A Defence of Religion

"Religion: the service and worship of God or the supernatural. [Also] a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices."
-Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition

In making connections with Christian student groups here I find myself surrounded by a strong sentiment that I believe is common in the postmodern church. Over and over I am confronted by negative feelings about 'religion.' Generally, from their perspective "religion sucks, but Jesus is cool." It seems to be manifested by a strong suspicion or even hostility to practices, groups, or persons that seem 'religious.' Deep down, what they are really objecting to is form without substance - actions without faith. Yet it seems to have penetrated so deeply that simply the presence of the forms implies to them an absence of faith. They hold tightly to the gospel of 'me and Jesus;' resisting the presence of anything which smells of 'religion.' They have come to view religion as a set of rituals that prevent people from connecting to the truth.

To begin, I agree that there have been and are times when the church has become comfortable with ritual and forgotten the truth for which it serves as a symbol. We are always tempted to treat the symbol as the symbolized. It is action without thought. This devolution is intellectually and spiritually easier than going through the process of experiencing the truth through the ritual. However, is this truly a justification to eliminate the symbol?

The 'me and Jesus' theology seems to me to contain a certain individualism carried too far. While it cannot be disputed that the choice to follow Christ is one that I must make for myself, it is only in that moment of decision that my faith is only between me and God. Once I have committed to follow Him I am now a member of His body. I am part of His church. The potential of my faith is now only truly realized within the context of Christian fellowship found in the body. We no longer require an intermediary to obtain forgiveness of sin or to be heard by God, but isn't that only the very beginning of the Christian life? For everything else in a Christ-centered life we must act as a part of the body. It is the height of arrogance that assumes that I need no help to live a life worthy of the calling. If I am to understand and act on what it is to be a disciple of Christ, I need other disciples to provide input into my life and they in turn need input from me. No part of the body can fulfill its potential if it is disconnected from the rest. If acting as one part of the greater body is what defines the life of a disciple, what might that tell us about religion?

At this point, I must say that I recognize that first, I am not Paul, and second, no analogy can explain everything about or be fully applied to the idea it is attempting to illuminate. In this light, I submit the following for consideration. A body has a rhythm to its existence. Every day, it sleeps to regain energy. It generally eats at regular intervals daily and it must breath constantly. These are all rituals, if you will, that sustain the proper functioning of the body. If the rituals are not carried out, the body will die. If they are not carried out in the appropriate way, the body's effectiveness will be lessened. So, perhaps, we should not be surprised to find ritual, rhythm, and a certain order within the body of Christ.

From Scripture we find at least three such rituals: baptism, marriage, and Communion. We are commanded to be baptized and to baptize (Ac 2:38, Mt 28:19). The Scriptures do not support the idea that my faith is a private matter (Ro 10:8-10). If I have decided to follow Christ, I must declare it to the church and participate in a ritual symbolizing my new birth out of the death of sin. In the same manner, we don't treat marriage as a private matter between the husband and wife, but engage in a public ceremonial demonstration of the decision they make. While it is certainly true that simply participating in the symbol of salvation (baptism) does not save you, the Bible seems to suggest that baptism is important and should always accompany salvation if possible.

The question should not be whether we sometimes focus on the symbol and forget the symbolized, but rather, would we remember the truth better without such rituals? I believe that we humans have a memory much shorter than is good for us. I know that I often find myself unable to remember my parents' anniversary or a loved one's birthday, much less things in which I did not participate or which I did not witness. Observe how humanity attempts to remember things we deem important. We build museums or monuments or appoint a specific day for collective remembrance. We do not rely on our individual ability to remember and reflect unaided. While it is true that we can become so accustomed to a historical marker that we at times cease to reflect on it in any meaningful way, does that mean the marker shouldn't exist? Does this reflect a flaw in the marker or a flaw in us? Additionally, God Himself seems to think that ritual is necessary if we are to keep the truth in mind. How else can you explain God's commands to the Israelites to commemorate the Passover and the Sabbath (Leviticus 23) or his dramatic statement in Deuteronomy 6? If the symbol was not important, then why did Jesus say "...do this in remembrance of me" (Lk 22:19; New International Version, emphasis mine) when He could just as well have simply said 'remember me'? All this seems to suggest to me that it should not be a surprise if our faith is found to be rich in ritual and symbolism. In truth it is not the symbol that is the problem. The problem is our own tendency to succumb to distraction and forgetfulness. At least the liturgy may persist and point the way to those that one day notice and wonder. The tragedy would occur if the liturgy was destroyed; for if the substance was lost and the form cast away, how then could the truth be reconstructed?

