Renouncement of Christianity?

[bahgheera]

Some stuff no one ever thinks about.

When you tell someone you're a Christian, it turns their mind off. They've already put you in the box you belong in. They already know you will act a certain way because thats how Christians act, isn't it? After all, thats what 'Christians' have been telling the world for centuries, isn't it?

People think that the Christian religion is all about getting close to God by being good. The world just doesn't get it, because the message brought to them by Christians for so long has been the exact opposite of the truth. The message has been 'Act like us to go to heaven. And by the way, act like the holiness church down the road if you want to go straight to the flames.' Ok, that may be an extreme and dated (read: 70's) example, but you know what I mean.

The worst thing that ever happened to Christianity is Christians.

And now, the last two decades have seen a change in the church. The church is now no longer a place where you must endure a sermon damning you to everlasting hellfire and torment. No longer a place where boring organ music accompanies hymns sung by the congregation. No, now the church is HIP! COOL! Now we have rock 'n' roll baby! Now we have a coffee shop, a book store, an atm and if you can't make it to church on Sunday morning, just stay at home and watch the service on your blackberry! Giant screens with full blown multimedia presentation, productions of the praise service to rival major concert efforts... so much money spent on making us Christians acceptable to the outside world. And when the songs are over, the audience claps. But who are they really clapping for?

I know, I know. Some people 'need' that. And I don't really know where I stand on the issue of the great big Wal-Mart style church, the McChurch with concert type praise bands and fog machines and special effects and whizzing lights all over the place and 'would you like fries with that?' Maybe thats ok, or maybe it isn't - but darn it, it sure is trendy and popular. 'Sure, can I get it supersized, please?' I mean, I don't want to get my Jesus at a drive through window.

At any rate, all of this falls under the category of what Christians do. They're good. They don't cuss, drink, smoke, etc. Thats how the world looks at us. And when a Christian *does* cuss, drink, or smoke, the world looks at them with a disdainful eye and says to themselves 'MmmHMM. Should have known.'

Now, if you tell someone you're a follower of Jesus, if you tell them your a seeker of truth through Jesus, well now - that will get a quite different response I believe. That will cause that persons brain to *not* shut down, but to actually have a thought! You've broken out of the box that Christians are stuck in - now you're something else, something people have never heard of before. 'A follower of Christ? What do you mean?'

So when I say I have renounced my Christianity, obviously I don't mean I no longer believe in God or the Bible, etc. I simply mean that I am leaving the religion that Christianity has become. Because that's pretty much all that Christianity is these days - another religion.

And don't say that I've decided to focus on 'spirituality' either. Spirituality is just a nice word that's been made up to mean Religion, it's bull. It's PC to say spirituality when referring to someone's religion. So PLEASE don't apply that word to me.

Thank you, and good night.

[PONDOROLMS]

When one gives his heart to the Lord he is done. He is free. Period. End of story. That person chooses to accept His grace as the gift the Lord is giving them for who he is, what he was, what he is and what he will be. There are no labels, no titles, no actions, no fraud required. Most importantly there is NO NEED TO EXPLAIN TO OTHERS WHO WE ARE, where we stand, what we believe or how we act. No need to act like another, no need to talk like another or go where another goes.
If we tell a nonbeliever that we are a Christian we are put in that box. Yes! If we tell another Christian we are a Christian you can bet we are put in a box too! Do we measure up?
When you are put in that box it may not mean that all is lost and ears and eyes are closed or barriers are built. This is only temporary. Just live showing your true colors. The more we mature in Christ the more the expected character traits show through anyway. If they don't then just continue. These folks are watching, judging, and at times mocking but it is the ONE that the Lord knows will after a time come over to that box and peer inside to see if you are still in it. He is the one that will see through the barrier he naturally made and despite who you appear to be to many that person will look beyond the natural and come to Christ in time. Guess what...you may never know it and you don't need to. Your reward for serving will come hereafter.
Church and Christians do appear to have modernized today. Let's just say the church has COMPROMISED in some areas. All of us should be aware of how much world-like the environments we accept are. Fellowship can certainly be held in a fun environment in fun ways! The line has to be drawn, however, when we start to look like the world, sound like the world, and act like the world. You know those things that our flesh is really satisfied by not our relationship with the Lord. In fact many folks actually think it is clever to appear like the world in order to attract those that are the world to receive this hidden message or something. So if someone who is OF the world came over to participate in what he thought WAS the world and discovered that it only APPEARED to be the world but was to hopefully be received to NOT BE the world but produced by those who claim to NOT be of the world then what sort of box would we be put in then?