Why Religion Doesn’t Work (and other thoughts on evangelism)

I do not prescribe to Religion (with a capital R; as construed by general society). I do pursue (follow, worship) Christ religiously. Big difference. One is a noun that often implies that my practices and activities alone can get me to God and Heaven. The other is an adverb that describes the intensity and consistency of my desire for the things that can only come from Him to me. The latter indicates a relationship not unlike a child's pursuit of a parent or, if that doesn’t grab you, a lover of their beloved.

However, I do think it is important to examine our notions about religion in order to understand and position Christ as a viable option to those who are skeptical of Christianity as a Religion.

My first thought when I hear people say that religion is the "opiate of the masses" is...then why isn't everyone high? Because according to its definition, we all participate in religious activity...even the Christopher Hitchens' of the world. Yep. I said it.

Religious: scrupulously faithful; conscientious; something one believes in and follows devotedly; ritual observance (dictionary.com)

In other words, most of us spend our lives pursuing [fill in the blank] religiously. If that weren't the case, then some of us --- not me, unfortunately--- wouldn’t show up at the gym at 5am in pursuit of health, or maybe less prudent, the ideal body. Others of us wouldn’t show up at work on time, everyday, sometimes early --- again, not me --- in pursuit of money or purpose. Sundays find just as many people parked on the couch waiting for the next football game as it does people parked on a pew waiting for a sermon.

None of these are wrong (in and of themselves). Yet only one is scrutinized as foolish.

The difference between how people view these everyday things and the assessments made of those of us who follow Christ is the perceived value of these actions in relationship to the outcomes. When you go to the gym, to work, or watch a football game, there is an immediate satisfaction of a need or want through your own actions. So the idea that one’s spiritual hunger can be satiated by no action of their own...by something as seemingly abstract as God 's love and grace...is difficult to accept. Particularly in a world that, at best, identifies love as transitory and grace as unwise.

There's a saying: Everyone wants to go to Heaven but no one wants to die. Well I submit that this is more of a problem for believers (who, in a post-restoration state, experience fully the struggle between their flesh and spirit) rather than non-believers. For those who are seeking, it's more like this: Everyone wants to go to Heaven but EVERYONE wants to Drive. You see, we humans understand religious activity quite well. It's the reason why religious institutions have been so powerful for so long and why we rebel against it so ardently. It's the whole love, grace and mercy thing that we struggle with and against. And that’s what an authentic relationship with Christ conveys.

Therein lies the greatest opportunity to act out Christ's great commission (Matt. 28:19-20). No matter the challenge or the push back we may get from those who have only seen our Religion (capital R) as representative of who we are… we MUST focus on sharing and showing God’s love, grace, and mercy. We must live it out in front of the world daily, in spite of our discomfort with the very people, places, and things that need Him the most. The Body of Christ can distinguish its Faith from other inconsequential religious activity and traditions (including and especially our own) by sharing the exponential value of the outcomes of accepting His free gift - an eternal relationship with Christ and the Father and the trustworthy guidance of the Holy Spirit day-to-day - all without doing anything but saying YES with your whole heart.

Your thoughts?

TMLG

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Blog Redux: My Talk with God

Tracey: Lord, fear has been incredibly difficult for me to get rid of in my life.

God: Incredibly difficult? Yes. Impossible? Certainly not.

Tracey: Well…of course nothing is impossible for You. Me, on the other hand…

God: Well…if you surrendered your fears to Me, YOU wouldn’t have to worry about how difficult it is, would you?

Tracey: **blinking back tears at the truth of that**

God: Daughter, do you remember the word I gave you to help you deal with your fear?

Tracey: Yes. 2nd Timothy 1:7. “God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power, love, and sound mind.”

God: Good. What’s the most important part of that scripture?

Tracey: Uh, power, love, and a sound mind?

God: No. Not for you, it isn’t.

Tracey: **shrugging** I never get the easy stuff!

God: **laughing** This, my dear, just might be true.

God: The most important part of that scripture for you is that I did not GIVE you fear. It does not come from me. Power, love, or a sound mind has never been something you didn’t understand. The problem for you is that you’ve been existing as if these fears come from Me. As if you deserve them somehow. You should know that it doesn’t…and you don’t.

Tracey: Then…where did this fear come from?

God: Your life. In those dark moments when you thought you were disconnected from me. When you believed the lie that I was unavailable to you. Whether it was your own choices or the sins made against you, your life gave you fear, Tracey, not me. But, of course, I come…

Tracey: …that I may have life more abundantly?

God: Yes! Absolutely! Which means what?

Tracey: A life without fear.

God: Very good.

Tracey: **breathes deeply**

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When I reminisce over you...

