His thesis question asks, "When did being a Christian become a separate thing from following Christ?" I would like to echo that notion (because I'm starting, "The Christian Atheist" tomorrow, I'm sure these questions will come up often over the next two weeks).
In reality, there are very few people in America who would say that God absolutely doesn't exist. Most American's believe in God, go to church, and consider themselves Christians. But, in the same vein, most American's don't allow a single decision in a day to be moderated, affected or changed by the reality of God.
Taking a step back, these are some of the things we affirm as Christians:
- There is a God.
- This God is all-powerful, all-knowing, all-present, righteous, good, creative (that is, He created), timeless, and provident.
- We are God's intimately made and formed creations.
- We are eternally judged against God's perfect, righteous standard.
- God's eternal love and faithfulness are pillars of His character.
- God loves us, individually and independently of our sin, to such an extent that He humbled Himself to mere mortality, being swaddled and nursed by sinful humanity, and ultimately suffering the separation, aloneness, punishment and death we deserved.
- God rose from the grave - defeating sin and overcoming the fall - on our behalf and by His power.
- God sent His Spirit to indwell His followers so that they would be empowered to live lives glorifying and honoring to Him.
- Ultimately, God created a solution to OUR problem by HIS sacrifice, accomplishing for us what we could not accomplish for ourselves; accomplishing it selflessly, humbly, sacrificially, and at great cost to himself.
And we seem unable to give up Facebook to spend time in His presence.
Somehow, we've missed truly living in light of some of those facts.
Why?
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