For one, I’m taking my work world in a new and exciting direction. But that’s not the most important project; it is immersing myself in my newfound faith.
A year or so ago, when I became interested in religion, I was a wide eyed innocent, entranced by this new world I was entering. I bought a Bible and started perusing it, though I couldn’t grasp what I was reading.
Then I started going to churches upon occasion, one here and another there. I chose only solid, Bible-based churches.
Churchgoing put me on cloud nine. I couldn’t believe that groups of people would get together to worship God. I’d never seen anything like it before.
There was lovely music, and smiling faces. At some churches, yummy food beckoned. And everyone was so nice! It I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed that such places exist, especially around these parts.
But then something happened after a few months: My understanding deepened. When I went to these churches, I had questions. . . challenging ones. I was troubled to discover that not all was okay in most of these churches.
Many of them were too focused on worldly matters, like material success. The majority of services were feel-good experiences about how much God loves all of us. Conspicuously missing, in my mind, was what we have to surrender to live in God. And those pesky concepts of sin, evil, and hell were clearly off limits to placate the congregants.
I actually triggered a full-blown ticking episode (as in facial tics) when I cornered a pastor after the service about these aforementioned issues. During his sermon, he spoke quite confidently about the need for all of us to embrace with unconditional love the dregs of society. (Dregs is my word, not his, by the way.)
I made a bee-line over to the minister after the service, and asked him, “But what about evil? What about discernment; aren’t we supposed to discern evil and turn away from it? If evil exists in the world, why are you pushing people to be so open and accepting without talking about discernment? ”
And that’s when the ticking started. His forehead and eyes were twitching like someone with Tourette’s Syndrome.
After stammering a bit, he said, “You should talk to my wife. She could answer your questions.” While he took off to find her, I left the premises, and never returned.
This was the moment when I realized I had to start figuring out the answers myself; that sadly, too many churches have been co-opted by political correctness and secular humanism. And for many of them, the need to please their paying members trumped their desire to teach the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help them God.
This is when I decided that I’d have to do my own research, to find my way to people and places that have the real answers. Whimsically, I envisioned it as my own private church, the Church of Robin.
Towards this end, I’ve listened to countless sermons online, my favorite so far being John MacArthur. He’s Biblically sound, and dares to utter those forbidden words.
I’ve also become a huge fan of Father Benedict Groeschel and Father John Corapi, both heard on Catholic Radio, 1260 am. And I have musically enhanced the Church of Robin with my impressive collection of religious CD’s (Passion, Matt Maher, Jars of Clay, and Chris Tomlin, to name a few).
My biggest and most challenging project is returning to the Bible, though it’s getting easier day by day. And I’ve been going to church on a regular basis. After searching around (12 churches in a year — must be some kind of record), I’ve discovered a couple of solid places.
Most significantly, I finally grasp why Jesus changed the world; why we literally tell time by when he was born. And I see why his teachings were radical back then — and remain so to this very day.
Jesus didn’t come to unleash a political revolution, though social justice churches have twisted his message. He urged something different — and much more difficult — a revolution of the heart, one that focuses on loving God and each other.
What Jesus came to preach is so deep and profound that I don’t know if I’ll ever fully understand it. But I do grasp why Jesus has become persona non gratis these days.
The reasons are the same as they were thousands of years ago: people prefer to live in the city of the self, rather than the city of God, to paraphrase St. Augustine. Yet, as Jesus and the prophets warned us, there are cataclysmic consequences when a nation and its people abandon God.
Robin of Berkeley
Robin is a recovering liberal, and a licensed psychotherapist who lives in Berkeley, California. The above information is intended for entertainment and educational purposes, rather than to offer any kind of definitive diagnoses.Visit Robin’s blog.
NOTE: To share or email this 'Specific' article, you must click on the Title of the article.
No comments:
Post a Comment