Last night, I found myself sitting on my couch watching old music videos from the 80’s and 90’s. Why? I don’t know. It just kind of happened. One minute I was watching the Bachelorette (Don’t judge me) and the next minute SWV and Roger were serenading me about how “so into me” they were and how this “computer love” drives them crazy. Yeah. Weird, right? But as I continued to watch I became amazed at the way the music triggered so many memories for me. It was like each song sent me back to a specific place and time in my life. It wasn’t about whether it was a good or bad memory so much as it was the fact that the songs allowed me to take a journey with myself into myself. Then I got all creative and stuff. Decided to write a poem. It’s been a while since I’ve toyed around with verse even though that is where this writing thing began for me. So I’m sharing it with you today. Just because I feel like it. And I think you might understand.

The music chases me.

Stumbling back into long forgotten memories

And I willingly fall.

Gladly, even.

Reveling in the melodies of my youth.

Of naiveté laced with the purest of innocence

Of the unsure shrug of a stonewashed, bobbed out,

cabbage patchin’ brown girl from Kentucky.

Cracked but not yet broken.

I peer into days when lyrics and beats

and synthesized, New Jack rhythms echo my girlish hopes and dreams.

Dreams so transparent that the Son seemed to shine through so easily.

So clearly.

So sweetly.

Unknown and Ungrown

Undeterred by even my earliest trials.

Each verse of each song tracing an outline of an identity unformed.

Undefiled.

Though I now have filled in many of those empty spaces

with other less melodic concerns.

It’s the music that provides the soundtrack

of a past most unperfected

But most certainly…

lived.

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Diving Heart-first into the discussion about who’s reading BLACK and/or WHITE Books

The picture above is from my book signing at Borders in Louisville, Kentucky. I’ll get to that in a minute.

Recently there have been a couple articles and blogs that I believe have expertly explored the inequities found in publishing as it relates to the perception and treatment of writers of color (African Americans, Latino, etc) and the question of whether readers prefer to read books that reflect their own cultural experiences or who have characters that are of the same race. Bernice Mcfadden, a favorite writer of mine, wrote THIS piece in the Washington Post on the former while Laina Dawes explores the latter over HERE at BlogHer.

Take a few minutes to read both…but make sure that you come back now ya' hear! :)

In one of the comments to Laina Dawes’ post, MochaDad of www.mochadad.com says the following:

I was at a Barnes & Noble and I noticed a table where a black author had set up her books for autographs. Many people walked to the table, but no one walked away with a book. I overheard a couple of white women say, "The book looks interesting. Too bad it's only for blacks."
Ouch.

While I don't necessarily have a problem with there being an African American book section at the bookstore (as I understand the psychology in branding, marketing, and delivering products), I do take issue with what I see when I go there; a significant percentage of books whose themes are generally related to drugs, sexual promiscuity, and violence, or if not, have covers depicting this. The implication that this is the totality of African American culture versus a very small albeit troublesome outgrowth of systemic and generational breakdowns, is devastating for me as a writer who already finds herself struggling to balance telling the truth of my characters with managing the perceived value of the images I present. Borrowing from Carleen Brice's hilarious video short (see it HERE), I do want white people...and anyone else for that matter...to feel comfortable in the "black" section of the bookstore, but how can I encourage their comfort when in many cases I'm not?

Hmmm. I’m admittedly challenged by this. My hard-earned MBA degree tells me that some of this is an issue of supply and demand. If you demand better…better will be supplied. Especially if you are willing to pay for it. At the same, I can’t help to believe that some of the consumer “demand” is created by publishing companies who choose not to look for another…possibly even more profitable…consumer. (I know…the chicken and the egg thingy)

And I get the whole I relate better to people who look like me perspective. There is certainly validity to this. Seeing or reading about someone who looks like me and is from where I'm from definitely helps fortify that need for identity in me...as long as it is accurate...or at least diverse...in its portrayal.

However, at the same time, I don’t know if I experience the most growth this way. I've found that the people who we call great read all kinds of books, by all kinds of writers, with all kinds of characters. We respect their minds for this very reason…they’ve seen and explored more…even if it was only thru the eyes of a character in a book.

But please don’t mistake this as some kum-bay-yah via literature post (although a little hand-holding and sing-a-long never hurt nobody – LOL!)

I have readily admitted this before: it is true that people want to read fiction with characters that they can relate to. However, what most publishing companies fail to realize is #1) No culture is monolithic. The multiplicity of a particular culture should be reflected in the types of books published and the marketing of these books must also reflect that diversity. That, I believe, is the ticket to the elusive and misunderstood "crossover" success. It’s not rocket science. It’s the same thing that’s done in any business that wants to introduce a product to a new market. Consequently #2) the notion of what is "relatable" often (though sorrowfully not always) transcends race or gender. Humans (those of us who are willing) connect at the soul level. So themes like love, fear, relationships, childhood, etc., can successfully coexist with any character or cultural descriptors if written well.

Oh…and the picture up top? Who knew that an 80 year-old, white woman from Kentucky would want to read a story about a thirty-something African-American woman from Chicago?
I do now. ;)

Tracey

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