Quantum Christianity: Believe Again

by Aaron Davis

  Is the Christian church seeing the results that they desire to see? If so, then we need not challenge much of what we are doing; but if not, the question is, has our system perfectly yielded the results we are getting? And what adjustments might be necessary to get the system back on track?

  THE CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHER

  A missionary friend in Israel recently shared with me a story of an event that he observed in Jerusalem. There is a church called the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. As is common in this part of the world, this particular site is revered as holy between several sects of Christians in Israel—Greek Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic, Roman Catholic, Coptic Orthodox, Ethiopian Orthodox, and Syriac Orthodox.

  Ironically, for centuries, these sects of Christianity have literally fought over the presence of each other on the property. This warring can be dated back to before the year 1192 when, in order to keep the peace, Muslims were given the keys and named gatekeepers of the church because they were a neutral party. To this day, during religious rituals and holidays when these varying sects cross paths in reverence of their religious ceremony and holy observances, fistfights involving police intervention often become the norm!

  This seems ludicrous to me that people, claiming to serve the same God, who have studied the teachings of the same Christ, would so blatantly misrepresent His example. And these are the leaders.

  Initially, I was appalled and found myself pointing a finger at how ridiculous these people were being as I watched the videos of these fistfights online and studied the history of this ongoing strife. From what I can tell, it is rooted in an unyielding pride-filled demand of “I am right, and you are wrong” between all parties.

  However, as I considered it more deeply, a different perspective hit me. Although the response may be a bit different on our side of the pond, the spirit behind it is not that different here than it is there with an exclusivity and division based upon a pride-filled demand to be right. Maybe we don’t end up in fistfights over denominational superiority, but our pride causes division just the same.

  INDIVIDUALITY AND THE RULE OF THE CHURCH

  I can’t help but imagine that individuality and diversity is something that God smiles upon. I wonder, as His creation, created in His image, if each one of our personalities doesn’t reflect a different combination of who God is in His fullness, as if we resemble an aspect of His DNA, and only in observing people as a whole do we see the wholeness of God’s personality.

  It seems to me that for generations there has been a push for people to fit within a mold of religious acceptability. In the church’s eyes it was okay to exercise individuality when you are a nonbeliever, but once you became a Christian, there was an expectation for you to conform to a different, more acceptable image. This image is typically packaged under the robe of “Christlike-ness,” but more frequently than not, is an issue of a doctrinal standard.

  In my lifetime alone, I have seen this standard displayed in many different ways and it can be as diverse as those who subscribe to it. But here is an example of how things have changed pertaining to what is acceptable for a woman to wear.

  No makeup; hair in a bun; dress to your ankles; and sleeves to your wrists.

  No makeup; hair long and down; but dress to your ankles.

  Makeup is okay; dress to your lower or midcalf; sleeves to your upper arm.

  Makeup is okay; hair short or long—it’s your choice, but make sure it is neat; dress modestly, but definitely no pants for women.

  Makeup is okay; hair length is a choice; dress or dress pants are okay, but no jeans.

  Makeup is okay; hair length is a choice; dress or dress pants are okay; jeans are okay, but definitely no shorts . . .

  As I ponder this progression, it becomes apparent that our religious doctrinal standards are often more rooted in societal expectations and social acceptances than biblical instruction. Of course, there is always a biblical reason cited to justify the rule in the eyes of those instituting it but, in my experience and observation, the rules are as diverse as the churches instituting them.

  I admit that I don’t necessarily always agree with rules, but everyone is in a different place of progress and understanding as it pertains to who God is and where they fit into the advancement of His kingdom. So, for some people, dressing up every time they go to church is a part of their attempt at honoring God . . . and that’s okay with me if that is the heart behind why they do it. The issue I take is not with the rule but actually the judgment, division, and exclusion that is most often exercised against those who do not conform to the standard of those who have instituted the said rule.

  I can’t help but believe that human diversity is God-ordained when I look at the animal kingdom, the insect kingdom, the plant kingdom, world landscapes, and climate differences based upon region. And if human diversity is as God ordained as these other examples, then it only stands to reason that there will be areas where we will agree and disagree on what we consider palatable based upon individual experiential taste.

  Even within my marriage, my musical taste, humor, and hobbies differ from those of my wife, with whom I have a closer relationship than any other person on earth. Neither of us demands that the other subscribes to our taste. Instead, we focus on what unites us and we allow what is different about each other to be what makes us unique and special.

