It’s the biggest word we have—salvation, being saved. We are saved from a way of life in which there was no resurrection. And we’re being saved from ourselves. One way to define spiritual life is getting so tired and fed up with yourself you go on to something better, which is following Jesus.
But the minute we start advertising the faith in terms of benefits, we’re just exacerbating the self problem. “With Christ, you’re better, stronger, more likeable, you enjoy some ecstasy.” But it’s just more self. Instead, we want to get people bored with themselves so they can start looking at Jesus.
We’ve all met a certain type of spiritual person. She’s a wonderful person. She loves the Lord. She prays and reads the Bible all the time. But all she thinks about is herself. She’s not a selfish person. But she’s always at the center of everything she’s doing. “How can I witness better? How can I do this better? How can I take care of this person’s problem better?” It’s me, me, me disguised in a way that is difficult to see because her spiritual talk disarms us.
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Published 3 years, 8 months ago
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Is it okay to disagree with Eugene? I understand where he is going with this. I also understand that nearly every thought we have is about ourselves. Heck, I’ve written about it, and how to overcome it on my own blog. But I think to address it this way is to add to the guilt of the individual.
We won’t begin to forget about ourselves until we learn to love God. There’s a reason the SECOND greatest commandment is “Love thy neighbor as thyself”. It’s because it’s not even possible to do unless first we love God.
So how do we begin to love our neighbor as if our neighbor is us? I think we get to know Jesus, the physical manifestation of God here on earth. As we get to know Jesus, we begin to love God, even if our love is imperfect, which of course, it will be.
But that love for God will begin to change us, mold us, shape us into people who once were turned inward, and now are turned outward. I think some part of introspection, especially very early in a believer’s walk, is not only necessary, but provided for by God. So to make a statement that this sort of Christian is me, me, me is true in one sense, but it ignores completely the fact that God has planned it that way.
Dying to self isn’t about denying one’s existence. It’s about making others more important than we are, about giving up our “right” so that others may see and know the truth.
I think Eugene’s statement will only add to an already overburdened Christian population who is busy running around trying to fulfill every new statement (law) that every so called theologian makes.
I wonder…..would Christians today be better followers of Christ if for one year, every “theologian” kept quiet, and let the Spirit speak to individuals? Or do they maybe think it’s not possible? Would we follow Christ more closely if the authors of Christian books wrote not even a single word? I lean to the side that we would. I wonder what they’d say?
I think it is quite okay to disagree with Eugene Peterson.:^)
I liked what he says about the current church in the US:
*Do we realize how almost exactly the Baal culture of Canaan is reproduced in American church culture? Baal religion is about what makes you feel good. Baal worship is a total immersion in what I can get out of it. And of course, it was incredibly successful. The Baal priests could gather crowds that outnumbered followers of Yahweh 20 to 1. There was sex, there was excitement, there was music, there was ecstasy, there was dance. “We got girls over here, friends. We got statues, girls, and festivals.” This was great stuff. And what did the Hebrews have to offer in response? The Word. What’s the Word? Well, Hebrews had festivals, at least!*
I think we need to to stop expecting churches and overstressed ministers and priests to teach us and find time to get to know Jesus Christ.
Many cultures don’t have bibles, let alone fancy theological, theologicans or self-help spiritual books. They are able to memorize what scripture they do hear and be the church in ways that shame us.
I couldn’t agree with you more on that point, Bene.