I talked to a Baptist family member the other day as well… and as I was sharing something withhim a discussion I’d had with Pumpkin (dd almost 16) over the philosophies embraced by our country, particularly during the 20th century through today, how that had impacted our society and what it meant for our future, he brought up Rick Warren’s hosting of a debate for the presidential candidates as an example to illustrate what he thought was my point. He thought it was so wonderful and spoke to how godly our country had become that it would ask a pastor like Rick Warren to mc such a debate.
Not exactly. Rick Warren and the debate are a good example but not of how good Christians are at evangelizing. Those philosophies I mentioned having been embraced by our country were individualism, hedonism, and minimalism. These have permeated not only the secular culture but have ‘evangelized’ Christians as well… so well and so subtly in fact, that many Christians who’s lives and attitudes are very much ruled by these philosophies would argue that they are not guilty of holding such anti-Christian philosophies at all.
The fact that our individualistic, hedonistic, and minimalistic country is so comfortable with Rick Warren hosting a secular debate tells me something… but it isn’t so much about our country as about Rick Warren.
I am guilty of these sinful philosophies myself and am working at rooting them out of my own life.
I had no idea that the ‘rugged individualism’ that was held up as a virtue when I was growing up was in fact a vice more often than not. I did not realize that the desire to protect the rights of the individual could become such a ferocious and ungodly monstrosity that any godliness in the effort had long been cast by the wayside. I did not anticipate the rights of the individual taking precedent over the good of society as a whole or even over right and wrong. Freedom to do what is right, that which we once held so precious, has become freedom to live a Burger King life… ‘your way, right away’ no matter who it hurts while all the while buying the lie that (especially if private) it hurts no one.
Christ calls us to die to self. He calls us to give up not just small things but even our very lives for others. We can not serve two masters. We can not embrace self and die to self at the same time. There is a place for the individual in that death to self, but not to the detriment of others and not when right and wrong must be redefined in order to satisfy the wants or perceived needs of that individual.
I did not realize that I had bought into the pleasure seeking greed of hedonism… no idea that my tendency to laziness, to indulging in things that pleased my senses, to over-indulging in things that tasted good, were indicators of a philosophy in direct opposition to the godliness I sought in my spiritual life.
Christ calls us to take up our cross. He does not call us to health or wealth or pleasure in sensuous (think 5 senses here please – not just or even primarily sexual) things. He calls us to embrace suffering. Christ suffered. He suffered not only in His Passion, but during His life as well. So too, in being transformed into Christ-likeness, are we called to suffer. This calls us far beyond the shallow pleasures of hedonism into a deep and lasting joy.
It never occurred to me that the ‘least necessary’ wasn’t ‘good enough’. I was not only settling for, but SEEKING mediocrity in every area of my life without ever realizing I was doing so. In fact, I would have argued vehemently with anyone suggesting the Truth.
Christ calls us to give our very best, to give everything we have. Even if our work involves changing diapers or emptying bedpans or picking up garbage in front of homes or along the highways, regardless how dirty or anonymous and unrecognized the job, Christ calls us to give our best… We are called to excellence. Our best may not be the same as someone else’s… but we aren’t called to be the best, only to give OUR best. ‘Good enough’ isn’t an option for us.
Rick Warren moderating a presidential debate is far from evidence of how well we Christians have evangelized our society… it is rather evidence of how well some of us have been evangelized by it… and we don’t even realize it.
God have mercy.
