Why Christianity? Why do we choose to the Christian faith
when there are so many more religions? Is it because we were simply born into a
Christian household and automatically accept the Christian tradition and
beliefs? Or are we one of those rare people who have explored and searched
different religions only to find the values and teachings of Christianity
exactly what we need to feed our spiritual lives?
I recently had a conversation with a young man who was
raised in the Christian tradition, yet had valid questions on why he should
remain a Christian. This particular young man found the Mormon Church
appealing, meeting his spiritual needs. While I completely disagreed with his
argument to convert to Mormonism, he had obviously done his research and was
determined to convert to this religion. As the polemic went on, it became clear
that nothing I said, no matter how convincing was going to change his mind. He
was a thoughtful young man who was in search of a God that fed his soul in the
manner he saw fit.
So what is it about Christianity that attracts people?
Perhaps it is grace, freely given yet can’t be earned. Perhaps it is the
teachings of Jesus that transcend our daily lives and provide us with a
theology of hope. Or perhaps it is the atonement of our sins through Christ’s
death and resurrection. There are many reasons why people chose to become
Christian’s, these are only a few examples.
The problem today is that we live in a pluralistic world
that teaches one God, many paths. As Christians we believe that we are on the
right path, although some of our brothers and sisters utilize this pluralistic
outlook. This only causes confusion and waters down our faith. Christ said, “I
am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father accept by me.”
As Christian’s we are almost embarrassed by this claim, yet other religions are
set in their beliefs. They are not embarrassed to discuss and defend what they
believe. Why then do we as Christian’s struggle to defend our faith? Many
people choose to walk in the light of Christ yet when it comes to defending the
faith and actually evangelizing the Word, we become deafly silent.
What is it then that draws people to Christianity? The
mainstream religions certainly do not evangelize very well. They are almost
frightened of the word, evangelism. While other religions devoutly defend their
beliefs we seem much more hesitant. I learned that during my conversation with
the young man determined to convert to Mormonism. It is a frightening
experience to defend ones faith and argue our points. It is most uncomfortable
and almost as if we don’t wish to push our faith on anyone else. Is this what
Jesus taught us to do? No, absolutely not. Christ commissioned his disciples to
“go into the world and proclaim the faith to all nations.” Yet somehow in this
post-modern age we as Christian’s have forgotten the significance of
evangelism. We shy away from it and recoil from the word as if it were a hot,
burning fire. No wonder we lose people
to other religions.
We have much to teach that is good and life saving. We are
unique in the fact that we have a God who was willing to die for our sins and
experience human suffering along the way. We have the grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ that is absolutely free. So why then are we so hesitant to defend our
faith? After all this is good news!
In their defense there are some Christian denominations that
are very good at spreading God’s Word to others and they have a high conversion
rate. However the Episcopal Church seems to lag behind on this evangelical
front. Many of us are taught that if we simply build the church, then people
will mysteriously come.
My conversation with the young man converting to Mormonism
made me acutely aware that we as a denomination need to embrace evangelism and
boldly proclaim Christ. I for one am guilty of the old school mentality and
realize we must change if we want not only my parishes to grow, but the
Episcopal Church as a whole as well. We must change for the sake of Christianity
as a whole.
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