Unity with all… if only they conform

I recently had the experience of being fooled by someone I thought understood the idea of Christian unity.  He said so many things that sounded very loving and non-judgmental… but when it came right down to it, he wasn’t at all prepared for the challenge of accepting that I have the same kind of faith he does and that it’s possible that we both know God though I may be Catholic and he is Pentecostal.

I was having lunch at a table next to this man and a lady who was driving him home from church.  They had stopped for lunch because she felt that God was leading them there to speak with someone.  When he sat down, he introduced himself to me then turned to the woman and they started talking.  The conversation began with the woman saying to him, “So, I didn’t know you’d been to heaven”.  And the man told a beautiful story of a vision he’d had.  It included God saying to him that all Christians are the same.  The souls in Heaven of those who have passed on are not labelled as Pentecostal, Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran and so on… They are one body.  After he’d told his story he eventually started talking to me again and near the beginning of our conversation, used these words: We don’t need to all be under the same roof… but the walls between us need to come down.

Sounds good, right?  I thought so.  I love meeting Christians from other churches and when I get into a conversation about the faith with them, it is always in the hope that we can relate to each other simply as Christians.  I feel that it’s a blessing to be able to share what we have in common and enjoy the unity that is intended for us.  But not everyone feels that way.  Some people have pity on you as soon as they find out you’re part of a certain church.  Older traditions are seen as devoid of the Holy Spirit.  They think we go to church to feel like we’ve done our duty.  This man I’m talking about said things like, “Do you want to know God?” and “You must be born again” and “Can I pray with you?” and he prayed against the “religious spirit” within me and told me to stop running from God.  Wow.  Judgment without sufficient information.  I couldn’t be further from running.  I pray, I’m open to God’s leading, and I finally feel grounded and sure of things I want to do with my life.   Besides all that, I DO NOT believe in the idea of being born again and will never go back to believing that.  I’ve been an evangelical and it stopped feeling right… and my theology changed naturally, to the point where I understand Catholicism.   So I know I’m where I need to be.  I can practice my faith and have a relationship with God, without being in an environment where someone is constantly beating me over the head with a doctrine that I’ll never believe in.  I think we each need to be where it feels right.   It isn’t logical to think that your salvation depends upon acceptance of a particular doctrine.  I will always believe that my words and actions are involved in my salvation.  I know very well that I will be criticized by protestants for that.  But that’s ok.  It’s what I believe and it makes me want to be a better person because I love God and believe that “love does no wrong to a neighbour.  Love, therefore, is the fulfillment of the law”.  I am in complete agreement with John and that scripture has meant so much to me.  And I also completely agree with James, who said that faith without works is dead.  He wrote about the necessity of faith and works.  He wasn’t denying the grace of God.  But believing in God’s grace, for some of us, just cannot simply mean we are ‘born again’ in the way it is often understood by evangelicals.  It’s too easy and it allows people to think they’re far more special than everybody else and to treat the rest of the body of Christ like we’re inferior.  It’s not overly “religious” to believe that if you want to be saved, your character must change and you must try to love as Jesus loved.  And some Christians would do well to take a really good look at how Jesus loved.  For me the first thing that comes to mind is that he loved without discrimination.  The Bible didn’t talk about Him having pity on everybody He met.  He simply loved and spent time with people, being a friend.  And He taught them about how to treat one another.

The Lord did not create denominations.  We all know that.  But when I say that, I’m not saying you shouldn’t be a member of a particular denomination.  So many people use this idea that God didn’t create denominations to rail against the old traditions like Catholicism.  Many of them think they are going to be able to find the perfect way to be part of a church – “Apostolic” or “First-century” or something like that.  Well, here’s what I believe… there will never be a perfect church with perfect doctrines.  We are not God and cannot understand everything about what is unseen.  We know in part.  Each denomination interprets the message of Christ as best we can.  And the interpretations we have can certainly help us to live better lives and live the gospel.  Some people need to stop preaching the gospel long enough to see that kindness doesn’t mean trying to convert people to your way of thinking… even if you do it with a smile on your face and show compassion for those wayward non-evangelicals who couldn’t possibly have a deep enough relationship with God.

