It was by no accident that I was in Denver last week when the tragedy took place in Aurora. I was there with several youth and two other church leaders for a mission trip, serving and seeking out how God could use us to touch other peoples' lives. It was quite a remarkable week. We saw God doing some pretty awesome things with us and with the people around us. On Friday morning, we woke up to the terrible news. We went on with the day, walking through the streets of downtown Denver doing whatever we could for whomever we encountered. We made some awesome connections that morning. We passed out food, drink, and conversation to 19 people that morning. We made lots of connections with lonely people. We felt blessed.
We started out the week at Columbine High School. We had our first night's devotional near the memorial at the school. And we wound up on Friday Night, gathered outside the Aurora Cinema 16 at a prayer vigil for the shooting victims. Talk about sobering bookends to a week. As I have reflected on that week, and on the events in that theater and our reaction to them, one thing has become pretty evident: we are tired of seeing these things happen. For something like this to happen once is one time too many. For it to happen twice in decade in one city begs the question of us...What is going on? Why does this type of thing keep happening?
One thing as really stuck in all of the media coverage over the past week. The next day, the police of Aurora said with brazen candor: "At this time we are confident he acted alone." This says it all, doesn't it? He was alone. He was isolated. He was an individual, that from all accounts, seems to have been cut-off from his peers. This is the unfortunate formula that seems to pollute individuals who turn out to be capable of acting out against society in such excruciating ways.
He did not just act alone, he was alone. I am in no way exonerating him, or condemning anyone else for what he did, but the truth is that our society is good at isolating people, especially those whom we label as "undesirable," "creepy" or "socially awkward." We have the ability to pretend like such people don't exist, and don't matter much. No one seems to have been completely surprised by this guys' blow-up. Nobody has said "I can't believe that he would do such a thing." Even his own mother insinuated that she thought he was capable of such a thing.
This guy, although he is completely responsible for his actions, is also oppressed. It seems as if he is someone that no one reached out to, or even thought about reaching out to. Maybe he was sick mentally, and beyond being reached, but maybe he wasn't. We will never know. It's important for us not to pretend like we understand what happened, and what exactly his motivation was, and what could have prevented it, but it is also important for us to realize what this shouts to us in regards to our calling as followers of Christ, who invited in the oppressed for dinner, and cast demons out of the town "creep."
Through death, Jesus brought life. Let us hope that out of this tragic loss of life, that lives would be saved and transformed. That is how God works. Some way, some how, we have to look at this and be reminded of our call, our high calling, to reach out to those who live in isolation and oppression on the outskirts of our society. If we don't reach out to them, then who will? They will remain a loner. Are we willing to settle for our brothers and sisters living as loners, when God created us to be in relationship with him and one another out of his perfect love? I know I'm not alone in thinking that we are called to so much more than sitting back and reacting.
Here is a great article. This victim, Pierce, works for the Denver Rescue Mission, whom we were working with in Denver. He uses the words "lost-soul" to describe the gunman...this is one way we describe someone who lives in isolation, alone to wrestle with their own struggles and sin, without support and the love of God being spoken into their life by someone who cares:
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/colorado-shooting-victim-forgives-holmes-142413141.html
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Hanging in There
"I'm hangin' in there." A common phrase that we hear pretty much everyday. When someone asks how we are doing, this is one of those go-to phrases that we call upon. It's right up there with "pretty good" and "well let me tell you half of my life story even though you didn't ask for it..." More often than not, when we say "I'm hangin' in there" we don't think much about it, it is more of a reflex than a thoughtful response. Yet, there is something to this.
If you find yourself using this phrase often, then there is likely some sort of anxiety in your life that is pressing hard upon you. Something is weighing on your heart in a way that causes an instinctive reaction when someone asks you "How's it going?"
You sports fans out there will enjoy the origin of this phrase, but it teaches us something about what is going in our lives when we turn to this phrase (It's technically an idiom...my wife was an English major...).
Pitchers prefer batters to stand at an increased distance from the plate because this makes it easier to get them out with an outside pitch. In order to persuade the batter to stand further from the plate, pitchers will throw one or more pitchers very close to the batter's body hoping that the instinctive fear of being hit by a pitch will cause the batter to stand further from the plate on the next pitch. When the batter's teammates see this happening, they will shout encouragement to the batter telling him to "hang in there". In other words, don't move away from the plate and thereby give an advantage to the pitcher.
