Kyle Berg

I was fortunate enough to be brought up in the Christian faith and in the Church. Not only did I have the benefit of great parents, but I also had the instruction and support of dozens of people in our church community who taught Sunday School, brought us places, led mission trips, and prayed for us. This put me at an advantage in terms of development and helped me avoid many childhood and adolescent pitfalls. To God, my parents, and those others I am eternally grateful. Yet for some reason, right now I feel as though I am a new Christian and just beginning this journey. It is a desire to find truth. I want to know what God expects of us as Christians and I want to get it right. What is this religion of Christianity exactly? I indict myself fully here and also admit that I don’t know where this search is going or have many answers. But I do have questions.

The word religion has gotten a bad rap over the years among the church circles I’ve run in–evangelical ones. Perhaps there was a desire to separate biblical Christianity from stuffy tradition that turned its nose up at the non-church world and maintained an aura of superiority. Or maybe people were tired of going to services more out of obligation and habit than out of reverence to God. Whatever the reason, the term took a beating. While at ORU and various churches, I’ve heard people talk about how we don’t want religion any more but rather we are looking for a relationship with God. Maybe churches are trying to remind people that they can go to God directly, that he answers prayer, and that he is a good and loving God. Those are good things after all. But must we knock down one to raise up the other?

How often do we really dissect and delve into Christianity? When was the last time I heard a congregation jointly recite a creed at an evangelical church? Why do I, having grown up in Church, neglect to study its history? If it’s important as Americans to study American history, isn’t it equally important to do the same for our faith? Why do our Sunday School classes focus on everything but doctrine? Why do we get bored or not show up if they do? How can so much time be devoted to “spiritual warfare” and so little to study? Are not strongholds, after all, in the mind? Why do we place such emphasis on emotion? When choosing a church, why do we place so much weight upon its style of music? Why is communion only once a month? Why are we so afraid of liturgy? Why do many non-denominational churches have so much autonomy and lack a chain of leadership?

I believe we do ourselves a great disservice by minimizing the religious aspect of Christianity. It is a religion. We have doctrines, church fathers, martyrs, and a moral code. We follow in the footsteps of almost 2 millennia of believers yet we want to focus so much on the here and now. Religion implies study, dedication, loyalty, and zeal. I don’t see how true examination of and acceptance of Christianity can yield anything but relationship. After all, the Old Testaments points to and the New Testament dedicates itself to the redemptive work of Jesus. We do have a relationship with God, but that relationship exists alongside religion just fine and is even strengthened by it. This is not an either-or situation but rather a both-and.

We have fellow believers in other parts of the world giving up their lives for their faith and yet we worry about making the church “seeker friendly” and talking about how Jesus is my friend. Somewhere along the line we got soft. We have tried too much to adapt Jesus to the culture. Somehow our videos, groups, XBox 360s, and marketing became more important and Augustine, Aquinas, and religion took a back seat. We forgot that Wesley, Whitefield, and others preached repentance and were often despised by society. I doubt they had George Barna conducting polls before they entered a town. We forget Jesus’s words warning us that the world will hate us. A relationship Jesus is flexible and moldable around our culture. But a religious Jesus is rigid, doctrinal, and stubborn. We can leave relationships easily and say the other person let us down. But most people probably think twice about leaving a religion and the eternal consequences that could imply.

This is all conjecture and a random collection of thoughts and questions. Tonight I sent a Facebook message to Dr. Vance, an Old Testament professor at ORU. I haven’t talked to him in over 4 years, but I told him I’m wrestling with who we ought to be as the Church and he said, “Let’s talk.” So we will. Perhaps this will be a lifelong pursuit of truth. But I’m starting with questions and hope to find the truth and align myself with it.