Sunday, April 30, 2006
Does Grace Bring Dedication?
In the past 2 days I have been struck again by the zeal and willingness to sacrifice of people of other faiths. It has raised that very uncomfortable question that such stories always raise…why aren’t Christians more like that.
On Friday I went and saw United 93 (my review on the previous posting). Lets be clear, I am deeply troubled by any act of violence in the name of God. But one cannot watch the dedication with which the four terrorists, their willing to sacrifice their own lives to serve the causes of God (as they very mistakenly understood it). They acted even after sitting in the waiting lounge at the airport with their victims. They acted after seeing and hearing people talk to loved ones whom they would never see again. That is dedication.
Then on a more pleasant note, the Colorado Springs Gazette (our local paper, which exist to keep the local liberal Friday freebie, The Independent, in business by giving them things to complain about), featured an interesting article on Mormon teens getting up early to do “seminary”.
http://www.gazette.com/display.php?id=1316907&table=story_archive&sec=17
Having grown up here, I am very knowledgeable of the Mormon seminary program. So many of my friends in high school would be far more alert in first hour classes, since they had already been to “school” before the day even started for the rest of us. Not having a spiritual bone in my body at that time, I didn’t really give it a lot of thought. Yesterday however, it occurred to me: if we had the same thing at First Presbyterian (evangelical to its core), you figure that you could hold that meeting in a broom closet? I mean, evangelical kids are committed to a point, but giving up sleep??? I doubt it.
So, as I mused on the dedication of people who belongs to faiths that I see as wrong (hey, lets be honest, they feel the same way), my wife jerked me back to reality.
“It’s the scandal of grace, Christopher,” Tanya pointed out. “Its what Martin Luther was so concerned about back in the 16th century.”
She’s right of course. When salvation isn’t about what we do, it raises serious doubt about how do act. Of course both Jesus and Paul would have serious words with us if we were to tell them, “Well, you know, I am saved by grace.” Yes, the good old Reformation statement, “Saved by grace through faith.” But faith is always an active word, and grace is always appropriated in our lives as we grow in it.
Have we evangelicals simply become captives to our culture (um, yes!)? We don’t expect people to be their best, and so we don’t get their best. Mormon kids at 6 in the morning? Come on, no teen will do that!
So the question is, how do we help people to understand that grace, while it saves by the mercy of God, demands a response. There is no cheap grace, at least that saves, but only costly grace that brings real change in people’s lives – brings real transformation. Somehow catering to people’s every whim doesn’t seem like the first step. But, alas, I am not sure what the first step is either?
Then again, why is it that one of the fastest growing Catholic movements is Opus Dei (you know, the super-evil villins in Da Vinci Code)? This is not a group exactly known for half hearted responses to grace. Maybe...nah!
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