  Contrary to common thoughts on the subject of unity, I believe that the need for different denominations and worship styles is healthy and necessary for the advancement of the kingdom of God on the earth (at least at this point). As the online campus pastor for a world-impacting online ministry, I’ve received emails from people who live in a small town where there are only two churches for people to choose from. In environments like these, although they are looking for connection with other believers, people often stay home and attend online with us, especially when those two churches have unhealthy exclusive or separatist views.

  I SCREAM, YOU SCREAM . . .

  I liken my perspective on this issue of denominational diversity to that of ice cream. In culture today, our palate is much more defined than at any other time in history, if for no other reason than the sheer number of people on the planet. It’s not a matter of choosing between only chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry ice cream anymore. On the contrary, today you can go to a grocery store and choose mint chocolate chip, cookies ’n cream, Moose Tracks, Superman, rocky road, Reese’s peanut butter cup, chocolate-vanilla swirl, Neapolitan . . . and that’s just scratching the surface for choices available to us. If you go to a Baskin-Robbins ice-cream store, you have the choice of thirty-one flavors. These thirty-one flavors allow you to combine three different scoops of ice cream flavors per day for twelve years without having to have the same combination twice.117

  So considering this ice cream parallel with the current state of the church, the problem is not the choices in ice cream but rather when someone demands that their choice is the best and becomes critical of the other flavors, instead of simply conceding that ice cream is great and that we just like the flavor that we like.

  Why are we so disallowing of another’s form of worship? It seems to me that the way we worship or our beliefs surrounding worship is one of the most dividing issues present in the church. People are so diverse, and if God made us all so diverse, why would we mandate or expect people in their expression toward God to be any different?

  Furthermore, if we are to love one another and allow for personality differences in places like the workplace or social gatherings, why do we find it so difficult to be as allowing when it comes to how we worship? It is a human characteristic to believe that our way is the best way, or maybe better put, what makes us the most comfortable is what we prefer to surround ourselves with. But that doesn’t necessarily make us right or others wrong.

  PERSONALITY CONFLICTS

  I recently had a conversation with a friend, and he said, “Man, I really love that guy and I love what he’s doing for the church
, but I can only take him in small doses.” I found it humorous because I also shared the same sentiment about the guy.

  There will always be people who are so different from ourselves in personality that spending a lot of time with them could cause discomfort. But my discomfort does not make them wrong; they are simply being the person that God created them to be, and there is nothing wrong with who they are or how they express themselves.

  While few would admit it, the attitude of the church in recent days has been, “If I’m uncomfortable with something, it must not be from God.”118 The problem with this issue is that we don’t have the same allowances within the church for people to be different as we do everywhere else. The church that does not raise their hands in worship is critical of the church that does. The church that doesn’t speak in tongues believes that they are right and criticizes the banner-waving charismatic church that does speak in tongues. The banner-waving charismatics in turn criticize the more conservative Presbyterians for their lack of expression in worship. But I wonder if perhaps all of these examples are in part simply reflective of spiritual personality.

  I’ve questioned many times how much of what I believe is emotionally and personality-driven preferences or a learned behavior based upon religious experience. Over my lifetime, I have attended nearly every type of Christian church service imaginable and spoken in many denominational pulpits from the ultra charismatic to the highly reserved. There are things in every environment that I find myself relating to and there are also occasionally things that I do not much like. In essence, there are church personality types that I relate more to or less to based on my personal preferences, exposure, and perspective.

  Those who are critical of more expressive worship often term what they see in charismatic churches as emotional, and those who are deemed emotional by those who are less expressive are deemed unspiritual, or lacking connection to the Spirit of God because they don’t express themselves with equal fervor in worship.

  Why do we really care? Why does it matter in the grand scheme of things? If it is emotional as the conservative worshiper may perceive, what is wrong with someone who has a different personality expressing themselves in worship to their God openly (as long as the expression of their rights doesn’t infringe upon yours)? And for those who express themselves more emphatically in worship, why do you care that others don’t?

  People are created with different levels of emotional expression. It’s as if everybody is critical and everybody is defensive, and I just question whether or not it’s even necessary.

  Most of us who are mature adults, throughout the course of a lifetime of school and work and experiencing different types of people, have likely come to the same conclusion that I have: we simply must coexist with people who are not like us. Those who have actually reached a more advanced point of maturity can even appreciate the differences in those people. So, why don’t we do it in church?

  A LINE IN THE SAND

  Whether they will admit it or not, every teacher and church that I have encountered draws a line in the sand as it pertains to what they are comfortable with. Those who say they do not are deceiving themselves. Every church draws a line somewhere where the leadership says we don’t go beyond this point. Or perhaps they give their limitations terms, defining what is the Spirit of God and what is not; but where the rubber meets the road, at some point what someone else considers acceptable worship becomes uncomfortable to someone else.

