Tuesday 29 September 2009

Today's piece is a bit longer but it captures a picture of one aspect of the church in the U.S.

Although Ephesians 2:8 says, "this is not your own doing" but it is the "gift of God,
revivalism, beginning in the nineteenth century, put too much responsibility of salvation upon the shoulders of converts. When modern evangelicals beg people to "make a decision for Christ," I fear that they are playing in to the hands of consumeristic North American capitalism. Our country has become a vast supermarket of desire in which empty people rush to and fro attempting to grab as much as we can, hoping to choose that which would make our lives worth living. As we have noted, we love thinking of ourselves as fabricators of our lives through our astute choices and decisions. I am who I decide to be. Evangelicals who exalt human choice and personal decision are unwittingly continuing the worst tendencies of discredited liberalism - all truth is decided and chosen by the sovereign self and its allegedly "free" choices.

Although I usually travel in church circles that are not a part of what is known as decision theology, I would have to say that many see the church (all of us) as part of this experience. When I look at the new churches growing up all over the place, many have this basic idea of choice under the message for the day. It is good to hear Willimon's evaluation and the way he links this whole movement to the 'vast supermarket of desire' that has become so much of our culture. The language of decision and choice fits well for a society that has roots in a rugged individualism where all the power is put into my hands to do the best I can. Sure Christ is for us....but not until "I" decided or "I" took control of my life and chose Jesus...did my life turn around. This sounds like something more than I get what I want. It sounds more like I get what I want because it is the best choice and I made it.

Connection: What happens to our thinking when the choice is not there...and we have nothing but a gift freely handed to us - for all time? How can that change everything we go about doing today?

Your Good News, O God, open up our eyes to see that you have already made all things whole and we are invited to be a part of that gift of wholeness. But...we seem to always know of something better - something that cannot be wonderful unless we have a part of the action. Help us to simply accept what you have said for us and about us. Amen.