Following Jesus is Hard
but not in the way you may think
There is a crisis of faith amongst churches of all denominations and across the theological spectrum. No, I am not talking about whether particular churches or denominations embrace specific theological assumptions such as Biblical inerrancy, or whether or not they embrace a narrow understanding of what it means to all Jesus “the Son of God,” or “Savior.” To me those debates are interesting but beside the point.
I would venture to go so far as to say that we almost overestimate the stated beliefs that particular denominations have about God or Jesus. I wouldn’t go so far to say they don’t matter, because they do. But I would argue that most, don’t actually believe what they say about Jesus and God. What do I mean?
See faith, at least in Western Society, has often been reduced to a feeling or to the intellectual affirmation of key statements. I’m not saying emotions and intellect aren’t important, but that by themselves, they fall short. Can faith, truly be worth anything without action?
I will be blunt, I think that most of us who identify as Christians don’t actually believe that the Gospel can bring life-altering, sustainable change. In fact, many Christians reduce the Gospel to a series of statements we claim to believe, self-help tidbits that help us overcome adversity, or as a defense of the status quo that protrays some lives as less valuable.
In other words, the Gospel is reduced and viewed as at best a divine self-help program and at worse, another excuse to oppress and marginalize vulnerable groups of people. This limiting of the Gospel can partly explain how people will proudly claim to follow Jesus and yet endorse some surprisingly horrible actions, institutions, and policies. And this isn't only an issue for Conservative/Evangelical Christians.
Often in discussions with my fellow Mainline Christians, we talk about how we can’t believe how some of our right-wing peers can call themselves Christian and endorse the harsh treatment of immigrants, or the denial of the humanity and the rights of members of the LGBTQ+. Valid criticisms. But yet, similar accusations can be lobbied back at us.
How can we call ourselves Christians, Mainline or otherwise, and still view institutions of violence as “necessary?” We don’t want to cede institutions of military, law enforcement, and the intelligence apparatus to our right-wing peers, and yet somehow “not ceding” has come to mean actively embracing and participating in the very violence perpetrated by these institutions. We think if we establish boundaries around violence and subjugation, that it can be called anything other than oppression.
What the outright, explicit oppressive policies and theology of right-wingers has in common with the “well these institutions are violent but we need them” timid and lukewarm theology of Mainliners, is a lack of faith. If Evangelicals/Fundamentalists truly believed a God who is all powerful and loving, they would not feel the need to shape the US (and other countries) into a theodicy where those who do not fit white heteronormative standards are silenced. If they truly believe their social worldview is correct and God-ordained, they wouldn’t need to coerce and manipulate their way into implementing their vision. God would open people’s hearts to the “truth” and it would be embraced without the need for threats.
And for those of us who are more Mainline or even more Progressive in our beliefs? We justify our lack of faith by claiming that unlike our right-wing peers we see nuance. We recognize that institutions of violence and oppression are needed in our world, but if we could just make them slightly less violent.
Instead of our military explicitly targeting innocent civilian children, they target the alleged terrorists around them and if the children get hit, oh its just a sad reality. But they weren’t intentionally aiming for the children. Or here is 50 pages of rules that need to be followed before they target a place with civilians, though to be sure there are just as many exceptions and loopholes that render those 50 pages useless, but what matters is we have those pages of rules in the first place.
Many Mainline Christians, like many of their Evangelical peers, often lack the imagination for a better world. But instead of calling this a lack of faith, we call it realism.
Listen, I am all for being realistic. For example, in the US there are two political parties. Both have policies that are oppressive and violent. But one party is seeking to implement what is a theocratic dictatorship and the other isn’t. It is realistic to want to choose the party that isn’t. But the problem lies in that being the end of the discussion. Rather it should be the beginning.
The conversation shouldn’t be, “get this person elected at all cost” and that’s the end of the story. Instead, it should be, “let’s elect this person, and let’s make sure they know that we will not stand for violent and oppressive policies. Not being the other presidential candidate is not enough. We need you to do and be better.” We can be realistic about our limitations in a two-party system and work towards expanding our options at the local level, and holding our politicians accountable.
Realism isn’t inherently “wrong” but when we settle for it, without having the prophetic imagination to try and change our reality, that is when we are demonstrating a lack of faith.
Following Jesus is hard, but not often in the way that is portrayed in right-wing martyr propaganda. At least in the US, we don’t need to worry too much about being killed for our beliefs. The worst we experience might be some comedy sketches that make fun of the more funky aspects of Christian theology.
Rather, in the West, following Jesus is hard because it involves believing and working towards a world where justice and equality is at the heart and center. It means having the imagination to dream up a better world and to abolish the institutions that bring death and destruction to those we consider to be “the other.” But the ability to do that requires a faith and understanding of the Gospel, that many of us, regardless of our political or theological allegiance do not have.
Image: Shadowy figure struggling to walk with a cross. Text: Following Jesus is hard because it means having the imagination and faith to dream up a better world and to abolish the institutions that bring death and destruction.