As I talked to my partner about it last night, we came to the conclusion that you can’t actually have a deep relationship with God apart from being in harmony with other human beings… and not just the ones in your church.  We all know what Jesus said – that what we do to other humans, we do also to Him.  But here’s something else to consider – God created us all, He created the earth and all living things.  The Spirit of God is everywhere… in everything.  God gave life not only to us but to all living things.  His life is in everything.  If you cannot be in harmony with those outside of your little North American evangelical bubble (or your Catholic bubble or your Baptist bubble – whatever the case may be), you are missing out on a large part of being one with God.  I’m no better than anybody else and I know my relationship with God can always be better.  But it is certainly there.  It is deep, but I don’t compare the depth of it with the depth of someone else’s relationship with God.  That’s not my business.  I give people the benefit of the doubt.  But for a long time I’ve observed that some people can love without needing to convert, they can truly be in harmony with people of all denominations and they look at us all as equals.  They accept differences in doctrine and realize that each Christian’s needs for a place of worship may be different.  I have evangelical friends and family  who treat my partner and I with the same love and respect (not pity) as anyone in their churches.   These people are living the gospel.

There is still no doubt in my mind about what I believe.  This is what I told the Jehovah’s Witnesses who just came to my door.  I believe in the message of Christ and have seen that message lived out in the lives of people belonging to all different churches.  I respectfully told them I didn’t want to meet with them again because their interpretations of scripture are not the same as mine and there’s no point debating them.  I’m very happy with where I am in my spiritual journey and very confident that what I believe makes more sense than Christianity has ever seemed to make before this point in my life.   I believe that I, along with people in many different churches, can truly live the gospel and that theological differences only make us more comfortable in our respective churches – they don’t make some of us more Christian than others.   As the song says, they’ll know we are Christians by our love.

“Preach the gospel at all times and when necessary use words.”  – St. Francis of Assisi

onebodyonefaith is MOVING!!!

It’s been a long time since I posted and I do regret that I haven’t kept up with myblogging. Those of you who have been reading, thank you so much for being a part of what I’m doing and caring about Christian unity. I look forward to hearing from you and reading your blogs in the near future.

I’m excited to announce that I now have a domain and will be moving onebodyonefaith to that domain. I’ll include a link on the new site to this one, so that if anyone is interested in my old posts it will be easy to find them. The new site is onebodyonefaith.zanelarive.com and I expect that I’ll be writing again very soon. So come and check it out! Leave comments! Be part of the discussion. I’m still very excited about the reason for this blog and hope it will facilitate some really great discussions between Christians from many traditions.

Glory to Jesus Christ!

checking in

I feel like I haven’t been very focused on writing lately because I’m so excited about my first Christmas at home in three years! But I wanted to at least write a short post this evening and share what’s on my mind.

I’ve really been challenged lately, by my blog posts. As I’m writing about my ideas, I find so many examples of how I’m not living up to what I believe. So I’m seeing what a challenge it can be to always be kind and forgiving and that sort of thing. But the good thing is that I know God is giving me the grace to be the kind of person I want to be. He has shown me again and again that prayer really does work. When I really believe that the Lord can help me to be more like Him, and I pray for that help, I find that I have a kind of strength I know isn’t my own.

Recently I prayed and asked that my love for a certain person would increase, and that I would feel a stronger bond with that person. I forgot that I had prayed that during Mass, until later in the day when I was so overjoyed to be around the person I’d prayed about that it seemed to come out of nowhere. I remembered what I prayed and knew that God was reminding me of the power of faith.

examining controversy

I had intended not to write about controversial issues for a long time (the exception being the very idea of love and acceptance – even nice things like that can be tricky in a religion). However, I need an example and so I decided to use the dreaded argument that I don’t really want to be a part of – abortion. So I have to tell you right off the get (thank you, Nova Scotia) that this blog has nothing to do with deciding anything about controversial issues.  onebodyonefaith is open to the ideas of all people, Christian and non-Christian, since I am firm in what I believe and feel that controversy is no threat. 

