The Unexamined Life

The unexamined life is not worth living...

I have a lot of opportunity to examine things in my life and in the world. I am a virtual shut-in, in a world confined by the constant demands of small children for a snack, laundry, potty training, and the lack of funds to do pretty much- anything. So I get to analyze a lot of what I'm experiencing and meditate on what I believe and why.

So today I'm asking why it is Christians have been pretty silent and complacent in the face of almost every global crisis today. Like the hell on earth that is Aleppo. Like the death of black men by public police execution in our streets. I could go on. By now you know what I care about.

I have spoken out about the lack of compassion, but now I am reflecting on the role of various doctrines in the formation of our modern Christian theology. It appears that much of Christian life is focused on belief and is fragmented into disconnected boxes from there. The essential component of Christianity has been reduced to 'believing the right thing' or being the exclusive holder of Truth or even having the correct interpretation of Scripture. Once you are secure in being the exclusive holder of Truth with a superior Scriptural interpretation, you can then begin fragmenting your life further by separating the spiritual from the sinful. Christians then become essentially Gnostics- or those who believe that the flesh is evil and corrupted and that the soul is spiritual.

This enables all of life to be boxed and shelved. Sunday is the day of worship. Worship is singing and praying and listening to a sermon. Doing every day things like chores or going to work is not spiritual. We must constantly look for ways to get back to being spiritual through Bible study, or more church activities, or (if you are Charismatic) another conference. If you are legalistic or driven by performance then there is community service, if you are evangelic or non-denominational there are always church programs and ministries. But life is a constant war between the secular and the sacred and we never feel spiritual enough.

Brother Lawrence wrote the classic "Practicing the Presence of God." Legend has it that he had so incorporated his spirituality into his everyday chores that people would come from all over just to watch him wash the dishes because he would begin to levitate. He discovered that every aspect of life is spiritual and allowed even the most mundane of tasks to become an exercise in meditation, an act of worship.

So what does this have to do with Aleppo or Black Lives Matter? I believe it is this very disconnection- the separation of the physical and the spiritual, and the fragmentation of our devotional and secular life that has cut us off from the deep well of compassion within that allows us to live a life of activism that is fueled by our faith. We have become overrun with busyness and have become disconnected from community. We have gone along with church doctrine at the expense of the message of Christ. We have allowed politics to define and usurp our mandate by Christ to concern ourselves with the least of these.

A few days ago in my time of meditation I heard the words "Hold fast" in my spirit. This is where it is found in Scripture:
Revelation 3 (NIV)
To the Church in Sardis
3 “To the angel of the church in Sardis write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.

We are approaching some unprecedented times of challenge for our nation. The reemergence of fascism is on the rise. White nationalism is on the rise. 65 million refugees are in need of shelter. Where will our courage be found as Christians? Will the current state of our faith suffice?

We must allow the message of Christ to permeate every segment of our lives and being. It is no longer good enough to be Sunday or morning devotional Christians. Our times demand more of us. The world demands more of us. It is time to reevaluate what we truly believe.

I hope that when Jesus speaks to us in this time we will hear "When I was naked you clothed me, when I was hungry you fed me," and not "You are lukewarm and I will spit you out of my mouth."