It's not that complicated

“I attain salvation by allowing my spiritual, rather than material, nature to dominate my actions. If I lead a life of spiritual good deeds of compassion, virtue, and self-sacrifice I will enter the kingdom of heaven both in this life and after death.” (Baha’i)


“I save myself by living out my expected dharma of required conduct and by meditation and reciting mantras. I attain salvation only when all my desire is eliminated and I achieve final and ultimate enlightenment.” (Buddhist)


“The goal of my existence is moksha, a freedom from infinite being and selfhood. I work to get out of the cycle of reincarnation. To attain moksha I can choose from several paths: yoga and meditation taught by a guru, the way of works, the way of knowledge, or the way of love and devotion.” (Hindu)


“Only ideas that reflect God’s nature are real, so sin, death, disease, and pain are not real. I attain salvation by overcoming those illusions with a realization of my divine spirit and mind.” (Christian Scientist)


“In order to attain salvation I must have faith, be baptized by immersion, and be actively associated with the Watch Tower and Tract Society. I have no hope of salvation if I fail to display righteous conduct and absolute loyalty to Jehovah.” (Jehovah’s Witness)


“My plan to acquire the celestial kingdom requires that I adhere strictly to the twelve steps of 1. Faith, 2. Repentance, 3. Baptism by immersion into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 4. Laying on of hands by a member of the Melchizedek priesthood in order to receive the Holy Ghost, 5. Being ordained as a Melchizedek priest, if I am a man, 6. Receiving the temple endowments, 7. Celestial marriage, 8. Observing the Word of Wisdom, 9. Sustaining the prophet, 10. Tithing, 11. Attending the sacred meeting, 12. Obeying the Church, its teachings, and the prophet.” (Mormon)


“I attain salvation by attending church at least once a week, reading my Bible and praying daily, giving 10 percent of my income to the church, and making sure that my good deeds outweigh the bad.” (Average American churchgoer)


Source: www.4truth.net

"Here Come the Christians!"

Our church family experienced a wonderful day of worship Sunday as our students shared their stories from M-Fuge this year. Their trip to Charleston, S.C. to share the love of Christ had a transforming effect on Charleston as they left the evidence of their passing in the lives of children, the elderly, the handicapped, at soup kitchens, abuse shelters, and on freshly painted houses. Perhaps more transforming was the impact of serving others in the name of Christ. Those who went returned significantly changed.

One shared comment caught my attention and fired my imagination. Angie worked all week with children in a difficult neighborhood and she shared that as they pulled up on the last day she could hear one of the girls yelling "Here come the Christians!" (I wish I could give you the vocal inflection here - just know that it was ethnic, joyful, and sincere.)

I thought to myself, "If only that could be the world's reaction to the arrival of Christians."

It seems that the world is less than excited to see Christians coming.

Image by NatalieMaynor via Flickr

According to research done by the Barna group, and published in a book titled UnChristian, growing numbers of people born after 1965 describe Christians with words like...

• hypocritical
• pushy
• anti-homsexual
• sheltered
• too political
• judgemental

too rattle off a few. One fellow from Mississippi stated, "Christianity has become bloated with blind followers who would rather repeat slogans than actually feel true compassion and care. Christianity has become marketed and streamlined into a juggernaut of fearmongering that has lost its own heart." (p. 15, UnChristian, Dave Kinnamen)

Ouch.

It doesn't sound like there are many voices like that little girl's in Charleston, S.C. shouting with delight that the Christians have arrived.

I am grateful that our students and adults had the opportunity to demonstrate the love of Christ. I pray that all who claim to follow Him will take note that He came with a hand stretched out in love and not a fist clenched in anger (except for those who were supposed to be rightly related to God - another post for another day). And even His lovingly outstretched hand ultimately got a nail driven through it for His trouble. To which He replied, "Father forgive them for they know not what they do."

Beloved, we have lessons to learn.