OK, I give up. I’m buying your book. 🤣 More seriously I’ve tried to point out in social media that classical American Evangelicals have contributed greatly to spreading the Gospel and recently their voices are being shouted down by the kind of “gospel” you are talking about. In Anglicanism, we had the voices of John Stott and J. I. Packer whose voices clearly presented the power of God’s grace to transform us. Good article.
This is so true! Classical evangelicals are all about the gospel and its power to transform individuals. But lately the prominent voices remind me more of my legalistic cult that anything else. 😭
Observation: entropy-from physics - things over time run down. Not only true in the universe but also in empires, organizations, and movements. Evangelical is a movement as is progressivism among mainline Christianity. The key to renewal or revitalization comes in healthy engagement. Once a movement only engages and listens to its self ,it runs down. When any Christian movement does that it moves from grace to some form of moralism. You nailed it for your movement. 👍
I love what you wrote! I left an evangelical denomination and identify wholeheartedly with your experience of trying so hard not to sin. We focus on the wrong thing don’t (didn’t) we? Bless you.
During the times I have taught the senior adult SS class my wife and I are members of, we have talked about the situations where we need to be "seed planters" only and allowing God to do His job in bringing people along that pathway. Many times, I feel churches get "sideways" and "preachers" up and leave because we try to do what is only God's to do. I need to sit with the words of your blog and ponder through them. You have made me stop, scratch my head and go "I've never thought of it that way" and there is ALWAYS value in doing exactly that.
Hey Christy! I've really been enjoying your newsletter lately... please keep it up! I do have a question about this:
"If I am this alive no one will need to tell me to change, follow the rules, and stop sinning, because I will have met Jesus."
I heartily echo your sentiment here. I wonder, though: does the sentiment somehow contradict Scripture? It seems that some people do need to be told those things:
- "stop sinning" from 1 Corinthians 15:34
- "You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self" from Ephesians 4
- "In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for special purposes and some for common use. Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work" from 2 Timothy 2
Having been a student of "The Institute" myself as a kid, I'm totally with you with regard to turning the gospel and our love for Jesus into behavior modification. At the same time, there does seem to be a fair amount of behavior modification in God's Word.
We need true heart change, and we (apparently) also need clear and understandable guidelines about how followers of Jesus should represent Him. How do you think we can balance this?
Paul definitely exhorts the churches in his letters, but usually he talks about the beauty of the gospel and the power of the Spirit first. I’m definitely not against exhortation and reminders of truth. I do think that we need these. But I don’t see the focus in Scripture that I see in many Christians where they are fixated on outward behavior. I wish we spent more time telling people to let the Holy Spirit dig in and heal them from within. Outward change has limited benefit but inward change makes outward change happen. As far as how to combine the two, maybe it’s like how we train and teach children to think of others and be respectful. 🤷♀️😁
I wrote this song during Trumps last presidency. It was a visceral reaction to the marriage of Christian Nationalists to Trump’s halls of power. They are putting on the full armor of political influence which is antithetical to the message of the gospels. I thought of Christ hanging on the cross with no aide. No support. No protection. No recourse. No option. He cried out under the full weight of the world’s suffering. The song is “Without a Sheild.”
Thank you for your continue vulnerability Christy. You’ve been a tremendous help in my journey. The quote below of the behavior based gospel is succinct. Using the same structure, how would you describe the authentic gospel?
“The behavior-driven Gospel: You do bad things and that makes you a sinner. Sinners are separated from God and condemned to hell. Jesus came and died for our sins on the cross. If we pray and ask Jesus into our hearts, then He will forgive our sins and let us go live with Him in heaven when we die. If you are really saved, then you will do good things. These are the good things you should be doing.”
This is a great question! Authentic Good News would be something like this: People were created to be connected to God in a deep way. We were made to know Him. But sin (the brokenness inside of us) has created distance and separation. There is nothing we can do by ourselves to fix the separation or the brokenness. Jesus came and lived with us, showed us who God is, and conquered the distance and separation by His death and resurrection. He offers the free gift of reconnection and eternal life with God to everyone who will believe and accept it. That eternal life starts right now as the Holy Spirit begins a transformational work in our hearts making us into the people we were always meant to be.
There are a lot of ways you could say it, but it’s mostly about Jesus and the reconnection to God that He freely offers.