If you are "hanging" in there, then you are likely staring down a tough situation. You are facing a pitcher whom you know is about to bring the heat, and you may feel that you are on the verge of striking out. It can feel daunting as you stare down this situation, and it leaves you feeling vulnerable and isolated.
I love this analogy because it illustrates how much we need community as believers. Just at the point when we start to give into pressures or temptations, we need someone to shout "Hang in there" to give us the reassurance and confidence we need to carry on. In our culture today, it is commonplace for us to be very individualistic about our faith and its place in our lives. We say phrases like "Christ is my savior" and "He died for my sins." We also like to say that we don't need church or a community of faith of some sort, because I have my own spirituality and/or faith.
The truth is, we do need a community of believers to be a big part of our spiritual lives. We need others to shout encouragement and offer us support, especially in those times when we are "hanging in there." If we try to "hang in there" all by ourselves, then we will probably end up hanging in a different sort of way.
When addressing the church in Colossians regarding some scathing divisions, Paul provides them with these words:
"For I want you to know how much I am struggling for you...I want your hearts to be encouraged and united in love, so that you might have all the riches of assured understanding and have the knowledge of God's mystery, that is, Christ himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge...I rejoice to see your morale and the firmness of your faith in Christ."
-Colossians 2:1-5
Paul understood the connection between strong faith and a strong community of believers who were gathered together in order to love and encourage one another in faith. Our morale, that is our attitude, and the firmness of our faith depend to a certain extent on the faith community we surround ourselves with.
It is so important for us to remember that the faith and love Christ offers to us comes to us like lightbulbs: only in packs of 2 or more. Faith is not labeled for individual sale. What good is the light of your faith shining if it doesn't illuminate someone else's life?
So the next time you ask someone how they are, and they respond with "I'm hangin' there," I encourage you to dig a little deeper, in order that you might be that light of encouragement in the life of a brother or sister in Christ. May you remind them to "hang in there," and encourage them to step closer to home, which is faith of Jesus Christ.
"Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. And let us consider how to encourage one another in love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another all the more..."
- Hebrews 10:23-25
If you find yourself using this phrase often, then there is likely some sort of anxiety in your life that is pressing hard upon you. Something is weighing on your heart in a way that causes an instinctive reaction when someone asks you "How's it going?"
You sports fans out there will enjoy the origin of this phrase, but it teaches us something about what is going in our lives when we turn to this phrase (It's technically an idiom...my wife was an English major...).
Pitchers prefer batters to stand at an increased distance from the plate because this makes it easier to get them out with an outside pitch. In order to persuade the batter to stand further from the plate, pitchers will throw one or more pitchers very close to the batter's body hoping that the instinctive fear of being hit by a pitch will cause the batter to stand further from the plate on the next pitch. When the batter's teammates see this happening, they will shout encouragement to the batter telling him to "hang in there". In other words, don't move away from the plate and thereby give an advantage to the pitcher.
If you are "hanging" in there, then you are likely staring down a tough situation. You are facing a pitcher whom you know is about to bring the heat, and you may feel that you are on the verge of striking out. It can feel daunting as you stare down this situation, and it leaves you feeling vulnerable and isolated.
I love this analogy because it illustrates how much we need community as believers. Just at the point when we start to give into pressures or temptations, we need someone to shout "Hang in there" to give us the reassurance and confidence we need to carry on. In our culture today, it is commonplace for us to be very individualistic about our faith and its place in our lives. We say phrases like "Christ is my savior" and "He died for my sins." We also like to say that we don't need church or a community of faith of some sort, because I have my own spirituality and/or faith.
The truth is, we do need a community of believers to be a big part of our spiritual lives. We need others to shout encouragement and offer us support, especially in those times when we are "hanging in there." If we try to "hang in there" all by ourselves, then we will probably end up hanging in a different sort of way.
When addressing the church in Colossians regarding some scathing divisions, Paul provides them with these words:
"For I want you to know how much I am struggling for you...I want your hearts to be encouraged and united in love, so that you might have all the riches of assured understanding and have the knowledge of God's mystery, that is, Christ himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge...I rejoice to see your morale and the firmness of your faith in Christ."
-Colossians 2:1-5
Paul understood the connection between strong faith and a strong community of believers who were gathered together in order to love and encourage one another in faith. Our morale, that is our attitude, and the firmness of our faith depend to a certain extent on the faith community we surround ourselves with.
It is so important for us to remember that the faith and love Christ offers to us comes to us like lightbulbs: only in packs of 2 or more. Faith is not labeled for individual sale. What good is the light of your faith shining if it doesn't illuminate someone else's life?