Whatever your views are on this subject, the main reason I bring it up is that the way I think about it is a great way to illustrate the idea of examining things instead of simply reacting. 

I think it’s crucial that we always think critically before making a decision to be on one side of an argument regarding serious matters. It’s easy to get carried away by emotion and that’s understandable. But what’s the point of having an opinion about an important issue if it isn’t based on logical reasoning? 

So… getting into the serious stuff.  I’m quite sure I’ll never talk about abortion on my blog again unless it’s a follow-up post.  But I’m sitting here working up the courage to talk about it just once.  Ok, here it goes… To figure out how I personally feel about this issue, I start with my belief that a fetus is a person and I personally don’t like to think of abortion being done.  It saddens me, but I can’t help that.  That’s a feeling, not a judgement.  I really wish it weren’t being done.  But the fact that I don’t like it doesn’t exactly put me on one side of the argument.  I first have to ask a few questions about the whole thing.

First of all, what is it that abortion protestors want?  If they’re trying to change people’s minds, that’s quite possibly a huge fail. Protesting against such personal choices could make people defensive. If the focus is more on trying to change the laws, let’s ask a couple more questions…

What would happen if abortion were illegal (or, what does happen already in places where it’s illegal)? It’s actually quite horrifying.  I don’t think we even have to wonder if it would be done in other, more harmful ways.  I’m sure you’ve heard of one or two methods; I won’t write about them.

I wonder what kind of anxiety all the controversy gives women who are in the middle of making a decision.  I wonder if that anxiety causes some to react defensively to any pro-life arguments because of the way that side has presented itself.  If you’re someone who doesn’t like abortion, here’s what I think we can do about it without sacrificing our integrity as people who are supposed to love.  Given the fact that women tend to be more sensitive emotionally when they’re pregnant, a kind approach to voicing concerns could be a really important part of a good decision being made. I think when we feel peaceful we have the clarity to be more careful about making up our minds. It’s easier to consider all the options and really know what you believe and what you want. So I think we need to stop pushing people around and let them make up their minds.  In such a serious matter, we should always do our best to be faithful in our representation of the true, unconditional love of Christ. Think about the gospels. Think of how Jesus lived His life on earth. We are called to be living examples.  

So… my conclusion is that I personally can’t take sides on this one.  Which works out well, because this post is not really about my opinions on abortion.  I just thought it was the perfect example for a post about examining controversy rather than reacting to it.  If I hadn’t examined how I felt about the issue, I might be like the protestors, hostile instead of compassionate.  Whether you’re on one side of that argument or like me, you can’t choose sides, your views are understandable. It’s a tough issue.  

But let’s remember that this post isn’t really about my opinions on abortion anyway.  It has more to do with thinking critically about how we conduct ourselves, regardless of how strongly we feel about any issue… bearing in mind that the way we conduct ourselves, as Christians, should be somewhat (we’re not perfect) in line with what we’ve learned from Jesus’ life and ministry.  For those involved in the issue, it doesn’t have to feel like a fight.  You can see it as an opportunity to lovingly serve where you feel God is needed.  There is so much strength in peaceful action (or inaction in some cases).  We don’t control the Spirit.  That’s why our actions need to be peaceful, aside from us being examples.  How can the Holy Spirit work through us if we don’t stop reacting to things long enough to listen?

May there be peace wherever we need it.  May we all continually examine our own thoughts and actions and make changes as we feel led.  May we all, even in controversial discussions, have a clearer view of our oneness.

“Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you–unless indeed you fail the test? … Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.” – 2 Corinthians 13:5,11

entertaining angels

The other day the song “Entertaining Angels” by Newsboys was going through my head and I was really glad to have been reminded of this verse:

“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.” – Hebrews 13:2

I believe we all have our groups of people that we have trouble with. We know how Jesus would treat them but we’re so stubborn we put it out of our minds and only see them through our own eyes. I’d like to share something from one of my favourite books. It’s called No Greater Love and is a collection of Mother Teresa’s teachings. She was talking about the difficulty of working with the homeless compared to working with those who are sick and dying. It was certainly a challenge for her, but she still saw it as an opportunity to serve Jesus, even when they were drunk and shouting at her.

“We need to be pure in heart to see Jesus in the person of the spiritually poorest. Therefore, the more disfigured the image of God is in that person, the greater will be our faith and devotion in seeking Jesus’ face and lovingly ministering to Him. We consider it an honor to serve Christ in the distressing disguise of the spiritually poorest; we do it with deep gratitude and reverence in a spirit of sharing.”

Do you believe that in a way you’re rich because of God? I know that many people feel that way, and if that’s the case… if we are indeed so fortunate because of what the love of Christ has done for us, then we should give graciously, material things being the least of what we can give. Jesus came into the world for everyone. So, I think that if we truly make an effort to embody His love and let Him work through us for the benefit of anyone He chooses, we are doing amazing things that we may never even be aware of. Maybe you can think of a time when a very small gesture made a significant impact. Does the person who made a difference in your life know how they helped? In my case, I can definitely think of a few people that were doing the work of the Lord without knowing it. I’ve had a chance to thank some of them, and some I’ll never speak with again. But one thing they all have in common is that when they were in the process of making a difference in my life, not one of them knew how important their role would be. Out of respect for those who have loved me unconditionally, and for the Lord who has worked through them, I hope that God will always give me grace to see others through His eyes and to act accordingly.

the oneness of our world

Today I’d like to share a bit of my story that will explain why I’ve become so open-minded and why I so strongly feel that differences in opinions are non-threatening to my Christian faith.  

I became a Christian when I was eight years old, but my true spiritual journey began just six years ago.  Because of wrong ideas that I’d been given growing up in the church, at the age of eighteen I felt that I had no place in Chrisitianity.  I’d been made to feel so ashamed that I wouldn’t even pray because I honestly believed that God had rejected me.  And so the hell of my early adult life began…

About six years ago, I got fed up.  I’d become so bitter, so angry and felt so lost that all I ever wanted to do was smoke drugs, snort drugs and drink alcohol.  I had no friends where I lived and I was scared and lonely.  I left Toronto to live with one of my best friends and while I was living there, I started feeling so determined to find peace.  I didn’t exactly know where to find it, but I remember telling myself that I was going to find inner peace.  On my friend’s book shelf, I noticed a book called “Awakening the Buddha Within” by Lama Surya Das.  I’d never read about Buddhism so I picked it up out of curiosity.

The best way to sum up my experiences in the few months that followed would be this:  I found inner peace and Buddhism led me back to Christ.  I didn’t know how or why it happened, but I no longer felt that I had no place in Christianity.  I felt like God was doing something in my life and I began to have an overwhelming sense that I was loved and accepted.  I’ll admit it was a long time before I really understood the love and acceptance I felt from God.  I thought it meant that God would help me conform to all the doctrines of the church… and I certainly gave it my best shot.  But it started to feel fake, restrictive and depressing.  I dropped out of Bible college, got involved in a charismatic church, had great opportunities to learn and to teach, but I eventually left the church again because something didn’t feel right.  Something was wrong and I didn’t know what.  When I moved to a new city, I visited churches for awhile but I couldn’t get involved in any of them because there were so many questions left to answer.  What I didn’t realize is that there’s nothing wrong with questioning church teachings.  If you want to go to church and worship the Lord, He wants you to come to Him as you are.  The questions will be answered in time. 

