Exchanging the "right thing" for the Real Thing

I've been giving some thought about how the church has taught me to do the "right thing" at the expense of the Real Thing. The Institutional Church (IC) and the religious leaders therein would like you to believe that Christianity is about being moral and ethical. Ethics are a set of principles of right conduct, or, the rules or standards governing the conduct of a person or the members of a profession/group. Morals are culturally accepted definitions of right and wrong behavior.

The IC would like you to believe that Christianity is about doing the right thing, saying the right words, and looking the right way. Don't believe me? Try leading "worship" unshaven, wearing a t-shirt and jeans with holes in them at an IC. Try to explain the concept of Jesus in the Pub to religious people. Or, better yet, try talking to people in the IC when the real questions of life have slammed you to the ground, you know, the ones that don't have easy answers... The IC wants nice guys. Men and women that do what they are told, and that will fit into the preconceived, programmed structure and not rock the boat.

The IC will try to get you to substitute the "right thing" for the Real Thing. Morality and ethics are about doing the "right thing." They are about rules, principles, formulas, programs and rituals. The problem is that real Christianity is dangerous. It is not a predictable principle. It cannot be summed up in a formula. CHRISTIANITY IS JESUS!

John Elderidge says in Wild At Heart, "There are no formulas with God. Period. So there are no formulas for the man who follows him. God is a Person, not a doctrine. He operates not like a system - not even a theological system - but with all the originality of a truly free and alive person. 'The realm of God is dangerous,' says Archbishop Anthony Bloom. 'You must enter it and not just seek information about it.'"

"What I am saying is that our false self demands a formula before he'll engage; he wants a guarantee of success, and mister, you aren't going to get one. So there comes a time in a man's life when he's got to break away from all that and head off into the unknown with God...."

Dallas Willard says, "The ideal for divine guidance is...a conversational relationship with God: the sort of relationship suited to friends who are mature personalities in a shared enterprise."

When someone starts a conversational relationship with God they may become unpredictable, subversive, countercultural, and possibly dangerous. They begin to follow their heart, led by the Holy Spirit. They might dare to question long held rules, rituals, principles and formulas. They might meet with "sinners" in a Pub. They might call the church council a "brood of vipers" or "white washed tombs". Maybe they would overturn the offering table in church.

But what happened to Johnny? He used to be such a nice boy....

Here is the word picture that Trish came up with for substituting morality for relationship: It's like having a can of Vess cola and a can of Coca-Cola side by side. Which one would you choose? Vess cola is adequate, but Coke is on a whole different level. Relationship with Jesus: HE'S THE REAL THING!