Christianity of Convenience
Posted: Friday, April 10, 2009
by Terry Mitchell
http://commenterry.blogs.com
I'm very skeptical of religious experiences in which people become Christians while behind bars or as a result of having been caught in some kind of criminal act. The same goes for those who accept Christ following some traumatic event or major setback in their lives. That kind of Christianity seems a bit too convenient to me. And too often it doesn't stick.
My skepticism results from the definition of what true repentance is and what it is not. Part of the process of becoming a Christian involves repentance, which must be genuine. To repent means to be sorry for what one has done and have a willingness to turn away from it. Being regretful that one has been caught is not repentance. Neither is sorrow for the fact that one is suffering the consequences, nor is it the desire to improve one's circumstances.
When one comes to understand how God feels about sin, his or her abhorrence of it should be all that is needed as motivation for repentance, regardless of any other condition. So why would any other kind of prompting be required?
Now, can someone repent and experience these other emotions at the same time? Of course they can. That's why it's sometimes hard to tell if someone has repented – at first. However, time will tell the tale. It will eventually become quite evident whether someone has in fact become a Christian or if he or she was just looking for a kind of Christianity of convenience.
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Top-level comments on this article: (5 total)Terry, this can be an interesting topic for discussion. Once upon a time I thought about things like that. I'll paraphrase a scripture that my youngest sister said only to me yesterday. "I am happy man doesn't have a heaven or hell to put me in." It's God's call not ours. I try to think on other things, not to escape or hide in denial.
I completely understand and to illustrate I do: Let's suppose a man was convicted of sexual molestation on a child. He accepts Christ while incarcerated and is released early. Do I think he should not be required to register as a sex offender? No. Would I want him alone with a child? No. Do I believe he had a Holy Spirit conversion because he said so. I don't know. But I won't determine or attempt to prove he did or did not. Even after receiving Christ (as you no doubt know), we must reap for the good and/or bad we've sown.
I believe there are conversions of convenience just as there are celebrities saying they are ministers to get tax breaks. I'm thankful not to be jury, judge and executioner. (I have enough to do.)
To this article, it may have been asked best in Psalm 8:4-"What is man that thou art mindful of him or the son of man that thou visit him?" We are tougher [on each other] than God, perhaps. I guess that's because we are not God. He knows and I'm thankful it is truly His call. Aren't you?Good point, Avis. I am also thankful that this is indeed the case."It's God's call not ours" - Amen to that, Avis, you summed it up nicely. Only a fool would stand between a child of God and his or her Christ.
Is God a country club god now, who only the good, upstanding citizens of suburbia might worship and call their own? I guess I don't qualify, then!
signed,
"Was a Christian, But My Card Was Revoked By The Condo Association"Thank you anon and I appreciate your sense of humor:
signed,
"Was a Christian, But My Card Was Revoked By The Condo Association"
That cracked me up! Happy Easter to you!
Hi Terry, I have to admit, I am a little annoyed with this. Can you believe it? Maybe it is because where I come from, this is often the only way people see there need for a Savior. People bound by drugs who finally get caught, finally see the light. Sometimes people need to hit rock bottom. The Apostle Paul certainly did, Seriously, having Christians killed? God had to literally bring him to his knees. I would say he was scared and humbled. This is what happens to men and women who get caught. My uncle was a drug addict, living in the gutters of LA when he saw the light. He is an incredible witness for Christ in the very streets he was delivered from. I personally had my many moments of sin, until I came to the end of myself.Sorry, for the rant. I guess I would hope you would not be so skeptical. Maybe you had the privilege of being raised in a Christian home, or maybe you were a pretty good kid and saw your sin before it took you down a bad road. Praise the Lord for that, you are blessed indeed. Some of us are not so blessed.I am wondering what you think about the thief on the cross, I would say he was in fear and called on God "on his death bed" how do you feel about his sudden conversion? Do you think it was convenient? I wonder if Jesus thought that, or just simply rejoiced that it was better late and in that position than never.Okay, I am not upset any more :-) Just had to get it out of my system.I welcome anyone's profession of faith and rejoice with them and pray for them so that even if it was a "convenient" choice, it would end up a lasting one.Peace and love to you this Resurrection weekend. TeresaTeresa, I guess this is just a matter of wording.A choice made out of pure convenience will not stick. One that is genuine will. The trouble is, we can't tell which is which at first because if the circumstances are the same, they look identical. However, time will tell. It all depends on the person's motivation and only God knows that.I wasn't attempting to criticize people for coming to Christ under adverse circumstances, I was criticizing those who aren't genuine about it. Paul was. The thief on the cross was. Chuck Colsen was. But Larry Flynt obviously wasn't, is as many of those who return to a life after "getting religion" in prison. Sorry, but their fruit gives them away.
Hi Terry, me again :-)Sooo, I was sweeping my floors and I staring singing this awesome praise song , "Tell me what's going on inside of me, I despise my own behavior, this only serves to confirm my suspisions, that I'm still a man in need of a Savior, I wanna be in the Light as You are in the Light..." And WHAM! I was stopped in mid-sweep.The Lord reminded me of the time early on in my walk that I used to be skeptical of people who grew up in church and said they were Christians since they were kids. I was guilty of thinking they couldn't possibly understand God's grace as much as I could if they never did anything bad...All this to say, I must confess and ask for your forgiveness for jumping the gun and responding in the flesh instead of the spirit in which you intended this piece to be.Whew! Now I can leave for service and partake of communion with a clear conscience. Peace :-) TeresaTeresa, thanks for your understanding. Please read my explanation with your previous comment. Once again, I believe millions of people have been genuinely saved through a Damascus road experience. However, some of those who claim they were are nothing more than opportunists trying to use religion and religious people to their advantage. Those are the ones who practice Christianity of convenience.Hi Terry,I agree, and now that I have been away from this for a few, when I reread it, I see the whole picture. I guess this caught me in an off moment. I think because I run into this quite often, it came out on you and that wasn't fair.Scripture is clear that we are known by our fruit. And it is true, many profess, but time will tell.Thanks for your understanding. TeresaHi Teresa, I'm glad it made more sense when you re-read it. Thanks for reading and commenting.
Thank you for an interesting article. My own conversion to Christianity was one of a slow learning process. Thank God people loved me enough to show me the way or I would still be floundering.Linda DHi Linda. Thanks for reading, commenting, and sharing.
Yes Terry "Christianity of convenience" going to church for the cameras like most politicians do won't get them to heaven. I believe it's those who do not go to church who are closer to God than those who go to church as hypocrites. Don't get me wrong many church goers are sincere in their beliefs.David, those who claim to have become Christians -- but are acually just going the motions just to get some kind of personal benefit of the earthly variety -- are practicing what I call Christianity of convenience. That includes the kind of politicians that you referred to. I'm glad you caught on. Some of our good Christian SearchWarp readers apparently misunderstood the point I was trying to make with this article. I'm sorry if I made it too complicated for them.You make a good point -- going to church doesn't get anyone into heaven. However, I have a question for you. In regard to those sincere, spiritual people who don't go to church -- don't they realize that Christ died for the church? To reject the church is to reject the bride of Chirst. That's like telling a man that you like him, but his wife is persona non grada. How do you think Jesus would feel about that?
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