Revealing the Children of God

"Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name." Then a voice came from heaven: "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again."
-John 12:27-28, English Standard Version (ESV)

I have always been partial to the Gospel of John. A few months ago I was reading and this passage leapt out at me. It has come to be one of my favorite verses at this time in life. Trial, tribulation, tragedy, nightmare, pain, stress; whatever term is preferred in any given situation, I have no loved ones, friends, or acquaintances that would not say their lives are marked by the occurrence of events of this type. The Bible does not provide any easy comfort for these situations. However, it does tell us how to face trials. I know of no other verse that speaks more deeply to me on this topic. In two short verses, our Lord, Savior, and personal life coach has explained to us how we should deal with suffering, the meaning and purpose found within it, and provides the solid assurance of God's eternal faithfulness.

"Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say?"

Jesus does not teach us to go through trials and pretend that nothing is happening. We are not asked or expected to be afflicted with trials and somehow not let them bother us. Jesus begins this exchange with a painfully honest confession. Jesus Christ, the eternal Word, is troubled, and not on a superficial level. The trial that He is to face, the cross, is affecting his very soul. I don't believe our mortal and fallen minds can comprehend the depth of this confession. Luke, in a complementary passage, refers to our Lord being in anguish as He faced his death. (Lk 22:39-44) Jesus did not make light of his coming suffering, nor did He pretend that it did not bother him. Instead, He acknowledged and confessed to the Father the depth of his sorrow. If our sinless Lord was able to honestly express how his trial affected him, certainly it is entirely appropriate for us to come before God with our struggles, fear, uncertainty, and pain. However, this is not license to just complain. Jesus followed his confession with the question that must follow ours: "And what shall I say?" After acknowledging the reality of the trial and our own fear and pain, we must decide how we are going to respond to the situation. Jesus' confession before the Father was preparation for making the decision. Whenever we face a challenge of any kind, we have the same two options for our response that Jesus had.

"Father, save me from this hour"

This is a perfect summary of our natural response to trials. We are all human and as such we don't like pain. A great deal of the advancement of civilization might be credited to finding new ways to avoid pain and unpleasantness in general. When we encounter a trial or painful situation, it is natural for us to ask God to save us. If only God would deliver us from this situation, then everything would be okay. If He does not rescue us, we are disappointed and may even find our faith challenged. This expectation suggests that we view our relationship with God as being one where He is there to make sure our lives go the way we want. The God of the universe and beyond, who is fighting a battle for the spiritual liberation of all creation, gave us "...the right to become children of God" (Jn 1:12; ESV), inheritors of the Kingdom, and brothers and sisters of Christ, so that we can live our lives undisturbed by the reality of darkness that infests God's good creation. Clearly, this view is much too narrow to bear any resemblance to reality. I am not saying that seeking ways to improve standards of living is wrong. I am simply saying that when faced with a trial, when confronted with the ugly and evil reality that the redemption of the world has not yet been finally consolidated, backing up and counting on God to resolve the situation by sparing us from its effect is not helpful to us or the Kingdom. Jesus himself immediately rejects this response as inadequate. The brevity of these two verses belies the profound truth that is being spoken about the meaning of life. Experiencing a life of purpose and meaning is not accomplished by running from pain and trouble.

"But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify you name."