Buddhism really did bring me back to Christ, and “Awakening the Buddha Within” is still one of my favourite books, along with the Tao Te Ching.  I’ll say it again… understanding leads to peace.  I’ve heard pastors rail against other religions for their evil teachings, but those pastors are speaking without undersanding.      

I will always appreciate other religions for what they have taught me.  Each of us thinks differently and I’ve always found that I’m able to identify with Eastern thinking pretty well.  So I do believe that God has used Eastern religions to teach me important lessons and bring me to a more genuine Christian faith.  Another great example is the Tao.  It takes a bit of reading to understand the Tao – certainly not an easy concept.  But if you were to take the time to read the Tao Te Ching, you might be amazed at the beauty and the truth of it.  The Tao is a philosophical concept, not a god.  It’s nothing to be afraid of.  

Understanding leads to peace.  When there is dialogue between religious groups and an attitude of respect for the wisdom that each of us can share with each other, there is greater peace.  As Christians, with this attitude we will be better able to listen to God.  We never know when He might speak to us… and He certainly spoke to me through a Buddhist book.  It is arrogant to reject the idea that ancient religions have been able to figure out a thing or two about true spirituality.  Good intentions and life experience must count for something.  There is wisdom and goodness beyond the walls of our churches, and some of us would do well to have more respect and even follow the peaceful example of certain non-Christians in the world. 

As much as this blog is about Christian unity, it is also about the underlying unity of the entire world.  Here’s what Greenpeace has to say about it:  “Ecology teaches us that humankind is not the center of life on the planet.  Ecology has taught us that the whole earth is part of our ‘body’ and that we must learn to respect it as we respect ourselves.  As we feel for ourselves, we must feel for all forms of life (italics mine)”.  Of course they aren’t talking simply about unity among humans… but ecology really does show the interconnectedness of everything – an idea that is prevalent among Eastern religions.  This is why Buddhists respect us.  We are part of the world they live in and they respect all forms of life.  The Dalai Lama has said he has friends who are Christian and that he appreciates their faith for what it has done in their lives.  I believe those Christians he talks about are sharing the gospel in a way that is effective.  St. Francis of Assisi said, “Preach the gospel at all times and when necessary use words”.  

In Ephesians we are reminded that God is “over all and in all and through all”.  His Spirit connects everything in the universe, but if we have to understand it scientifically there is sufficient evidence of our interconnectedness.  It may not be an idea that is discussed in the Bible very much, but it is also not contradicted.  An understanding of this concept only makes me feel more awe for the way God has created everything – an awe for the intricacies that make this life so beautiful and mysterious. 

May we learn to truly love and respect our non-Christian friends, our Christian friends, our non-human friends and this beautiful earth that the Lord has created for us. 

“…I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man; so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fulness of God.” – Ephesians 3:14-19

the ‘s’ word

When there is so much hate in the world already, why are we not unified, those of us who all claim to have the Holy Spirit?  Why is there so much animosity within the body of Christ and why are so many members of our churches hateful?  When there is so much opposition to our faith, would it not be beneficial to love one another as Christ told us to do?  If we can’t feel safe and accepted with each other, where can we feel safe and accepted?  The answer to questions like this is often, “Yes, but we do love them.  We love the sinner, but hate the sin (or the blasphemy, or whatever else we label their words and actions)”.  Perhaps we should stop labelling each other sinners and leave that to God.  Really, we’re all in the same boat.  Humanity is messed up and no one can escape that.  But salvation is possible.  We should be thankful for God’s mercy rather than trying to decide who does and doesn’t deserve it.  

 We actually sin when we use harsh words against those “sinners” we have trouble accepting (I’m pretty sure slander, gossip and malice are sinful as well… I might have read it somewhere).  Then we turn around and say we love them because God loves them but we hate their sin.  Well, we should remember that if we have the love of Christ in our hearts, it will change us and the way we talk to/about others.  I really feel that if we truly love others with the love of Christ, we should trust the Holy Spirit to give us the grace to carry out that love in our actions (or inaction).  Then we also need the will and the humility to follow the gentle leading of the Spirit.