So the next time you ask someone how they are, and they respond with "I'm hangin' there," I encourage you to dig a little deeper, in order that you might be that light of encouragement in the life of a brother or sister in Christ. May you remind them to "hang in there," and encourage them to step closer to home, which is faith of Jesus Christ.
"Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. And let us consider how to encourage one another in love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another all the more..."
- Hebrews 10:23-25
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Duh!
In our modern age of scientific observation and extreme rationalism, it is difficult for some of us to read the Bible. The rate of illiteracy seems quite astounding at times. Of course, I'm not talking about literal illiteracy, but rather spiritual illiteracy.
When we read the Bible, many of the stories we encounter are quite profound, and contain what we would deem as a "miracle" in some form or another; someone is parting a body of water, angels are hanging out and talking with people, or a debilitating medical condition is inexplicably rectified. As we encounter a story with miraculous events such as these, our first instinct is often to try and get around them. We try to come up with some rationalization for the event, or we relegate the story exclusively to allegory.
However, there are many who do and will say that they believe that these things happened. They trust the story and have no problem believing that it occurred some 2,500 years ago. This attitude is a clever way to maintain our modern rationalist values while preserving our idea of what the Christian faith is. However, this tension between rationalism and faith will always exist, and as long as we try to maintain both of them then we really aren't fully engaged in either. We develop a "lukewarm" faith. This "lukewarm" faith leads to this statement which we probably have heard before; likely in our own minds: "I believe that God did all of those incredible things back then, but I'm not sure that God works so much like that today.
I know that there was a point in my life when I thought like this, and many around me did as well. It made a great deal of sense to me then. I also know that my best friend, my grandpa, thought this way for a time. At a Bible study about a year ago, my grandpa and the rest of the group were studying and discussing the Exodus; the journey of the Israelites out of Egypt and into the promised land. The basic story of this entire part of the Bible is God revealing himself to the Israelites through obvious, plain to see miracles and the Israelites persisting in doubting these miracles and the existence of this "God" guy.
This led him to ask a very simple but astute question: "How, after all of those miracles and all of these obvious acts that God did among them, could they still have doubt and fail to submit to the power of God?" And the pastor who was leading this discussion gave him one of the most brilliant answers in the history of pastoring. He looked him dead square in the eye and said "DUUUUUUUH! Open your eyes dummy! You are an Israelite doubter just the same."
Isn't this just the truth with all of us, though? God performs miracles all the time. He still does it, and yet we manage to turn a blind eye to them or try to explain them away or chalk them up as coincidences. We all need someone to look us square in the eye and shout "DUUUUUUUUH! Open your eyes, dummy!"
Miracles still happen. If we don't see them, quite frankly it is because our eyes are not open to them. Doubt does that to us. We see what we want to see, and we see only what we think we can see. Think about it, if you never looked for Waldo, would you have ever found him? I know that God still works in miraculous ways because I have seen it happen.
A smoker of over 25 years was diagnosed with a deadly lung disease. his doctor told him that he would need to see a specialist to determine his exact condition. Best case scenario: he would have about 5 years. Worst case scenario: he would have about 6 months. So he sought after God. He and many brothers and sisters prayed fervently for healing. On a Sunday soon after, a group prayed with him with their hands placed directly over his chest. He went to see the specialist. The doctor had him breathe a few times, paused and then asked him "Why are you here? You have the lungs of a 20 year old."
The lady who did my taxes last year told me that her husband had been diagnosed with cancer about a year and a half ago. It was pretty far along, and they weren't sure it was even treatable. At best he would get a little bit of extra time. Then she told me how her church had a prayer service for him, and many mobilized in prayer for God to intervene. The next visit he had a biopsy scheduled, and it came back completely clear. No cancer.
A friend whom I trust very much was driving to a bible study about an hour from his home (how many of us would drive an hour one way to get to a Bible study?). It was late at night on his way home, and he was driving on the highway when he fell asleep at the wheel. He awoke to the sound of the car scraping against the concrete median at 65 mph. He pulled over to check out all the damage, fearing the worst. Their was not a scratch on the car.
The fact is that miracles happen regardless of whether or not we see them or recognize them. God is still quite busy today. Our perception is not necessarily the reality. May God open all of our eyes so that we might see his work, and recognize the incredible things he is doing in the world, and so that we might trust in him more fully and completely. May we cut down on our "DUUUUUUH" moments of faith.