I appreciate this! I’d be interested in your thoughts re: sin. I think one of the things that’s been lacking in some spaces I’ve been in, is the understanding from Genesis 1-11 that sin is an external force that is introduced in creation by evil being (Satan). I think that’s a helpful addition because it limits the potential shame based interpretation that says “the world is wrong because of you and you alone”. There are larger things in play. I find Jesus’ reference of sheep to helpful in that sheep, like us, can be deceived and viciously attacked by external forces.
The key then becomes growing in recognition in how I can be manipulated and used by the powers and principalities to actively choose to partner with God in the way of life that we had at the beginning (fruits of the spirit).
Essentially, we are under the influence of sin (external force) but it is not our fundamental identity.
I agree. In my church, they will say that it’s impossible to become a Christian yourself- God has to do a work in your heart. However, once that’s done it appears to be your responsibility to keep that faith going. No-one seems to see the dissonance here.
“How did I escape my cult days only to see ideas from my cult go mainstream?” Exactly! I ask myself the same thing all the time. And I love the metaphor of an imitation processed gospel product.
OK, I give up. I’m buying your book. 🤣 More seriously I’ve tried to point out in social media that classical American Evangelicals have contributed greatly to spreading the Gospel and recently their voices are being shouted down by the kind of “gospel” you are talking about. In Anglicanism, we had the voices of John Stott and J. I. Packer whose voices clearly presented the power of God’s grace to transform us. Good article.
This is so true! Classical evangelicals are all about the gospel and its power to transform individuals. But lately the prominent voices remind me more of my legalistic cult that anything else. 😭
Observation: entropy-from physics - things over time run down. Not only true in the universe but also in empires, organizations, and movements. Evangelical is a movement as is progressivism among mainline Christianity. The key to renewal or revitalization comes in healthy engagement. Once a movement only engages and listens to its self ,it runs down. When any Christian movement does that it moves from grace to some form of moralism. You nailed it for your movement. 👍
My old cult leader said something very accurate once (which means he probably stole it from someone else 😆).
A man has a message, which becomes a movement, which then turns into a machine, and eventually becomes a memorial.
We are somewhere between a machine and a memorial right now. 😭 But that means it’s time for a fresh awakening from God!
He stole it, but can’t quite remember from whom. I’m old. 😊 but it’s true
I figured. Everything that was actually true was from someone else. 🤦🏻
The Good News / Gospel is about the Sovereignty -- and not "Kingdom" -- within everyone of us
i.e. Conceptual Sovereignty: We are Conceptualizers
- Interpreters, Invalidators, Innovators and Creators of concepts
- that is the spirit inborn within everyone - our holy spirit
Everyone has conceptual agency - ready & available in everyone AND
- just as light shines outwards - or else there would no light and only darkness
- just as life extends outwards - or else it is lifeless
everyone too must exercise / bring forth their own conceptual agency in the form of new interpretations and solutions
The parables (those in 'Thomas') were meant to prove
-- well, actually the listeners prove to themselves --
that they have conceptual sovereignty through their retorts to the narratives told to them
- just as the child who, when everyone exclaimed how beautiful "the Emperor's New Clothes were", retorted that the emperor didn't have his clothes on
.
I love what you wrote! I left an evangelical denomination and identify wholeheartedly with your experience of trying so hard not to sin. We focus on the wrong thing don’t (didn’t) we? Bless you.
I think we focus(ed) on the wrong things. 😢😬
Yes. Now it works so much better to focus on how unconditionally we are loved, and be filled with that love!
Absolutely!! 😁
During the times I have taught the senior adult SS class my wife and I are members of, we have talked about the situations where we need to be "seed planters" only and allowing God to do His job in bringing people along that pathway. Many times, I feel churches get "sideways" and "preachers" up and leave because we try to do what is only God's to do. I need to sit with the words of your blog and ponder through them. You have made me stop, scratch my head and go "I've never thought of it that way" and there is ALWAYS value in doing exactly that.
So glad I made you think!
Memorizing Galatians was truly a revelatory “ebenezer” type moment in my life for this precise reason.
Hey Christy! I've really been enjoying your newsletter lately... please keep it up! I do have a question about this:
"If I am this alive no one will need to tell me to change, follow the rules, and stop sinning, because I will have met Jesus."
