and a pen. Continue to develop your theology, and use it to paint pictures of love. We have no interest in such armchair artists who spend their time creating images of a better world. We exist only for those who would lay down that brush, and their life, in a Christlike endeavor to create a better world. So, until you live as Christ and his followers did, until you challenge this system and become a thorn in our side, until you die to yourself and offer your body to the flames, until then, my friend, you are no enemy of ours." "

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Okay, I took some time reread the piece more slowly and meditate on it for a while. As I first read it it brought to mind the saying that had me thinking a few years ago --"If Christianity became against the law... what evidence would there be against you?" I remember when I first heard that questions, it made me think but I didn't really change anything in my life. I attended church and Bible study, I helped out where needed (Sunday School, etc), I read my Bible and Christian books... so I figured there would be evidence against me, So I think my first uneasiness with this piece was that I felt like it was convicting me... that I did not have enough evidence against me. And that left me feeling a bit uneasy... plus the last line got under my skin -- "you are no enemy of ours".

So here are the notes I jotted down while I processed all of this morning...

"UNTIL YOU CHALLENGE THIS SYSTEM... CREATE A BETTER WORLD... YOU ARE NO ENEMY OF OURS"

- my first reaction is that it is not a Christians job/responsibility to change the world, to be forerunners of social causes -- to make the secular world live by Christian standards/morals.

- why are we to be the enemy?

"EVIDENCE'

- the evidence leads me to the discussions of 'head knowledge' versus 'heart knowledge'

- 'DOING' all the so called right things, crossing things off the Christian to do list and thus making us look Christian

- yet what if these actions (speaking, writing) are this persons gift being used by God?

"NO EVIDENCE WOULD CONVINCE YOU --> CHALLENGE THE SYSTEM, BECOME A THORN IN OUR SIDE"

- which system are we to challenging? the secular system or the religious system? what court are we in in this parable?

- this court is demanding sacrifice

- from where I am in my journey with Christ, I would say it is the religious system b/c that is the system that Jesus was challenging while physically here on earth. He challenged them and shook things up in their world/culture.

- a Christ follower is to be working on things in the Spiritual realm.. God's kingdom... and not necessarily in the earthly/secular realm. isn't there a verse that says something about the fight not being with flesh and blood...?

- aren't we suppose to be reflecting Christ in all we do, allowing Christ to love through us and make change?

- Are we suppose to to be/commanded to be a thorn in their side? (whoever they are?)

- what does a Christian look like? Do all Christians all look and act alike????

"CREATE A BETTER WORLD"

- what does this look like? is it part of the 'prosperity gospel'? are we all suppose to be healthy, wealthy and wise??? is that a better world???

"EVIDENCE -- church meetings, prayer, worship services, CD's, Christian artifacts, journal entries, etc"

- all this evidence gathered can be "masks" that one is a Christian but it not real evidence of being a Christ follower thus the judge saying that the accused deluded others and perhaps himself.

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In the end of this processing/rereading... the line that stands out for me is .. "you are no enemy of ours" -- who is "ours" - Satan, the secular world, the religious world???

By this persons behavior (shown in the evidence), he will not affect the lost, will not change people's lives, nor reflect Christ's love, and inspire people to do the same.

There is no short term nor long term ripple effect that will inspire growth, that love would grow out in all directions, that would plant seeds of hope and connection (fellowship), that would be the catalyst to have people follow Christ and reflect Christ in all they do.

so in the end this fellow is at a crossroads -- what will he do now? what path will he take? he has escaped prosecution in the courts, and he didn't deny Christ but now the real test will happen --- will he change his ways?

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another thought I had as I was typing this out to share... how do we know a Christian when we see them? Do we ever know for sure that they are a Christian? No.. we can't, only God can. We can only see the shell and the actions but God can see the heart. (and that insight from the bible verse that was sent to multiple times one week -- "All a man's ways seem right to him, but the Lord weighs the heart" Proverbs 21:2")

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So that is all my jumbled thoughts on this piece of writing. :o)

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Comments

Jul. 19, 2009 - Untitled Comment

Posted by Anonymous

Wow!!! That is SUCH a powerful message! thank you so much for sharing it Pam...definitely a challenge. I think I'm going to print it off and share it with my group tonight....with your permission of course..lol

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Jul. 19, 2009 - Untitled Comment

Posted by Anonymous

yeah that last comment was from me...Lori-Dawn. lol

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