Christianity vs. Christian Spirituality: Part Three

DICLAIMER: Please understand that these are broad brush strokes and intended to incite thought, conversation, and action. This is not intended to include, and or define everyone calling themselves a Christian.


So now that I’ve made some very broad brush strokes about Christianity, and asserted my opinions (undoubtedly flawed), lets take a look at the differences between these to views.

Christian Spirituality, as its name reflects, is birthed out of the Christian faith. We believe in the triune God (Father, Son Spirit), the Holy Scriptures, and most of the standard Christian truths. However, as I stated in part one, most of the differences exist in the practical outworking of those beliefs. Christian Spirituality is not a religion; it’s a belief system that is manifest through a relevant lifestyle. In other words, it’s not something you do, it’s who you are.

Christian spirituality is rooted in and upon the revolutionary life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The fundamental differences lie in the in a couple of main areas.

1). The Church is not an institution, a building, a non-profit organization or anything of the sort. The Church is a living breathing organism made up of those who have truly and fully committed their lives to Christ. Those in the Christian religion will claim that this is their belief system, but there is little evidence to support such a claim. Those who embrace Christian Spirituality place little importance on formal church services. Although they believe that the saints need to gather together as instructed in the scripture (Heb. 10:24-25) they see no specifications in scripture that dictate how, when, or where such gatherings should be held. Subsequently, often times there is little organization in this regard, and it’s most assuredly not the primary focus of the believer.

Believers with this sort of mind set gather together in many different ways, at different times, and in different places. Some meet in home, some in bars, coffee shops, or restaurants, still others meet on a larger scale in what looks similar to a church service. However, these services are likely to look and feel different than a standard Christian meeting. These meetings are externally focused in that they point outwards toward the world and emphasize that the believer be in the world up to their foreheads.

Some will argue that these smaller meetings also take place within the Christian church, but there is a fundamental difference. Small groups as they are commonly called in Christian circles are designed to be stepping stones that help move people towards the larger church assembly. Small groups provide a non-intimidating environment for the wary to experience church before they take the big step into the main assembly. They are inwardly focused.

This idea is frequently seen in the small group development material that is put out by many of the larger organization out there. The entire focus of the small group plan is to bring people into the church. In other words, small groups are a church growth strategy that can also be use in a secondary fashion as fellowship. Do you see the problem? The fellowship of the saints is secondary to the growth of the organization. The paradigm is seriously out of whack.

2). Secondly, the matter of salvation must be addressed as a difference. As discussed earlier, within the Christian religion conversion takes place at the time the mantra is vocalized. Although the vast majority of Christians will claim that this is not the case, the reality of the situation is there is nothing to prove this statement as inaccurate. The sinner’s prayer is the moment in time that Christians use to identify when conversion took place. This prayer also allows believers to make judgment calls as to whether or not someone should be approached as a believer or as an unbeliever. If the prayer has been recited, the person is saved, if the prayer has not been recited, the destination is hell.

Although I believe that most Christians would claim that the prayer must be accompanied by a true heart of faith, I have seldom heard it explained. Countless times I have heard it said, “If you don't feel that you can believe, simply ask God for the faith and pray the prayer.” Once again, the prayer comes before the faith, which would lead on to believe that the faith never truly existed in the first place. It doesn’t take much to see the dangerous patter that has taken root in the Christian church. One would have to wonder how many of those claiming to be “saved” have no claim on heaven other than that they recited a prayer.

Those who hold fast to Christian spirituality would say that Salvation occurs when a persons heart is convinced by the Spirit of the living God that Jesus Christ died on the cross, rose from the grave, and is now seated at the right hand of the father in heaven. There can be no mistaking the call to faith, or the conviction of Jesus’ divinity. Although there may not be a specific date that can be attributed to this “conversion”, the resulting change in the life of the convert is dramatic. The belief is that when someone comes into contact with the extreme nature of God there will be extreme change. At the moment of conversion the individual has no choice but to believe, due to the immensity of conviction place on their heart by the Spirit of God! In other words conversion takes place at the moment a heart is convinced that their sin requires a savior and that that savior is none other than the living God who sent is son Jesus Christ to die in his or her place.

What I find to be most frustrating about this issue is that nearly all Christian leadership is fully aware of what true conversion looks like, but they do nothing to promote it. Christian clergy have become lazy, cowards who are more concerned with numbers than salvations. Countless people sit in their pews on Sunday morning fully convinced that they will see the face of Jesus upon death when in reality that have no claim on heaven. Silence is maintained on the issue because true salvation has teeth, and today’s clergy no longer have the balls to hold their parishioner to the extreme nature of Christ’s call!!! If the dramatic call of Christ is preached, their number will diminish, because the true call of Christ is not what most believers have signed up for.

The false promises of peace and prosperity have backed clergy into a corner. Their lies are now defining their strategy. Think about it, who wants to pick up and instrument of death (the cross, representing dying to the world), deny themselves, and follow after a revolutionary (Luke 9:23-27) who requires everything of them, after they have been promised peace and prosperity. The silence of Christian clergy is contributing to the eternal death and ultimately the damnation of countless souls. Yet, nothing is said, and nothing is done.

Need to stretch my legs......more to come.

Stay tuned for part four.....