I’m Deep, Aren’t You?
Post a responseI’ve been working on a hypothesis about Christian spirituality that I’d like you to react to: that the deeper one goes in his or her relationship with Christ, the less religious he or she becomes.
What say ye?
The problem, of course, is with two words: deeper and religious.
I am deep person. Aren’t you?
The alternative, I guess, is to be a shallow person, and that doesn’t roll off the tongue well. My kids like to play in the deeper areas of Northside Pool, not the shallow areas. You get to dive into the deep parts. The waterslide dumps into the deep part. The lifeguards get animated when you try to dive into the 3-foot areas. There’s less fun in the shallow pool, once or if you know how to swim.
How nice that we’re all so deep!
The other problem is with the word religious. I grew up in a tradition that said something like “Christianity isn’t a religion so much as it is a relationship.” Religious and religion, of course, are not the same. One is an adjective, the other is a noun.
Perhaps by “religious,” I mean that the further one hikes into the kingdom of God, the less he or she feels compelled to talk in spiritual language, the less he or she cares about speaking the language of religion. Too often “deep” is associated with “Bible knowledge,” and the language and subculture it creates.
I run a small business and one chip on my shoulder is when I hear people talk about being a “Christian businessperson.” I hate that. A friend once told me that every time he hears someone say that, he runs as fast as he can in the other direction.
Perhaps that’s one thing that I mean by less religious: you don’t need to talk so much. You know that the gospel is primarily about doing, not yapping. Yappers splash around in the shallow parts.
August 24th, 2006 at 11:40 am
I was the 16 year old that had the dramatic conversion and became what my kids now refer to as a “Jesus Freak” 36 years ago. Alot has happened since then that has mellowed the ‘freakish’ part out but I am much more aware of the things of spirit. The depth you speak of is part of the “riches in Christ Jesus” I treasure daily. Primarily this depth gives an awareness of how very BIG God is and how very temporary and fragile this earthly life is. I smiled at the toxin “I am what I do and what I own”. Three weeks ago while showing my art at an art fair I was slammed with 80 mph winds that destroyed my display (along with 90 other artists). I lost thousands of dollars of inventory and equipment. The whole time it was happening I was saying “I am not my business–I am not my art—it is just stuff!” (I also added that “THIS WAS NOT FUN!”) God’s economy is amazing in that He will never waste a trial that comes about naturally. I am eversomuch aware that ‘the long way’ is often the better way because I will learn a new thing and there will always be a surrender aspect to the lesson. For me that happens in letting go of young adult children, finances and health. God becomes more and more ‘omni’ in the relationship and I become less religious. Hopefully the fragrance of Christ is seen through my winsomeness and humour and desire that nothing much ties “my undies in a bunch” . And when the cool stuff happens I almost always see that it is a divine deal–a work of the Spirit. It is all about embracing the mystery knowing that something extra-special is mine for eternity.
August 24th, 2006 at 1:28 pm
“the deeper one goes in his or her relationship with Christ, the less religious he or she becomes”
When I read the statement, something in me says, “yes, that feels so true.” But does it come across as arrogant to speak it out loud? It’s like the crowd in high school who says they don’t want to conform but yet all dress the same and act the same. When one says, “I now have a deeper relationship with Christ” is it true, or by saying it out loud does it reflect a lack of humility. Or maybe a lack of recognition that Christ is always with us and always at work, and our real work looks more like surrendering than striving to go deeper.
August 25th, 2006 at 12:52 pm
I seems to me an issue of language. When I focus on religion, I tend to focus on LOOKING like Christ. When I focus on the thicker life (or rather, Christ Himself), I tend to focus on BECOMING like Christ.
August 25th, 2006 at 6:07 pm
“You know that the gospel is primarily about doing, not yapping. Yappers splash around in the shallow parts.”
lol. There’s some imagery for you. I can identify with that though. It seems as though there is a plethora of literature and church programs out there yapping away, yet so few of us truely wrestling with our faith and doing what we’re called to.
August 26th, 2006 at 5:02 am
I have really been experiencing this in my own life lately and I have been asking all of the same questions that are brought up in the previous replies. I have come to some personal conclusions. Like I said, these are for me. I don’t claim these to be Truth.
1. As I come to know the Lord more I am far less concerened about doing the “right” thing and I am far more concerened about doing what God wants me to.
2. If I am going deeper in my relationship with God, then there is no shame in saying so and saying it as loud as I want. Paul repeatedly talked about how proud he was of what God had done/was doing in his life. If we can’t tell other Christians about the great things that God is doing in our life then how in the world will we ever tell the lost.
3. There are a lot of yappers out there. However, just because they don’t appear to be sincere, it does not mean that what they are saying does not have merit or that God is not going to use it in my life. Paul said that whether the gospel was being preached out of sincerity or out of a desire to get him in more trouble, he was just glad that the gospel was being preached.
4. I am getting really tired of my faith being co-opted by pretenders and used as a marketing tool or as a way of demeaning non-Christians. It is not what Jesus would have done. It sends the wrong messge to the rest of the world about Christianity. It makes my job more difficult.
5. I spend to much time yapping and not enough time doing.
That, to me, is one of the great parts. As close as I get to God, I know that I get to move closer still.
September 5th, 2006 at 7:21 pm
“I run a small business and one chip on my shoulder is when I hear people talk about being a ‘Christian businessperson.’ I hate that. A friend once told me that every time he hears someone say that, he runs as fast as he can in the other direction.”
Yes, that phrase is annoying, but one you really want to run the opposite direction from is, “This isn’t just a business; it’s a ministry.”
September 15th, 2006 at 9:58 am
In my response to your msg regarding a deeper relationship with Jesus, I believe that as we get into a more personal level with him and our lives become more transparent, we begin to see that religion is not necessarily Jesus. I find myself closer to HIM today, than I was a few years ago. I enjoy HIS company. I LOVE HIS WORD. …How do I feel about RELIGION. I don’t want to follow Men or traditions of MEN. But GOD …thats another strory I hear him everytime I look into his WORD..sometimes he reproves me, sometimes he lifts me up..sometimes he gives me something to share with someone I love.. he always LOVES me.. I can’t say thats true about RELIGION.
December 3rd, 2006 at 6:42 pm
I’m cheering from the rooftops, Dave. I cannot believe someone actually said it!! Thought it, certainly, but SAID IT, Never!!