When we read the Bible, many of the stories we encounter are quite profound, and contain what we would deem as a "miracle" in some form or another; someone is parting a body of water, angels are hanging out and talking with people, or a debilitating medical condition is inexplicably rectified. As we encounter a story with miraculous events such as these, our first instinct is often to try and get around them. We try to come up with some rationalization for the event, or we relegate the story exclusively to allegory.
However, there are many who do and will say that they believe that these things happened. They trust the story and have no problem believing that it occurred some 2,500 years ago. This attitude is a clever way to maintain our modern rationalist values while preserving our idea of what the Christian faith is. However, this tension between rationalism and faith will always exist, and as long as we try to maintain both of them then we really aren't fully engaged in either. We develop a "lukewarm" faith. This "lukewarm" faith leads to this statement which we probably have heard before; likely in our own minds: "I believe that God did all of those incredible things back then, but I'm not sure that God works so much like that today.
I know that there was a point in my life when I thought like this, and many around me did as well. It made a great deal of sense to me then. I also know that my best friend, my grandpa, thought this way for a time. At a Bible study about a year ago, my grandpa and the rest of the group were studying and discussing the Exodus; the journey of the Israelites out of Egypt and into the promised land. The basic story of this entire part of the Bible is God revealing himself to the Israelites through obvious, plain to see miracles and the Israelites persisting in doubting these miracles and the existence of this "God" guy.
This led him to ask a very simple but astute question: "How, after all of those miracles and all of these obvious acts that God did among them, could they still have doubt and fail to submit to the power of God?" And the pastor who was leading this discussion gave him one of the most brilliant answers in the history of pastoring. He looked him dead square in the eye and said "DUUUUUUUH! Open your eyes dummy! You are an Israelite doubter just the same."
Isn't this just the truth with all of us, though? God performs miracles all the time. He still does it, and yet we manage to turn a blind eye to them or try to explain them away or chalk them up as coincidences. We all need someone to look us square in the eye and shout "DUUUUUUUUH! Open your eyes, dummy!"
Miracles still happen. If we don't see them, quite frankly it is because our eyes are not open to them. Doubt does that to us. We see what we want to see, and we see only what we think we can see. Think about it, if you never looked for Waldo, would you have ever found him? I know that God still works in miraculous ways because I have seen it happen.
A smoker of over 25 years was diagnosed with a deadly lung disease. his doctor told him that he would need to see a specialist to determine his exact condition. Best case scenario: he would have about 5 years. Worst case scenario: he would have about 6 months. So he sought after God. He and many brothers and sisters prayed fervently for healing. On a Sunday soon after, a group prayed with him with their hands placed directly over his chest. He went to see the specialist. The doctor had him breathe a few times, paused and then asked him "Why are you here? You have the lungs of a 20 year old."
The lady who did my taxes last year told me that her husband had been diagnosed with cancer about a year and a half ago. It was pretty far along, and they weren't sure it was even treatable. At best he would get a little bit of extra time. Then she told me how her church had a prayer service for him, and many mobilized in prayer for God to intervene. The next visit he had a biopsy scheduled, and it came back completely clear. No cancer.
A friend whom I trust very much was driving to a bible study about an hour from his home (how many of us would drive an hour one way to get to a Bible study?). It was late at night on his way home, and he was driving on the highway when he fell asleep at the wheel. He awoke to the sound of the car scraping against the concrete median at 65 mph. He pulled over to check out all the damage, fearing the worst. Their was not a scratch on the car.
The fact is that miracles happen regardless of whether or not we see them or recognize them. God is still quite busy today. Our perception is not necessarily the reality. May God open all of our eyes so that we might see his work, and recognize the incredible things he is doing in the world, and so that we might trust in him more fully and completely. May we cut down on our "DUUUUUUH" moments of faith.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
What Religion Are You?
Some Numbers.
Amidst the denominational hodgepodge that is Protestant America today, it is easy to find one's self with a bit of a "Christian identity crisis." According to most sources, there are a little over 6,100 denominations in the United States alone. For those of you with a more catholic (little "c" means world-wide) focus, there are over 43,000 "Christian denominations" worldwide. Incredible. In 1975 the same organization recorded a little over 26,000 denominations worldwide. In 1995 the figure stood at 33,800. So, from 1975 to the present over 17,000 new denominations have been formed.
