De-Sanitize Me

I think that the Church is the only thing that is going to make the terrible world we are coming to endurable; the only thing that makes the Church endurable is that is it somehow the body of Christ and that on this we are fed. It seems to be a fact that you have to suffer as much from the Church as for it, but if you believe in the divinity of Christ, you have to cherish the world at the same time that you struggle to endure it.      - Flannery O’Connor

This morning I was talking with a couple of guys who work here at BFA about the waywardness of American Christianity, or, to be more specific so as not to generalize and offend, the ways in which our “Christian” upbringing completely missed the point. Now, sitting in a little office meeting area in the early hours of a new day as outside the dawn breaks upon Germany all blue and frozen, it was hard not to feel an inkling as if we were talking about America behind its back. However, I know that the only reason I find myself interested in discussing such things is that I am genuinely concerned for the allegiance to God’s kingdom that is slowly and consistently dissolving within my home country. I think many would agree that sometimes you have to separate yourself from something (or someone) in order to understand your relationship with that thing (or person) in a clearer light. 

Mainly what we were remarking was how much we notice the American Church upholds a sanitized faith. What I mean by this is that the reason most so-called Christians in America do not faithfully live out a dynamic, transformational relationship with the Christ is they believe very little of their lifestyle plays out counter to his message and will. We have all known people who assume they will wind up in Heaven one day because they were “good,” or at least because they did more good deeds than bad. We Christians tend to shake our heads at that relativistic logic. However, so many of us uphold the same idea without really noticing what we are doing. If we truly cultivated a full awareness of God’s intimate participation within our lives – if we learned how to practice the presence of God in our day to day lives – I do not think we would continue to perpetuate certain beliefs and attitudes, let alone commit certain deeds. I am not referring to such specific things such as that old, principled resolution to not watch R-rated movies or to abstain from alcohol. Quite the contrary. It is resolutions such as these that reveal the very sanitization about which I am writing, not because they are misguided or pointless decisions, but because they often reflect a person’s desire to avoid the world based on the belief that the world (a.k.a. the “secular” world), being secular and unredeemed, can only corrupt; it cannot bless. Therefore, one should avoid the darkest parts.

I remember owning an old, 8-bit Nintendo game distributed by a Christian company that offered a Legend of Zelda-like gaming experience. Instead of pieces of a “Triforce,” the hero was searching for the different pieces of the armor of God. They lay hidden all over a city. While the player commenced to searching the parks, streets, basements and shops of the city, he avoided being waylaid by undesirable punks and conniving tempters by hurling actual pieces of fruit at them. These human obstacles would then either drop to their knees in prayer (supposedly for salvation) or turn into winged demons that would flap towards you, requiring more Fruit of the Spirit projectiles to repel them. If this weren’t absurd enough, I recall one harrowing period of game play where I diligently searched everywhere for the Breastplate of Righteousness. When my options of hiding places dried up, I chose to enter a building with a sign out front that read, “BAR,” figuring that perhaps the object of my search was concealed in its basement or somewhere similar. However, to my utter shock and game-playing anger, I was immediately greeted by an angel in all its 8-bit video glory, sporting a disapproving look and informing me that I had no business in bars. This divine messenger then proceeded to take away my Belt of Truth and Helmet of Salvation, as well as my ability to fling Apples of Joy and Pears of Peace at bad guys. I was forced to start the game all over.

Sanitization. The world is dangerous. It cannot be trusted, and no good can be found within it.

Not only does this idea perpetuate an us vs. them ideology, but it only serves to make most Christians believe that if they avoid the world they are somehow living as genuine Christians, when in reality they are living only sanitized, “Christian” lives. The distance between these two lifestyles is as vast as the Pacific, and it can be frighteningly tumultuous to cross from one side to the other, not the least reason of which is that, typically, you find yourself voyaging alone.

May we not be afraid of the world or tremble in the darkness. Cultivating a full awareness of God’s presence means that he is with us even there. May we rest assured in his light, and may we take this light and shine it into the darkness to expose the beauty and wonder that is hidden within.