Focus of Christianity should be on Christ

What is Christianity? Is it simply a religion? I guess it can be at times. Religion is a magnetic but insidious world. Religion has a terrible history to its credit. In fact, it continues today to single-handedly destroy whole civilizations, judge cruelly, set impossible standards, and create self-righteous bigots in tow. The simplest way to define religion is man trying to become, get to, or be like God – all the while, setting all the criteria themselves. No, as much as people may want to classify it as that – Christianity is not a religion.

Maybe it's a choice, among many, of moral living. It may be that. Moral living is admirable; it betters society and causes people to think twice before they do something. Morality is what should guide our governments, politics, businesses, and even daily living – but it often doesn't. Morality has one critical basis for its validity – authority. For something to be moral someone has to say it is – in other words; something in authority has to have said, “this is right” or “this is wrong”. Murder isn't wrong because people feel like its wrong – it's wrong because God says it's wrong. Morality is a slippery slope with dualism and relative morality all over the world today. No, Christianity can't simply be morality alone.

Thinking over it, maybe Christianity is all a farce. A cruel joke set out by an ancient Middle Eastern group of pranksters. Maybe it's just a placebo, a crutch, or a control point for society. The title “in the name of Christ” or “in the name of Christianity” has been used for centuries to control, satiate, and even enslave many people. The crusades, cultic masses flocking to spiritualistic experiences and manifestations of supernatural may prove this to be the end-all for the definition of Christianity. It doesn't though. These bad examples don’t explain the plethora first person and biblical accounts of very different experiences from the power of “in the name of Christ” or “in the name of Christianity”. No, Christianity is not just some worldwide delusion that sucks in people every day.

Christianity is much more than any of these things. We too often throw the baby out with the bathwater though. See, just like every restaurant chain has several that ruin our experience – it doesn't make the restaurant bad, evil, or deserving of our disdain. To follow that logic in one more direction – there are many people that have had a horrible experience with sex – does that make sex bad? Of course not, we would never follow that logic – that association is foolish, illogical, and blind. Christianity is the same. Some may use it as a vehicle for their religious gains. Other may use it to advance a moral war on “corrupt” societies, while the rest may simply use it to manipulate and control the nations into submission to their agenda. (I have no defense for the history of the “Christian” church or the present “Christian” church but to say that I am sad the name of Christ is used in them.) True Christianity is not about those things – no matter how many improper associations people put on it. Christianity is about one thing: Jesus. Thousands of years ago God made a precious creation – humans. We are so precious to Him that in Genesis it says “made in OUR image” when God is speaking. He loves us so much that we are honored and endowed with traits that God Himself has. We chose long ago that even though our Creator loves us, cares for us, and would do anything for our lives to be perfect – we wanted our way. So, like Frank Sinatra, Adam and Eve said, “God, we know you have given us guidelines for the perfect life, but we want to try our way”. So begins thousands of years of heartache, pain, wars, violence, famine, destruction, murders, rapes, and much more sin. All of this because we, humans, said, “God, I know you know best but I got to try this”. Christianity is about God's perfect plan to get us back. He wants us back with Him, in His family. It's not about control, it's not about “good” — it's about God and His deep, passionate, unending love for us. Jesus was sent to show us the way to be back in relationship with our Creator. Just like when we try to move an animal or bug to safety out of our house – we have run, kicked, and fought against our God's moves to get us to safety all throughout our lives. So, He became one of us, just like we would have to do with the bug or animal, so He could walk hand-in-hand with us to show us how to be free, forgiven and back with Him.

Christianity isn't a religion, moral system, or special “fruit punch”. Christianity is “good news” that we can finally be back with the One who made us and knows every intricate detail of our lives and wishes to work through us and in us in ways we could never imagine. Not through our efforts or lists of rules and regulations but through the finished work of Jesus Christ and in His forgiveness of ours sins.

Remember, a bad experience with a good thing doesn't make it wrong – it makes the experience wrong. What will you say to Jesus and His call to you?

Joe Schoolfield is the Pastor of Rise Chapel in Wasilla where he lives with his family. He can be contacted through his webpage: www.risechapel.com