Speaking a Different Language

Most of us have experienced the challenge of attempting to communicate with someone who speaks a different language. Without a common language, communication is limited, at best. More often than not, communication does not happen. 

I resonate with this metaphor of speaking with a different language. In different Christian settings, I often sensed I was speaking a different language from others. You would think that, as all of us were self-identifying as Christian, we would speak a common language. But such was not the case. It was as though we were each coming from a different perspective, thinking from different paradigms, and pursuing different agendas. Those differences made it difficult to understand one another. 

This struggle to communicate most often came from people who thought from what my professor called man-centered Christianity. In this view of the Christian life, we are the central focus. Everything is about us. It begins with our sin. Because we had sinned, God had to do something to save us. Jesus' death on the cross was about paying off our debt so God would forgive us. The goal was to save us so we could go to heaven. Being a Christian meant being a member of a church, believing certain facts, and living a moral life. It meant measuring up to a rigid standard of expected beliefs and behavior. This kind of Christianity relies on self-effort. Guilt and the fear of judgment are common motivators.  

Man-centered Christianity is a what's-in-it-for-me version of Christianity. It is the version of Christianity proclaimed by self-identified evangelicals. As a result, it is the common understanding in Western Christianity. 

In my mind, this man-centered version of Christianity misses the heart of what it means to be a follower of Jesus. (See, there is an example of speaking a different language. Most people talk about being a Christian or a church member. I talk about being a follower of Jesus. In my mind, being a Christian or church member does not automatically translate into being a follower of Jesus. I've encountered too many people who identify themselves as a Christian or a church member whose lives reflect the culture in which they live rather than the teachings of Jesus. But I digress.) One of the many fallacies of man-centered Christianity is it is about us. It begins with us and is focused on us. It revolves around meeting our need so we can enjoy our reward. In this version of Christianity, the life and ministry of Jesus are boiled down to his death on the cross for our sins. It celebrates Good Friday (Jesus' death) more than Easter (Jesus' resurrection). A central fallacy is that it reflects merit-based thinking that makes our relationship with God a transaction: "if we will ..., then God will ..."

In contrast to man-centered Christianity was what my professor called God-centered Christianity. This kind of Christianity begins with God and focuses on God. It is rooted in and grows out of the character of God. Jesus came to reveal God to us. His life, ministry, and teaching are as vital as his death and resurrection. His death was not to change God's mind about us so God would forgive us. Rather, his death was to change our mind about God. Jesus came to invite us to live in relationship with God as beloved children. The Spirit teaches us the ways of God that Jesus taught (the Kingdom) and helps us grow in our ability to live them. The goal is a transformed life that is conformed to the image of Jesus, not just going to heaven when we die. Being a follower of Jesus means living the ways of God, helping to bring the Kingdom on earth, here and now. This growing and living is the Spirit's work within us and through us, not the result of self-effort. In this view of Christianity, salvation is a gift of grace. It is God's work from beginning to end. "Deserving" is not even in its vocabulary.  Love permeates this version of Christianity: love as the essence of God's nature, God's love for us expressed in grace and forgiveness, and our response of love to God. The Spirit helps us to fall in love with who God is and with the ways of God. 

The contrast between these two versions is stark. One is about us (what's-in-it-for-me); the other is about God. One reflects the merit-based thinking inherent to our human nature; the other, the grace-based ways of God. In one, we create God in our image; in the other, God is recreating us in God's image. One is about beliefs and behavior; the other, about relationship and a transformed life. 

When we listen to another, we listen from our understanding and perspective. We also listen for our understanding and perspective. We listen for that which we already think and believe. When we don't hear what we already think and believe, it is difficult to hear what the other is saying. It is as though the other is speaking a different language.  What they are saying is foreign to us. It doesn't make any sense. It doesn't fit into our paradigm of thinking. It is difficult to understand. 

When we have difficulty communicating (for example, the polarization in The UMC), the difficulty suggests we are each coming from a different perspective, thinking from different paradigms, and pursuing different agendas. We are speaking language that is foreign to the other.

So, what religious language do you speak?