Christianity vs. Christian Spirituality: Part One

Recently I’ve received a lot of questions regarding the difference between Christianity, and Christian Spirituality. Most of you know that I no longer align myself with what would be considered mainstream Christianity, but have chosen to adopt a more “liberal” stance, often times referred to as Christian Spirituality. When the two are lined up next to one another, almost without fail most Christians will claim to be spiritualist rather than Christians, but the reality is, they are not, nor will they ever be.

Brass tacks, bottom line, Christian Spirituality is a worldview, or as I like to call it a “Goodview” that shares some common elements with Christianity, but is also dramatically different in many ways. Please understand that different people hold different positions on this matter so my explanation is subjective at best.

In Short, both views hold to the core fundamental beliefs of the early church, for example;

· The central character is Christ.
· The central metaphor is the cross.
· The central instruction is scripture (The ancient Hebrew text known as the Bible).
· The triune nature of God (Father, Son, Holy Spirit).

The differences lay in the practical outworking of those beliefs. To most, the difference may seem so incidental, but to those close to the issue the differences are dramatic.

At its roots it comes down to the issue of Organism vs. Institution. Today’s Christianity is a world religion. In other words, one can now claim to be a Christian, and be accepted as such, simply based upon the denominational persuasion of their family. Much like the catholic faith, association with the church is implied by birth and has nothing to do with faith. The Christian faith is no longer rooted in a true faith.

Secondly, The Church has become an institution. The church is the place a Christian goes to on Sunday to be with friends and family. It’s the organization that provides Sunday worship services and various programs. Christians are content to attend church, live a good life, contribute when possible, and give to the organization so the “work of the Lord” can go on. Jesus is a savior in the sky who died for their sins, and is readily available when needed. Within the Christian institution, expectation is limited to regular attendance, and monetary donation, and the main thrust of ministry is limited to those who have chosen it as a vocation.

Subsequently, because the church is the trusted source of spiritual instruction, and personal study is not significantly stressed, the views of the church have become the views of the Christian. In other words the Christian has in many ways stopped thinking and is now simply accepting. I’m not trying to say that Christians are mindless, or that they don’t think for themselves, but I’m very concerned with the herd mentality. What concerns me is that Christians are not considering the big picture.
If the focus of the church is no longer “going” as Christ commanded, then it’s safe to say that their focus is elsewhere. The question is, where is the focus of the church and how does that focus affect what is being taught. In my opinion, the focus is no longer going, it’s growing.

Think about it! If the churches focus is growing, getting bigger, then what will the church have to make their primary focus? Answer: keeping people, and getting people. If keeping people and getting people is primary then it becomes paramount that the church set some boundaries. There have to be rules. Why? Because, rules keep people scared, and scared people follow blindly. I don’t believe the church is intentionally attempting to scare people, but I do believe that fear is a natural result of this progression.

In a nut shell the church has allowed itself to fall into a cycle that promotes fear in an attempt to keep people in the pews. Fear is generated by preaching the overwhelming wickedness of the world, which although true, is also very misleading. The world is filled with unspeakable things, but it is also the context in which we live, and is subsequently our mission field. However, this is not the message of the church. The message of the church is separation. Separate from the world and find safety in the warmth and comfort of the church. The church will protect you, just keep coming and keep donating so we can keep the lights on. Because of this mindset (although exaggerated) Christians have become hostile to the people living in the depths of “perversion” and are note afraid to be vocal about it. They fear the wiles of alcohol, smoking, certain movies, and anything else that could potentially penetrate their warm comfortable existence. Separation is the only answer.

Part Two Tomorrow……………..

I’ve had too much coffee and I need to pee. J