matrix theology

I just recently got my copy of Blue Like Jazz back from someone who had borrowed it. This is one of the books that I consider catalytic in my spiritual walk, and if you haven’t read it, you should.

Anyway, there is a passage in the book where the author’s friend Peggie expresses that she felt that if Christianity were a person, it would not like her very much. This was an odd statement for me the first time I read it, and I had to really think about this personification that Peggie was making.

If Christianity – and I mean the mainstream perception of Christianity – were a person, what would he/she look like? To be honest, the image that I came up with was not pleasant. This is more or less what he would be like.

Chris T. Anity is a very opinionated person. In fact, he does not even listen to what other people have to say before shouting them down or ignoring them. He is very focused on taking care of himself and only forms real relationships with people who agree with him

He is too busy with pen pals in foreign lands to invest in the well-being of the hungry and poor in his own city. He worries more about appearances than about needs. In fact, his entire life revolves around being right and correct and making sure other people know it.

He votes Republican, but largely is ignorant of the world situation at large. He does not read anything except stuff printed by other like-minded people, and in general is out of step with his times.

Whenever he faces a struggle, he pretends like it is not a big deal. He does not cry and believes there is no place for weakness in his moral conduct. He thinks everyone needs to perform to a certain standard and anyone who doesn’t is obviously just not good enough.

Anytime someone answers him, he seems to be able to give chapter and verse for his opinion. The scope of his vision seems to be narrow – too narrow to embrace anything other than his own thoughts. He talks his own language – has his own vocabulary for things and often cannot explain himself to people who do not share his vocabulary.

Oh yeah, he condemns anything that might be fun.

That’s the way evangelical Christianity looks to the world. You may not like it, but its true. This is how the world at large views us.

Now imagine if we could live our faith in such a way that people might begin to think that maybe Christianity might like them. Imagine if that could happen?

Because if Christianity could like them, then guess who else could? Maybe God would like them to? In fact, if Christianity could show love to them, then maybe God would to?

What open doors that would give us.

Some Christians believe that evangelism is getting harder and harder – I think that’s only because the Christianity they represent is further and further removed from the people it is trying to reach.

The way I see it, evangelism is about letting people see that Christianity likes them; and that more importantly, the God of Christianity likes them.