Jesus has summarily rejected our first, most natural response to trials. Christ tells us not to view trials as something that we should avoid at all cost, as events which interrupt the 'natural' flow of our lives. Instead, He tells us that our trial is actually an event which God has been preparing us for, an event that will serve as a focal point for the light of the glory of God. We can be confident that wherever we are in life, whatever trial we face, we have been brought to this moment for a reason. We need never doubt that there is a purpose for our suffering; there is a plan of which our trial is a part. Why am I facing this? Quite simply, I am where I am so that the name of the Lord will be glorified. That is, we have come to this hour so that God's identity, power, character, and will for his creation may be revealed through us and our situation. This is not to say that God wants us to suffer or that He causes us to suffer. It is to say that suffering and trouble happen and God wants to use them to do good for us and others, but we must cooperate with the process. Bitterness and resentment will keep us from seeing the glory of God in what He is doing. When confronted with trials, we must confess our pain and fear to God, recognize that the trial is part of what gives our life purpose, and ask God to use us to glorify his name.

"Then a voice came from heaven: 'I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.'"

As if Jesus teaching us how to respond to trials weren't enough, God sealed the deal by removing any grounds for doubt about the outcome of our trials. Jesus has confessed his pain and sorrow, recognized that the coming suffering is part of the purpose of his life, and asked the Father to use the coming trial to bring glory to God. God responds by affirming that not only is He perfectly capable of revealing his power and identity in the world (how many times in scripture and the lives of others have we seen God use broken lives and hopeless situations to reveal himself?), but promises that He will do so again through the life of Christ. Similarly, in various passages of scripture (See James 1:2-4 and especially Romans 8:18-21) we are assured that the sufferings we experience will result in the glorification of God through our lives. I don't believe we could ask for a better assurance that our suffering is never in vain.

Perhaps the profound truth that Jesus and the apostles try to teach us is that God's glory is not best revealed in the good things, in the way that things are supposed to be, but rather in how He is able to use the bad stuff, the things in life that are contrary to his will, to nonetheless establish his Kingdom everywhere for all eternity. Maybe, when we run from trials, we are running from the opportunity to have our life, our very existence, transfigured from that of a fallen mortal into an agent that, for all eternity, will live and be numbered among those that contributed to the greatest triumph of righteousness ever accomplished.

Credo

I believe in One God the Father: Who exists of Himself without cause, the Almighty Maker of all things visible and invisible, Who created a good and orderly Nature, Who in this creation revealed His existence and character, Whose image we bear and from Whom we have life, Who entrusted Nature to the stewardship of mankind, Who is Holiness and from Whom by sin mankind separated itself and Nature, Who made provision for our unmerited salvation and the redemption of Nature, revealing His will through the Patriarchs and Prophets, Who by His power raised Christ from the dead and Who alone knows the time appointed for Christ’s return.

I believe in One God the Son: Who was begotten from all eternity and not made, Who is in nature truly God being one with the Father, Who is glorified above all, through Whom all things were made and through Whom we have life, our one Lord and King, Jesus Christ: Who was born in the flesh of the Virgin Mary, to Whose authority Nature itself submitted, Who lived without fault in obedience to the Father that His disciples might know the invisible God, Who died on the cross that we might be justified before the Father and Who rose again on the third day that we might have life, He ascended into heaven where He sits at the right hand of the Father and He will return at the appointed time to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in One God, the Holy Spirit: through Whom the will of God was revealed to the Prophets, by Whom Christ was conceived, by Whose witness the ministry of our Lord and King, Jesus Christ was vindicated, with Whom we are baptized, Who is sent in power to those who believe, Who empowered the Apostles as faithful witnesses to the truth revealed, Who is the true and faithful presence of God in every believer, by Whom we are all bound together to our Lord and King, Jesus Christ, and through Whose power we are sanctified.

I believe in one Body of Christ, the holy catholic Church: without division, united in love and fellowship through the indwelling of the Spirit, and set apart by the Father for His glory, commissioned by our Lord and King, Jesus Christ to act in His name, commanded by Him to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

I believe that through sincere repentance and the confession of Jesus Christ as Lord and King my sins are forgiven, that by baptism into His church and through the holy Eucharist I participate in His death and resurrection, that the Holy Spirit dwells within me, that in the power of the Spirit and the authority of the Church I live by serving our Lord and King, Jesus Christ, and that on the appointed day, be I awake or asleep, I will know Christ as He is and be transformed through that knowledge into His likeness and attain the life everlasting.

Amen.

I declare this truth in which I believe and for which I live.

Revised July 17, 2008.