by Reluctant Xtian
Christianity doesn’t work. And that’s going to upset some people to hear it, but it’s true.
No, it doesn’t.
And no matter how much those smiley mega-church pastors, or those trendy pastors, or those evangelists with their little bottles of snake oil want you to believe it does, it doesn’t.
Christianity does not work the way your hammer works. And you may want to hammer in the morning, or in the evening all over this land, but it still won’t work.
It doesn’t do that.
I read a recent article online about a church that was welcoming in their new pastor. They lauded the pastor as being “energetic and enthusiastic,” claiming that he “grew his previous congregation into one of the fastest growing churches in the denomination.”
No doubt that is an article that tries to get you to think that it works. It creates energy and enthusiasm, growing and multiplying and expanding.
Expanding influence. Expanding pocketbooks.
We’re talking about success here.
But Christianity doesn’t do that. It is not a magic pill that you swallow to become successful. It does not, as I recently read on the cover of a free evangelical e-book, help you “conquer life.”
In fact, it helps you lose your life. Christopher Hitchens hated that part about Christianity. He said it was cruel to expect people to give up their lives in deference to others, especially enemies and those they never met. This point is about the only point about Christianity that Hitchens ever understood: self-sacrifice and self-giving love is at the heart of the Christian.
And it encourages you to adopt tactics that don’t work. Forgiveness, for instance, doesn’t work. It doesn’t automatically repair relationships. It doesn’t automatically make you feel better or heal your insides. It doesn’t do any of those things, as a recent New York Times article points out. Sometimes revenge satisfies more than forgiveness.
And yet, the Christian is called to forgive. It is but one example of how Christianity doesn’t work in the way the world wants things to work.
Christianity doesn’t work. And that’s going to upset some people to hear it, but it’s true. And I’m a reluctant Christian because so much of our church culture today is about success and numbers and winning and… and about it all working.
The Christianity I practice doesn’t work. It hasn’t made me successful. It hasn’t made me wealthy. It hasn’t made my marriage perfect or my parenting perfect or my manners perfect or my morals perfect. It certainly hasn’t given me all the answers. I have more questions then ever.
It has given me a lens, though, to view my work and any successes I might claim. It’s given me a lens to view my pocketbook and my marriage and my parenting and my manners and my morals. It has given me a lens to view questions and has encouraged me to ask more questions.
But it doesn’t work.
And quick growth in faith communities, or enthusiastic pastors, or wealthy congregations, or any of these business markers for success are smoke and mirrors covering this truth: Christianity doesn’t work.
Thank God. So much of what supposedly works in this life is killing us.
And so much of Christianity is about self-sacrifice. And somehow, it gives life.
—————————
Read this article in Reluctant Xtian
Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.
A confused mind this must be… Coming to think of it, it makes sense to understand why the West are never to be trusted or believed, because they claimed to be Christians but acts nd behaves worse than Satan sometime, they never show mercy, peace or forgiveness! Imagine if Africans had been the ones that did to them what they did to African, do you think their ‘Mandela’ will just say go and sin no more, your sins are forgive? NO WAY! To them revenge is sweet, unlike more humane and God fearing Africans who forgive at a wink.
Yes, Christianity works to those who want to believe and live by it. It gives you peace and joy even when you have nothing.
Ever wondered why the so-called West despite their mindless, cold-hearted, selfish, egoistic, war-loving, hypocritical life-style, ends up in suicide and destructive, unhappy life?
What makes us human is the ability to reason, care, help and forgive one another. That is what gives real joy and happiness.
I think whoever you are, and the web media, you’re not suppose to talk about such cast it, these is religeon not your so ocultic or social parties that you open your mouth to speak whatever the devil has placed in your mouth.
C’mon guys, READ THE ARTICLE! All of it!!!
fot being your lens, it works and it is still working.
wow! u almost got me there! spot on but dicey!
Somtimes people say things not coz they know or are convinced of what they are saying but coz of the fact that they want to identify people who reason like them so that they can be more comfortable with their streamlined believe.thus,they can get some consolation for their grieve and failures in the past,present and in the future.who are you mr man to chalenge the presence of GOD.were u nt told what satan encountered when he chalenge GOD!how much are you paid 2 destroy ur soul with ur fuckn tongue..
I am glad u said dat it doesn’t work 4 u but ur life is not d definition of life so y shld we accept d conclusion of ur failure as d prototype
Somtimes people say things not coz they know or are convinced of what they are saying but coz of the fact that they want to identify people who reason like them so that they can be more comfortable with their streamlined believe.thus,they can get some consolation for their grieve and failures in the past,present and in the future.who are you mr man to chalenge the presence of GOD.were u nt told what satan encountered when he chalenge GOD!how much are you paid 2 destroy ur soul with ur fuckn tongue..
If only all the previous people understood what the writer was trying to say, Nigeria would be a much better place.
We treat Chirstianity like kalokalo mostly like a tool that would get us what we want. When in reality Christianity (living like Christ) is about self-sacrifice. Read the last line of the article and get it.
Jesus never obsessed about how many new converts he made. He didn’t obsess about how many people donated money. He didn’t obsess about material things like we Christians are wont to do these days.
Being Christ-like is about giving your all to minister to the needs of others and like the writer summed up, THAT GIVES LIFE!!!
Brilliant article…
That is the best response I’ve heard. The writer is in fact stating that many Christians are trying to say Chrtistianity works for them but if you are a true Chrtistian it doesnt always ‘work’ -life is tough, bu God helps us through. I think the previous responders should read this article ALL THE WAY TO THE END!!
May be you should try Islam and see if you will find the answers to those questions you have.
It hasn’t worked for u bcos u do not believe. And if u don’t believe, u are a failure.
So abeg no take ur blues spoil our reggae bcos d christianity we practise works for us.
Wooh,we shouldnt be baise,the present church doctrines is been polarisd that creates alot of questions if u are not an ignorant.may God help us..
This is weird but d man is right
This writer will leave some of his readers more confused than they were when they saw the topic of this article.
The Devil had 3 institutions to conquer before his time is up: 1. The society (social world) 2. Religion and 3. Family. While He is succeeding at destroying Institutions 1 & 3, the last one he is attacking now is Christainity: his final enemy and he will use the idle hands and the confused as his weapons of war.
The question is will he win? No! In my Bible I was told that he lost along with his supporters and sponsors to Jesus Christ the Lamb of God.
So we pray this writer finds redemption and salvation before his time is up too.
I am glad he said that the “Christianity he practices doesn’t work for him” That means he practices subjectively and little wonder it doesn’t work for him.The Bible admonishes us that “even though we are in the world, we are not from the world” so we should live differently from the world’s pattern of living. He’s a sick and possssed man!