There are positives and negatives to these numbers. The glittering positive is that some of these new denominations can be attributed to new communities of faith, where the gospel message has been received in places where it had either never been or previously fizzled out. Praise God stuff. However, my fear is that many of these "new" denominations represent conflict, unrest, and inability to practice the very reconciliation and mercy which are essential to the gospel message we claim to carry. Even "non-denominational" churches are a denomination all their own. They have their own collective identity and sanguine attitudes that define them. It is like the non-conformist "anarchy" minded group of teenagers who all dress and talk alike. The irony is wonderful.
The Question.
Now that I dropped that completely unequivocal and mundane statement, let's see where it plays out in a daily basis in our modern society.
I am an extroverted introvert. Ironic, I know, but God seems to enjoy working through irony so I embrace it. This irony within myself is likely what led me to my part-time job during seminary. I was a bartender at a local golf course/restaurant. Among the many harrowing duties of a bartending, is the obligation to engage in small talk with patrons. Sometimes you strike up wonderful conversations; other times you would rather eat chalk. Anyone with bartending experience knows what I mean.
The interesting thing about small talk in our society, is that it is governed by a very rigid dialogue, scripted out by cultural assumptions, obligatory cordiality, and an ephemeral need for affirmation. Nevertheless, one of the obligatory inquiries is "What do you do?" (Yes even though I was at work I always got this question; I suppose I ought to take this fact as a compliment) I loved the moment that followed. In the most nonchalant manner possible, I responded "I'm a pastor," and then awaited the proverbial pin-drop. Sometimes I got an "Oh." Sometimes I got an "Oh, great for you." Sometimes I got an "I'm really sorry for dropping the f-bomb like fifteen times, I didn't know you were a pastor..." as if my presence transformed the bar from...a bar into a sanctuary.
Yet by far, the most often response that I got was "What religion are you?" I must make it clear that many of the patrons were not religiously apathetic or unconcerned with their faith. To the contrary, many had church affiliations of their own which they were quite eager to share with me, frequently as an attempt at redemption. This question is extremely telling. It reveals preconceived notions, attitudes, and ignorance which shape the rampant denominationalism defining modern church society in America.
How About Christian?
I will make it abundantly clear, that my religion is Christianity. (I like the term because it is ironic. Many scholars believe that this term, in the first century Greek-speaking world, was first used as a derogatory reference to "little Christs" spreading stories and trying to emulate this Jesus character.) I am a Presbyterian (which has a number of denominations within its own matrix), but that is only a consequence of guilt by association. Presbyterian is not the religion that I practice, it is the institution I have to deal with.
The very fact that we have any denominations attests to the fallen state of the world in which we live. The church is far from immune to clinging to attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors inconsistent with the teachings of Christ. In fact, the modern church is shaped by the pervasion of sin and brokenness at least as much as by the teaching of Christ in the scriptures. The entire situation which prompted Martin Luther to nail his 95 theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg centered around corruption and exploitation in the church.
To sum up the point, the formation of denominations were the result of sin and brokenness in the church. Denominations are nothing more than a physical, tangible manifestation of the brokenness and divisiveness that plagues us. Do we really want that to define us?
Paul's advice.
I don't mean to be completely negative on the idea of denominations. They aren't inherently negative, but it is important to recognize what they are, where they originated, and just how much we ought to let them define us. Ultimately, we choose how we want to be identified (in the arena of religion). Do we want to allow the results of our divisiveness and brokenness to define us? If so, then we will say that our religion is Presbyterian, Lutheran, Episcopalian, Methodist, United Brethren, Adventist, blah blah blah times 42,994.
However, if we want to let our identity in Christ and relationship to God define us, then we will have much more to say about who we are. I won't attempt to sum this up. I would fail. Four years of theological training and study, despite what some think, does not give you the ability to articulate just how intimately God loves you and identifies with every part of your being. So I will defer to Paul's words in Ephesians 4 as a guide. I encourage you not just to read these words, but allow them to come to life as you think about what your identity is in Christ, and how the reality of that identity ought to shape how you identify yourself, and how that transformed identity should affect our attitudes and presumptions in this society of denominational religion.
I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all...14 We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people's trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. 15 But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body's growth in building itself up in love.
Ephesians 4: 1-6, 14-16
Amidst the denominational hodgepodge that is Protestant America today, it is easy to find one's self with a bit of a "Christian identity crisis." According to most sources, there are a little over 6,100 denominations in the United States alone. For those of you with a more catholic (little "c" means world-wide) focus, there are over 43,000 "Christian denominations" worldwide. Incredible. In 1975 the same organization recorded a little over 26,000 denominations worldwide. In 1995 the figure stood at 33,800. So, from 1975 to the present over 17,000 new denominations have been formed.
