PICTURE OF JEAN VALJEAN FROM LES MISERABLES by r/drawing HERE
In this episode I introduce the creation of the podcast out of a passion for recovering the essence of the Christian gospel. I began noticing a lack of emphasis on grace and Jesus back in the 1980s. I submit that this is the reason why the Christian church has become oppressive and data reports that the number of practicing Christians has reduced by half in just over two decades.
Bullets of key points
How the podcast was created from a story of a fictional widow who hoped to find God and meaning in the Christian church and was unable to find either one.
How my life moved from my conversion to my love for the gospel of grace to my not hearing about grace in preaching or teaching to (finally) using my voice.
Three BIG IDEAS:
Contemporary Christianity has an obvious and serious problem
Which is a result of a widespread and fundamental misunderstanding about the essence of the Christian religion
And the remedy is simple and extravagantly good
Full outline
Origin: “Dear Christianity”?
Started as a fictional story of a conversation between a young widow and a frequent business traveler on a cross country flight
I spent a half-dozen years living in airplanes and hotels four or five nights every week, flying to several cities around the country
On a particular flight from Newark NJ to LA, I opened my laptop and planned to just put my fingers on the keys and start typing
So that’s what I did–totally un-premeditated, typing away
What came through my fingers was a fictional story about a thirty-something widow who looked for God and meaning in the Christian church and had a difficult time finding either one
She sits beside a frequent biz traveler and they begin to talk for an entire flight between Philadelphia and Los Angeles
When she tells him her story, he asks her questions about her experience in the Christian church and she shares her impression and critique of contemporary Christianity
He shares with her how he’s sorry she had this experience, and he can understand how her experience was so dissatisfying
He then shares the gospel with her, showing her the relevant passages from scripture about who Jesus was and what he did and what it all means and how it all fits together
All of this was profound and life-giving for her–even through her grieving
Toward the end of the story, her character writes a “Dear Christianity” letter as a full-page spread in the Philadelphia Inquirer
And as the years past since writing, the longer the story went unfinished and unpublished, the more I wanted to write the letter–so I did
“Dear Christianity” podcast is a forum to both convey the disconnect between contemporary Christianity and the gospel, and also to gather data and feedback from listeners who have been put out or injured by the church
Bi-weekly podcast for thoughtful engagement re the true essence of the Christian religion
Entire project - podcast and website - built on foundation of three BIG ideas - outline in a few minutes
My story
Started going to church as a college freshman in the late 70’s
Quickly fell in love with theology and studying the Bible
Mind and heart were ablaze re grace from the outset
I now know that God put this in my heart, because the flame hasn’t snuffed or even flickered in forty-five years, with all of life’s profoundest pains and disappointments
Taught and spoke hundreds of times for twenty years–either centering on grace or working it into every talk on any passage or any part of Christian history
Noticed all the way back in the eighties and nineties that I didn’t hear much about grace
I rarely heard much about Jesus in sermons and or Christian books or literature
Everything seemed to be about how to be faithful to various callings of God
When I came to understand what I’ll refer to here as the true Christian gospel in the late 1980’s, I had two reactions
For me, impact more profound than my original conversion
Disappointed about not hearing about it anywhere
According to church practice–and the church’s Operating System–I gathered that Christianity is thought of as little more than a lifestyle
There are personal disciplines
There are social rules
There are insider values and rules and ways of speaking
But there’s no fixation on Jesus
Listen to this passage by the Apostle who wrote more than half of the New Testament, from his letter to the Philippians. Referring to his unwillingness to be judged on anything he’d done:
But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith. (Phil.3:7-11)
Find a church a church that preaches about Jesus six times a year, much less every week, and you will have found the needle in the proverbial haystack
Find a church that deliberately nourishes you with faith, hope, and love and you should know that you won the lottery the day you first got there
Indeed, find a church that grows in you a love for God’s mercy, beg yourself to never leave
After decades of feeling like a pariah in Christendom, I love that my church is a fountain of light and hope - I’ll leave a link in the show notes
Dear Christianity’s three BIG ideas
ONE: Christianity has an obvious and serious problem
Obvious: Numbers cut in half in just over twenty years
Serious: This isn’t just raw data. A massive number of human persons have been injured and put off by Christians and the church
TWO: The crisis is owing to a widespread and fundamental misunderstanding about the essence of Christianity - a misunderstanding that boils down to an operating assumption that Christianity is little more than a lifestyle - in effect, the ancient religion is untethered to the person and work of Jesus, and not informed by the the biblical, life-giving promises of the gospel
Widespread: Nearly every part of the the church has the same misunderstanding: churches may differ in affiliation (denomination or not), beliefs and practices (baptism, communion, music and worship styles)
There are surely many church communities that are lively, rich, and rewarding
And whatever else may be counted as a blessing in these communities, to their own detriment and the legions who’ve been put out, the vast majority operate with the same misunderstanding: that Christianity is little more than a lifestyle
Fundamental:
Single vital element, CHRIST, is missing
The centerpiece of Christian life and practice is, well, the Christian life - with its maps and rules and callings and recipes for how to do things
If churches and Christians were feeding on Christ and the gospel, the numbers not only would not have cut in half in 22 years, the buildings would be bursting with real humans, who live real lives, and have real needs and concerns
And one thing that can unify a group of humans is their common need for faith, hope, and love
And the solution is simple and extravagantly good
Simple: Pursue WISDOM
Gain deep understanding about God and yourself
None of can know either of these without knowing both
When two disciples asked Jesus which of them was the greatest, ask yourself why the Messiah ignored the question and told them to act like a child
Extravagantly good - Les Miserables
Please find my website at www.dearchristianity.net and subscribe to the podcast wherever you consume your podcasts–Apple, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and others
I look forward to seeing you back here at Dear Christianity podcast
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