True Christianity?

There is a trend among Christians that I have been noticing in recent years that I think is harmful. I've been seeing it even more lately, and I've even been observing it at the Christian university at which I teach.

The trend is to deny the central importance of Jesus. A lot of it tends to emphasize some very important things, such as love, tolerance and service to our fellow humans. You hear Christians quoting Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist and Taoist sources to make their religious points. They say things like there are many paths to God and each one must find his or her own way. They talk about the brotherhood of man.

But, this is missing the whole point of Christianity. The basis of Christianity is that humankind chose sin over God, thus separating ourselves from the fellowship of God. No matter how hard we try, we cannot earn our way back. We had to have someone stronger and better than us to pay the price, namely Jesus. And, if we accept this free gift, we are back in fellowship with God - God has wiped the slate clean.

Of course, love, tolerance, service to our fellow humans, compassion and forgiveness are very important, and Christians should do those things in response to the free gift of salvation and in devotion, love and obedience to God.

But, Jesus is pretty clear:

"Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.' " -John 14:6

and

"Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son." -John 3:18

Paul wrote:

"I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel - which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!" -Galatians 1:6-8

Another passage:

"The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, 'Sirs, what must I do to be saved?' They replied, 'Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.' " -Acts 16:29-31

As Christians, we should not be afraid to assert and defend the truth of Christianity!

speaking about our Christian beliefs

As mentioned in my profile, I am a university professor. Recently, one of the senior members in my department came to me to tell me that one of our students had complained that I talk about my Christian beliefs in class too much. This was especially interesting, since I teach at a Christian university! But, I was glad my colleague talked to me - it was her intention to give me some helpful input to help me become a better teacher. After all, the Bible says:

"Better is open rebuke than hidden love."-Proverbs 27:5

So, we should not be offended when someone offers us constructive criticism given in the spirit of helpfulness.

But, is it possible for one to talk about their Christian beliefs too much?

I think so. For one, even in a Christian school, a teacher must maintain a level of professionalism, so it's possible for a teacher to reveal too much personal information that is not relevant to the material. Secondly, one must show respect for others' right to form their own opinion. (Notice that I said the "right to form their own opinion." That doesn't mean that one opinion is good as the next!) Finally, people who are not Christians can be turned off if we Christians are too aggressive in our witnessing.

However, under the guidelines mentioned in the previous paragraph, Christians should be unafraid to be open and honest about their beliefs. As Peter and John said in the book of Acts

"For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard." -Acts 4:20

And I think that all Christians should feel this way. In particular, I feel that I have the Christian responsibility to talk about Christianity to my students for two reasons:

1. Many young people in the U. S. have been told that truth is relative, and that religious beliefs are a personal matter - a matter of individual choice. But, the fact is that there is either a God or not, it's not our choice. And if there is a God (which we Christians believe), He has certain characteristics - we don't get to choose those characteristics. He either has them or he doesn't, whether we like them or not. So, truth is not relative, it's absolute, and our young people need to be taught that they have been misled on this.

2. Many young people have also been taught to "compartmentalize" their lives: "Religion is fine for Sunday mornings, but don't talk about it the rest of the week." But, we know from the Bible that God wants all of our life, not just some segment of it. All of our activities should be about serving and glorifying God, including work, family, recreation, rest, nourishment, etc. I want to show my students that everything relates to God, whether it's history, psychology, math, finances, electronics or whatever!

I'd appreciate your prayers helping me to have good judgment on when and how to express my Christianity in my classes!