The last couple of weeks I've noticed some lines in songs that say something like 'God is all I need', or 'all I want'. I like these songs as they are ridiculously catchy but I'm having a hard time meaning what I sing. I suppose the purpose of these lyrics would be to confess a surrendered life to Christ, which is an amazing thing. However, I hope this doesn't make me a poor Christian but when I hear these kind of songs, I think of things besides God that I need or want like water or sleep or a wife for example. Sometimes I need water more than prayer-- such is the case when it's 40 degrees outside. Or, for instance sometimes I need people. If all we needed was God we'd probably exist in individual realms with things like prayer benches, holy water and the presence of the Lord. Instead, I am reminded of the 'it's not good for man to be alone..."passage. And so we get a partner or rather-- people to share our existence with. I think this may be key to understanding what a Godward life looks like. Maybe my life needs a touch more horizontalness to it than the vertical Christianity I've come to know. In fact, maybe the purpose of sanctification is to become like God to other people and therefore a concrete being with which to interact? I think it is a fascinating thing to think that we are receiving the mind of Christ for the purpose of loving other people.
One of the places that its almost impossible to be a strictly vertical Christian is in community living. I have experienced some sort of community living a number of times and let me say that I think it's incredible for those who experience it and undervalued for those who don't. In community living you are not an individual so much as you are part of the whole. For example, while my name is Chris Lewis, I am part of what makes up 4 North dorm and also what is known as the 4th floor. While I am an individual my existence means that I am part of this web that collectively makes up residence or community life. I believe one trend we are seeing or will see in the church is the moving away from the individual Christian that modernity (if I can blame modernity?) has fashioned. The idea that 'my personal relationship with Jesus Christ' is distinct from any other believers in that it is 'mine' may be something we don't refer to as much in the coming years. Is it possible that this training of a personal relationship may have screwed the church up for a time as we are unable to share our fears, frustrations or even joys as we don't need to because after all, it's a personal thing. If we could ever move out of this western individualistic mindset that has become the North American body of Christ I think we'd be in for a few surprises..
I wonder what a vertically horizontal Christian would look like in terms of metaphor...a triangle? Any ideas?
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
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5 comments:
i, much like you chris have been having a hard time singing songs with phrases like "you're all i want, you're all i ever needed", my other struggle would be "i surrender all to you", my humanness makes it hard for these statements to be true, so should i be singing? good question, i guess it depends where my heart is at the time of worship. but then again perhaps making God all we want and need is in essence being with a friend when they 'need' you or you 'need' them, after all God said "whatever you did to the least of these you did unto me", so Chris perhaps you are right and we need do indeed to be vertical horizontal christians. thanks
Here's an article saying much the same as you that I enjoyed: http://www.trinity-pres.net/essays/God-is-not-enough.php
As for a name, how about perichoretic Christians? :-)
fully,
that was a good article and the similarities are remarkable... thanks man. perichoretic does have a nice ring to it...translated 'dance around' or 'dance within' i like that...
i think you sound more and more postmodern as time moves on.
sometimes I scare myself...
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