Fasting and Scuba Diving
I was reading this month’s Esquire Magazine on the treadmill the other day. I find 3.6 is the perfect treadmill speed–slow enough to read a magazine and fast enough that it doesn’t look like I’m standing still.
In the center of the magazine Tom Chiarella writes an article entitled The 75 Things Every Man Should Do. For the most part, this checklist of essential experiences contains exactly what you would suspect: adrenaline-fueled adventures, feats of bravado, and sexual exploits. On the other hand, I was surprised to see a few items which parallel spiritual disciplines and fruit.
Most notable is Number 6: Fast for three days. Drink only water (compare with Ezra 8 and Matthew 6). In a checklist that also includes Overeat for a week in Italy, you would expect some sort of explanation for fasting. Unfortunately, Chiarella gives none. On the other hand, fasting is probably one of the least practiced spiritual disciplines among American Christians.
Quite a strange day when the modern, secular man is encouraged to practice a biblical discipline which Christians for the most part neglect.
Also notable on the list are Number 42: Sell everything you don’t need once and Number 54: Give a panhandler all of your money (compare both with Luke 12 and Luke 18).
It’s fascinating to see lists like this overlap with Biblical principles in some regards–while also being diametrically opposed in others (Number 62: Take long-lasting drugs and Number 33: Overspend).
The difference, of course, is obvious: what the Bible presents as a purposeful discipline, Esquire presents as simply a line-item on a list with little or no purpose. Personally, I think people like Chiarella know that there are deep spiritual components to practices such as fasting. They just don’t know how to explain it.
For the record, I’ve completed 21.5 of the items on the list.
Drawing Lines
In a letter to Anglican church leaders (penned in 1945), C.S. Lews stated:
But I insist that wherever you draw the lines, bounding lines must exist, beyond which your doctrine will cease either to be Anglican or to be Christian: and I suggest also that the lines come a great deal sooner than many modern priests may think.
from God in the Dock
While Lewis is speaking of differences between the Anglican and Roman Catholic churches, I think his point is still valid and worthy of contemplation.
As Christians, it’s important to have at least a vague idea of where these lines exist. Regarding the further of these lines (doctrines which cease to be Christian), Paul says this in his letter to the Galatians:
I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.
Gal 1:6-8
making it fairly clear that a gospel other than one of grace through Christ falls outside the line.
Regarding doctrines between Christian churches (i.e. those that are inside the line of Christianity but lie on opposite sides of secondary doctrinal lines), I often see one of the two scenarios among American believers:
- A believer has no grasp of their own church’s doctrine or that of surrounding churches. Their faith in Christ is real and fruitful, but their knowledge of basic doctrine is somewhat weak. There is a risk of being overly accepting of differing gospels (especially those that are not Christian).
- A Christian places the two lines so close that another believer or church with slight doctrinal differences are treated as unbelievers. Other churches are deemed “dangerous” and other believers are denied fellowship.
Obviously, the balance is in the middle. There’s no need to get consumed with defining your doctrinal line between churches–doing so can get you caught in a sort of theological sorites paradox. But it’s important to know what you believe, what your church believes, and what others believe. Once you do this, and realize that doctrinal differences are not necessarily gospel differences, you’ll experience better fellowhsip and more effective evangelism.
Some questions for discussion:
Are you familiar with your own church’s statement of faith?
How confident are you in being able to identify those doctrines which are not Christian?
Have you ever treated another believer like an unbeliever simply because they had differing doctrinal views?
Do you agree with Lewis’s opinion that “the lines comes sooner than many think“? Why or why not?
Author is the New Worship Leader
When I was in high school and college, being on a worship team was the pinnacle. If you played drums, bass, guitar, or sang, you were admired. People from various congregations knew you. You were invited to lead worship at special events or mission trips. Girls (or guys) were infatuated with you. You had cool hair.
Of course, this lead to people using their musical abilities for reasons other than serving Christ. Heck, even I aspired to be involved with worship at one time–even though I never felt called. Fortunately for everyone, there was never a need for a recorder on the worship team. If there was, they probably wouldn’t have called me anyway.
Now, it seems, being an author is the new hotness. Having a blog is almost as cool as playing guitar in a dark room with christmas lights on the ceiling. And getting your manuscript published–well, you’ve just made a CD and reserved a bus for a 24-church worship tour. People know you because they read you. You’re invited to speak at conferences. You have cool hair.
Just like there are quality, uplifting worship leaders who are following God’s call to make glorifying music, there are also quality, encouraging authors who are lead to publish encouraging words. Unfortunately, it also means people will start doing it for the wrong reasons. Namely, notoriety.
I suppose the Internet is partly to blame too. Any schmuck can buy a cool domain name, setup a blog, and start writing from a coffee shop (you’re reading one now). A few encouraging comments later and its easy to start dreaming about a book-signing tour. It seems every fifth Christian blogger I encounter is either working on a book or hopes to write a book one day.
Now, if this is you, don’t go crying in your moleskine. Just ask yourself why you want to do this.