Becoming a Christian, Part 4

Q. 30. How doth the Spirit apply to us the redemption purchased by Christ?
A. The Spirit applieth to us the redemption purchased by Christ by working faith in us, and thereby uniting us to Christ in our effectual calling.
Q. 32. What benefits do they that are effectually called partake of in this life?
A. They that are effectually called do in this life partake of justification, adoption, and sanctification, and the several benefits which, in this life, accompany or flow from them.

- The Westminster Shorter Catechism

The quote above from a catechism from the mid-17th century reveals a view of "becoming a Christian" significantly different from the transactional models prevalent today. First, the emphasis is on what God is doing (not just what God has done) when a person becomes a Christian. Transactional models tend to emphasize what we do. Second, the catechism speaks of benefits in this life--becoming a Christian doesn't just leave us with "sin management" but includes the transformation of life as we live it now. Transactional models, on the other hand, tend to emphasize only eternal benefits experienced after death (hence the old evangelistic conversation starter question: "If you were to die tonight, would you go to heaven?").

To be fair, many of those who hold to a more transactional view of salvation, many who see "becoming a Christian" almost exclusively as an event rather than a process, nonetheless will include some teaching on the need to for the new Christian to grow or mature. Regrettably, those that do exhibit a desire to see people grow in Christ have outlined that growth as a linear and even formulaic process.

One of the most popular models currently (and one to which my congregation has subscribed) is the Purpose-Driven model popularized by Rick Warren and Saddleback Church. According to Warren's The Purpose-Driven Life, God created each person to fulfill five purposes: worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry (service), and outreach (mission). Moreover, the expectation is that those who become Christians will work through each purpose in order and that only Christians can engage in these sequential steps. One starts as a part of the "community" of people who can attend worship, but since Warren teaches that only Christians can actually worship God, these people obviously cannot progress further until they "become Christians." From there, one can move toward the inner circles of the "crowd," "congregation," "committed," and finally the "core."

But this assumes (falsely, I believe) that genuine worship, or fellowship, or service, or whatever else, can only be done by those who are Christians. Yet, because God designed all people to be worshipers, everybody is worship something... usually multiple things! I don't believe it is accurate to say that the person who has not "become a Christian" through the transaction of "saying the prayer" or "crossing the line of faith" cannot truly worship God. Their worship of God may be incomplete or divided because their knowledge of God is incomplete and their hearts are still divided. But that's true for all of us! Likewise, those who are at various places in their spiritual journey--from pagan to puritan to priest--seek meaningful relationships with others (e.g., fellowship) and seek to do good for others (e.g., ministry and outreach).

What if instead of this linear approach, we adapted the model to have overlapping circles rather than concentric circles? One can maintain the idea that all five purposes are important, but now we move to a less linear and more holistic approach. Moreover, people can be invited into a deeper realization of life in Christ from any point rather than assuming that worship is always the beginning. For example, the person who is seeking wholeness in their heart, mind, and soul can be helped to see that this is really part of God's design that we be like Christ (e.g., discipleship). Or those who are already doing good things in the world apart from acknowledging Christ, such as serving in a food kitchen or giving to AIDS relief, can grow in union with Christ so that they see and act on this as part of the spread of God's kingdom (e.g., outreach). This approach can also move us from a more attractional approach to evangelism ("come to us") to a more missional approach where we can join with the work the Spirit is doing in a person's life wherever they are at.

We can modify this further by recognizing that the our approach to "ministry" can be self-serving. According to the purpose-driven model, each Christian should have a 'ministry in the church' and a 'mission in the world.' Isn't this a bit of a false distinction? Churches today with their big buildings and multiple on-site programs have great need for people to volunteer to serve the church. But where do we get the idea that serving the church is the thing to do? Serving the people is a good thing, but that is covered under the idea of "fellowship." Serving the church--the organization or the institution--helps to "grow the church." But, again, where do we get the idea that that is part of God's agenda for the world? The church is not an end unto itself. The church is meant to follow the lead of her Lord who came not be served but to serve. The church is a means to end, namely the furthering of the kingdom of God in the world. Consequently, the purpose of "ministry" can easily be subsumed under "fellowship" and "outreach.

Moreover, we can see some parallels with with the three benefits of our effectual call mentioned in the catechism and the three sets of New Testament metaphors mentioned in the previous post. Although the correspondence is far from exact, the purpose of "worship" can be reinterpreted to include all of our life in Communion with God, that which flows out of our justification. "Fellowship" can be understood as our life in Community with others, that which flows from our adoption. And "discipleship" can be viewed as the transformation of the Character within us, that which results from our sanctification. All of this happens within the world we are called to serve.

At this point, I'm realizing that we've strayed some from the original idea of what "becoming a Christian" means. I suppose most of this rumination revolves around ways to envision our "becoming a Christian" as a journey rather than a transaction, as a process rather than an event. It must include an essential effect on this life and not focus only on the life to come. And it needs to be open to mystery and the unknown as we are united with Christ. So, perhaps we can keep the old idea of a "bridge" diagram for "becoming a Christian," but have it look something like this...

Comments anyone?