I heartily echo your sentiment here. I wonder, though: does the sentiment somehow contradict Scripture? It seems that some people do need to be told those things:
- "stop sinning" from 1 Corinthians 15:34
- "You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self" from Ephesians 4
- "In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for special purposes and some for common use. Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work" from 2 Timothy 2
Having been a student of "The Institute" myself as a kid, I'm totally with you with regard to turning the gospel and our love for Jesus into behavior modification. At the same time, there does seem to be a fair amount of behavior modification in God's Word.
We need true heart change, and we (apparently) also need clear and understandable guidelines about how followers of Jesus should represent Him. How do you think we can balance this?
Love, Tony ❤️
Paul definitely exhorts the churches in his letters, but usually he talks about the beauty of the gospel and the power of the Spirit first. I’m definitely not against exhortation and reminders of truth. I do think that we need these. But I don’t see the focus in Scripture that I see in many Christians where they are fixated on outward behavior. I wish we spent more time telling people to let the Holy Spirit dig in and heal them from within. Outward change has limited benefit but inward change makes outward change happen. As far as how to combine the two, maybe it’s like how we train and teach children to think of others and be respectful. 🤷♀️😁
I wrote this song during Trumps last presidency. It was a visceral reaction to the marriage of Christian Nationalists to Trump’s halls of power. They are putting on the full armor of political influence which is antithetical to the message of the gospels. I thought of Christ hanging on the cross with no aide. No support. No protection. No recourse. No option. He cried out under the full weight of the world’s suffering. The song is “Without a Sheild.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJp6KyVGABQ&pp=ygUYQ2ogZml0eiB3aXRob3V0IGEgc2hlaWxk
Thanks for sharing this!
Loved every bit of this!
Thank you for your continue vulnerability Christy. You’ve been a tremendous help in my journey. The quote below of the behavior based gospel is succinct. Using the same structure, how would you describe the authentic gospel?
“The behavior-driven Gospel: You do bad things and that makes you a sinner. Sinners are separated from God and condemned to hell. Jesus came and died for our sins on the cross. If we pray and ask Jesus into our hearts, then He will forgive our sins and let us go live with Him in heaven when we die. If you are really saved, then you will do good things. These are the good things you should be doing.”
This is a great question! Authentic Good News would be something like this: People were created to be connected to God in a deep way. We were made to know Him. But sin (the brokenness inside of us) has created distance and separation. There is nothing we can do by ourselves to fix the separation or the brokenness. Jesus came and lived with us, showed us who God is, and conquered the distance and separation by His death and resurrection. He offers the free gift of reconnection and eternal life with God to everyone who will believe and accept it. That eternal life starts right now as the Holy Spirit begins a transformational work in our hearts making us into the people we were always meant to be.
There are a lot of ways you could say it, but it’s mostly about Jesus and the reconnection to God that He freely offers.
I appreciate this! I’d be interested in your thoughts re: sin. I think one of the things that’s been lacking in some spaces I’ve been in, is the understanding from Genesis 1-11 that sin is an external force that is introduced in creation by evil being (Satan). I think that’s a helpful addition because it limits the potential shame based interpretation that says “the world is wrong because of you and you alone”. There are larger things in play. I find Jesus’ reference of sheep to helpful in that sheep, like us, can be deceived and viciously attacked by external forces.
The key then becomes growing in recognition in how I can be manipulated and used by the powers and principalities to actively choose to partner with God in the way of life that we had at the beginning (fruits of the spirit).
Essentially, we are under the influence of sin (external force) but it is not our fundamental identity.
So good!!
Loved all of this, especially your cheese analogy! Spot on, in so many ways!
Aw, thanks! 😊 Glad you liked the cheese!
Thank you. These truth bombs supported me in a tough time requiring faith.
💔❤️
Amen! And Amen!
Thank you Christy. Your post are refreshingly honest about grace based relationships with God and people.
I’m glad you enjoyed it. 😊
I agree. In my church, they will say that it’s impossible to become a Christian yourself- God has to do a work in your heart. However, once that’s done it appears to be your responsibility to keep that faith going. No-one seems to see the dissonance here.
Yes! This dissonance is huge. It’s like, where did God go? Is He just gone now? No!!
What ifff we let Him do His job? 😭
“How did I escape my cult days only to see ideas from my cult go mainstream?” Exactly! I ask myself the same thing all the time. And I love the metaphor of an imitation processed gospel product.
It’s a trippy feeling isn’t it?!