There are positives and negatives to these numbers. The glittering positive is that some of these new denominations can be attributed to new communities of faith, where the gospel message has been received in places where it had either never been or previously fizzled out. Praise God stuff. However, my fear is that many of these "new" denominations represent conflict, unrest, and inability to practice the very reconciliation and mercy which are essential to the gospel message we claim to carry. Even "non-denominational" churches are a denomination all their own. They have their own collective identity and sanguine attitudes that define them. It is like the non-conformist "anarchy" minded group of teenagers who all dress and talk alike. The irony is wonderful.
The Question.
Now that I dropped that completely unequivocal and mundane statement, let's see where it plays out in a daily basis in our modern society.
I am an extroverted introvert. Ironic, I know, but God seems to enjoy working through irony so I embrace it. This irony within myself is likely what led me to my part-time job during seminary. I was a bartender at a local golf course/restaurant. Among the many harrowing duties of a bartending, is the obligation to engage in small talk with patrons. Sometimes you strike up wonderful conversations; other times you would rather eat chalk. Anyone with bartending experience knows what I mean.
The interesting thing about small talk in our society, is that it is governed by a very rigid dialogue, scripted out by cultural assumptions, obligatory cordiality, and an ephemeral need for affirmation. Nevertheless, one of the obligatory inquiries is "What do you do?" (Yes even though I was at work I always got this question; I suppose I ought to take this fact as a compliment) I loved the moment that followed. In the most nonchalant manner possible, I responded "I'm a pastor," and then awaited the proverbial pin-drop. Sometimes I got an "Oh." Sometimes I got an "Oh, great for you." Sometimes I got an "I'm really sorry for dropping the f-bomb like fifteen times, I didn't know you were a pastor..." as if my presence transformed the bar from...a bar into a sanctuary.
Yet by far, the most often response that I got was "What religion are you?" I must make it clear that many of the patrons were not religiously apathetic or unconcerned with their faith. To the contrary, many had church affiliations of their own which they were quite eager to share with me, frequently as an attempt at redemption. This question is extremely telling. It reveals preconceived notions, attitudes, and ignorance which shape the rampant denominationalism defining modern church society in America.
How About Christian?
I will make it abundantly clear, that my religion is Christianity. (I like the term because it is ironic. Many scholars believe that this term, in the first century Greek-speaking world, was first used as a derogatory reference to "little Christs" spreading stories and trying to emulate this Jesus character.) I am a Presbyterian (which has a number of denominations within its own matrix), but that is only a consequence of guilt by association. Presbyterian is not the religion that I practice, it is the institution I have to deal with.
The very fact that we have any denominations attests to the fallen state of the world in which we live. The church is far from immune to clinging to attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors inconsistent with the teachings of Christ. In fact, the modern church is shaped by the pervasion of sin and brokenness at least as much as by the teaching of Christ in the scriptures. The entire situation which prompted Martin Luther to nail his 95 theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg centered around corruption and exploitation in the church.
To sum up the point, the formation of denominations were the result of sin and brokenness in the church. Denominations are nothing more than a physical, tangible manifestation of the brokenness and divisiveness that plagues us. Do we really want that to define us?
Paul's advice.
I don't mean to be completely negative on the idea of denominations. They aren't inherently negative, but it is important to recognize what they are, where they originated, and just how much we ought to let them define us. Ultimately, we choose how we want to be identified (in the arena of religion). Do we want to allow the results of our divisiveness and brokenness to define us? If so, then we will say that our religion is Presbyterian, Lutheran, Episcopalian, Methodist, United Brethren, Adventist, blah blah blah times 42,994.
However, if we want to let our identity in Christ and relationship to God define us, then we will have much more to say about who we are. I won't attempt to sum this up. I would fail. Four years of theological training and study, despite what some think, does not give you the ability to articulate just how intimately God loves you and identifies with every part of your being. So I will defer to Paul's words in Ephesians 4 as a guide. I encourage you not just to read these words, but allow them to come to life as you think about what your identity is in Christ, and how the reality of that identity ought to shape how you identify yourself, and how that transformed identity should affect our attitudes and presumptions in this society of denominational religion.
I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all...14 We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people's trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. 15 But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body's growth in building itself up in love.
Ephesians 4: 1-6, 14-16
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