I think one of the major problems in our thinking that causes a refusal to associate with Christians who have different doctrines than our own, is pride.  Sure, I’m proud that I’m becoming Eastern Catholic because it’s the tradition that seems right for my life and for my relationship with God, but I’m not proud of it in the sense that I wouldn’t appreciate, worship with, or have a good spiritual discussion with a Pentecostal or an Anglican or a non-denominational Christian (which is my background).  Heck, I’d love to have a good talk with people of any religion… but hey, that’s just me.  I have some fundamental beliefs in which I’m very confident, but my fundamental beliefs don’t include very specific ideas of what constitutes sin.  I really believe in the idea that love is the fulfillment of the law.  It’s emphasized in the gospels over and over that love is more important than dogma.  Our Lord Himself was the revolutionary who gave us that idea.  The reason is actually very logical.  The true, unconditional love of Christ will help to keep us from doing harm because God is entirely good.  Things which are labelled “sin” are often things that hurt ourselves or others.  The more we truly love, the less we will harm others and ourselves.  Therefore, the more we truly love, the less we sin.  Ask God to help you see others through His eyes… and see what happens.    

When it comes to differences in doctrines, especially our ideas of what sin is, something to consider is that we are all on a journey together, we are all at different points in our journey with God.  Nobody can come to a greater understanding of our Lord by being bullied into becoming something they’re not.  Here’s an interesting thought.  God created us.  Hmm.  Stop and think about that.  He created us… which means that who we are is who we’re meant to be.  Sometimes it’s hard to really understand ourselves when our true selves can be masked so much by the marks time leaves on us.  But maybe when we know and become who we are, we’ll know God more fully.  I think what the Lord requires is my life, my willingness to learn, grow and little by little, become what I am meant to be (whether or not it lines up with what my culture or the Christian subculture says I should be). 

If your own thinking and reasoning, with a good heart and good intentions, leads you to a belief that is different from another Christian’s, it’s ok.  Don’t be afraid to think and question.  I’ve done it again and again and it always leads me back to where I started, but I come back more humble.  It has only led me to peace, love and harmony.  May we all be in harmony with one another and may we all learn what it means to love.

“Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbour has fulfilled the law.  For this, “You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal , you shall not covet,” and if there is any other cammandment, it is summed up in this saying, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.”  Love does no wrong to a neighbour; love therefore is the fulfillment of the law.”  – Romans 13:8-10

one

First of all, thank you for finding my blog and taking the time to see what it’s all about.  In my first post, I’d like to share my vision for this blog and give you a good idea of why I’m here and who might be interested in following my writing.  I will say that the views expressed on this blog will not necessarily reflect the views of all Christians.  I am not here to teach anyone what a Christian is according to the church.  I don’t even claim to be entirely sure of what a Christian is supposed to be.  It’s something each of us has to discover.   If you know for absolute certain what a “real Christian” is, I will probably offend you.  My wish, though, is that even if you disagree with something I say, you won’t hold it against me or miss all the good stuff in between.   

This is a blog for all Christians, for all interested in reading Christian writings, and for all “followers of Christ” who won’t call themselves Christians because of the unfortunate associations with that name.  When I say this blog is for everyone, I cannot emphasize enough that on this blog, there isn’t a “right” kind of Christianity, except the kind that is entirely loving, peaceful and respectful.  I believe in respect for all people, and the humility to say I don’t have all the answers – mostly questions and opinions. Some of us act like we know what God thinks about everything (and that, of course, means everything He thinks about others)… but if we could fully know the mind of God, we wouldn’t be in the huge mess we’re in.  Understanding leads to peace.  So we should understand our limitations and also seek to understand each other.  

May we all come to understand that we are one.    

“I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, entreat you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing forbearance to one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.  There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.”  – Ephesians 4:1-6