tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9901815.post710185349985401499..comments2023-06-04T14:47:02.324+01:00Comments on a sideways glance: Is faith the product of fear or aspiration for something better?simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13470335172330595542noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9901815.post-31286213098259924812011-01-04T12:31:11.989+00:002011-01-04T12:31:11.989+00:00Good post Simon, thank you. I agree that an extre...Good post Simon, thank you. I agree that an extremely important (the most important?) part of being an active disciple of Christ is trying to change the world in which we live from one where injustice rules to one where God's Kingdom of justice reigns. I love Christian Aid's use of the slogan "We believe in life before death".<br /><br />The trouble though, I think, is that many Christians by their behaviour and testimony clearly DO believe what they do because of fear. I see this as particularly prevalent in the US, but it's not uncommon in the UK either. Stanley Hauerwas's talks at Greenbelt this year were quite illuminating on the climate of fear in the US.<br /><br />This is sadly not limited to the US, though. I very much enjoyed a presentation from a large christian drugs rehabilitation charity (which I won't mention by name) at the church I attend. They do amazing work, and seem to have hit on a method which delivers a high success rate. However, I was dismayed that during the "sermon" on the parable of the good samaritan, the speaker felt compelled to say "If you don't believe in God, you're going to hell", or words to that effect. Such statements are clearly born from some sort of fear, and are designed to instil that fear in others. I'm sure the view expressed by the speaker is not uncommon.<br /><br />Whilst it is clearly important to consider the afterlife, and the Biblical view of it, I don't believe bald unqualified statements like the one above help. They don't help Christians who hold them develop in their discipleship, and they don't help Christians to be taken seriously, for example by those of other faiths or none who might share our desire to change the world.<br /><br />What really hurts about this particular story is the fact that the witness being offered by the work of this charity is so powerful in itself. This charity changes people's lives for the better, and they do it because of their belief in Christ, and the healing that can be brought in his name to vulnerable people. Why not leave it at that? Why pollute it with unqualified statements of fear, which could make people think that this charity operates only to save what they perceive to be "sinners" from the "fires of hell"?<br /><br />I don't think there's an easy answer to this...Alastair Newmanhttp://ajmnewma.livejournal.com/noreply@blogger.com