  In the most charismatic of churches I have attended, I have never seen someone flail around like a madman in his underwear and should someone have attempted to do so, they would have likely been restrained as conducting themselves inappropriately. However, King David did this in the Bible, and my theory for why I’ve never seen this level of worship displayed in a church is ultimately related to leaders, their personality, and their comfort zone. And quite frankly, a sweaty man in underwear bumping into me during a service would definitely distract my own connection to God in worship.

  So, considering the totality of the circumstances and the diversity of personalities that God has created in the seven billion people on earth, why is it okay for you to have a line of comfort and someone else not to, even if their line of comfort is drawn before yours (or even after, for that matter)? I’m convinced that much of what relates to worship styles and our preferential palate is significantly influenced by emotional preferences and exposure, much like aspects of personality and perception also have learned responses.

  There are 300,000,000 people in the United States alone. Not all of those people are going to express themselves the same way that you do in worship. I think it is healthy that there is a place for more expressive “charismatic” people to worship, as well as the church across the street providing an environment for those who are more conservatively inclined to worship God in their own way.

  NO COMPETITION

  I was recently interviewed by a documentary producer in New York with a ministry partner of mine named Clint. Clint and I are very different people. Clint is more like a cool, soft-spoken, artistic, poetic musician with dreadlocks. And I, well . . . I’m not. We share similar interests; we both have a little bit more of an edgy look and form of expression, but Clint is a laidback, mild, nice guy, and I am more outspoken and loud.

  We have very different personalities yet we get along well. In this interview for the documentary, the casting director asked Clint and me at the same time, “With you both being pastors in the same area, is there any competition?” Without hesitation, Clint and I both answered simultaneously, “No!” Then we each elaborated as to how we are all on the same team, moving the ball forward toward the same goal, which is ultimately the advancement of the kingdom of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ.

  I’ve met leaders who were jealous and critical of other leaders and churches in their area, but I’m resolved that none of us is more essential than another; we’re just called to cover parallel lanes. Whether you pastor a house church or megachurch, each fulfills the need and calling of God for the lives of your attendees. To compare callings or elections is not only unhealthy but also destructive because you are only responsible for what you have been called to do.

  The interesting thing is Jesus had a church of twelve and a megachurch. Some days He was up on top of a rock in an amphitheater speaking to crowds that were so large that those present would only number the men; other days He was ministering one on one; still other days He was ministering with a few friends and their peers.

  Jesus was one man trying to do it all at that time; but now with so many different pieces present in the body of Christ, God can call a certain kind of person to minister to a part of His creation that they would most identify with. At the same time, He can call another person from a completely different part of the body resembling totally different views and palatable tastes in ice cream to minister to another part. Amazingly, all can contribute to the whole if they will recognize that their flavor does not take away from the fact that they are still screaming about the greatness of ice cream!

  If you build your platform on what is great about ice cream and then elaborate about what you like about your particular favorite flavor, instead of what is bad about other flavors, then I personally don’t see the problem with differing opinions. But considering what I have observed and heard from many who have chosen not to participate in the open enjoyment of ice cream, I wonder if the problem in the church doesn’t stem from people not agreeing that ice cream is great, as much as pushing an agenda on why their flavor is the best and everybody else’s is not.

  PASSION VERSUS AGENDA

  I frequently hear about movements within the church based upon differing passions and interpretation of scripture. I believe that in many cases these movements are inspired by God as a means of reaching a specific demographic that may remain unaddressed without the pursuit of that movement by those who share a passion for it. But I wonder if there is also a danger in the movement if, at its foundation
, it is a push more for an agenda of control, manipulation, or desire to be intentionally different from the advancement of the kingdom of God on the earth.

  In those cases, I believe we should be cautious that we do not lose sight of the greater good for the sake of being right in our own eyes. And if someone is wondering what the litmus test would be for such a determination, I would challenge you with the question, “Does your movement encourage you toward intentional love and unity in the body of Christ, or does it encourage exclusivity? Is there a critical outlook upon anything that doesn’t resemble your views and an internal demand for others to subscribe to your perspective?”

  Recognizing that most of these movements have some sort of biblical basis, this quote seemed to validate what I was already weighing:

  If our study of the Bible doesn’t lead us to a deeper relationship (an encounter) with God, then it simply is adding to our tendency toward spiritual pride. We increase our knowledge of the Bible to feel good about our standing with God, and to better equip us to argue with those who disagree with us.119