Only what is Christian...

A brave soul asked me a few months ago to post regularly on the church’s website. He was the administrator of the website, and the only one posting at that time although there were plenty of readers He hoped that by encouraging me to post, others might also jump in. As I agreed to his request, I made the comment that he really didn’t know the risk he was taking by encouraging me. His response was, “ Anything is fine, as long as it is Christian!” I laughed and didn’t think anymore about it. Only that comment keeps popping up from my subconscious mind.

My problem with it is ‘What isn’t Christian?’ Of course there is more than one way to interpret that. Not knowing this individual at all well, I’m still not sure just what was meant by that remark. Does he see as Christian anything that has to do with the Anglican church, or is it organized religion as a whole? What boundaries does he put on ’Christian‘ in his mind? I’m still not sure four months later. I do know however that he liked at least one of my posts [the one on the right]!

If you look up the dictionary meaning of the word ‘Christian” you will find a number of variations going all the way from a member of a Christian church or sect to someone ‘who professes belief in the teachings of Jesus Christ. While these are not mutually exclusive, they could be. And herein lies my dilemma.

Jesus’ teachings are about love, respect, equality, taking care of the vulnerable, forgiveness of yourself and others, about living in a world of abundance not scarcity. They were summed up in the Golden Rule that says we should treat others as we want to be treated.

“Here is a simple, rule-of-thumb guide for behaviour: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them” Matthew 7:12[a] MSG

Unfortunately [or fortunately] the Christian church isn’t the only place where these values are found! Nor is it the only place that teaches these values. So are they ‘Christian wherever they are found? To me they are.

The second sticking point I have, which is probably more out there, is this. I am a Christian, trying to live my life by those teachings. For me, this means that I see the world and everything that goes on in it through the lens of his teachings. There is nothing that goes on in this world that doesn’t relate in some way to Christianity when it is understood in this way.

What is the meaning for you of the word ‘Christian’?

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NUDGINGS: a journey into the unknown

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