Becoming a World-Class Christian
This was an interesting chapter because Richard encourages his readers to just get up and go on a short-term mission project to another country! That's right. Take a leave from work or school or Oprah (and Jesus would encourage you to leave your family) to spread the Good News. Apparently only those who know they were made to serve and made for a mission should be considered World-class Christians. Richard tells us that: World-class Christians are the only fully alive people on the planet.
Consistent with the theme that runs through the book, Richard implores his readers to shift from "here and now" thinking to eternal thinking. This is probably the message of Christianity which is most antithetical to a secular, atheistic worldview. Richard explains that the old adage "you can't take it with you" is belied by the fact that Jesus told his followers to "store up your treasures in heaven". Apparently, Christians can win the afterlife lottery by bringing as many people as they can to Christ during their time on earth.
After reading this chapter, I realized that I am guilty of indoctrinating my children in a manner quite contrary to Christian teaching. Although I bend over backwards to get them to think for themselves, I plead guilty of encouraging them to make the most out of life. I try to live each day like it's my last because it could be my last and, most certainly, some day will be my last. I couldn't agree more with the now famous atheist bus slogan "There's probably no God ... now stop worrying and enjoy life".
Christian dogma clearly diminishes the importance of human and nonhuman life on earth. According to Richard, life on earth is just a temporary training ground for the real show in the afterlife. That is not a message that I want communicated to my kids. Why? Well, in honour of Canada's Olympic gold medal winning hockey team, I'll use a hockey analogy. If I gave you a stick and a puck and brought you to centre ice, which shot would you give a better effort for?
- One breakaway in the last game of hockey you will ever play with a chance to win the Olympic gold for your country; or
- A breakaway in the first of an eternal number of Olympic finals and it doesn't matter if you score because you'll have an infinite number of future chances.
That, my friends, is a no-brainer.
2 comments:
Travel is something that I think is vastly underrated in our society. I often hear the old mantra "you don't get anything from a trip". Well, perhaps nothing tangible if you are not a shopper, but the intangible items like the memories and the education are priceless. At the risk of over-generalizing, I have always found that the narrow-minded and intolerant are often those who have never travelled.
Having said that, I recognize that travel is a luxury and not available to many due to financial and/or health issues, among other factors. Richard seems to have forgotten this little tidbit. Easy for him to advocate for short-term missions abroad - he has gobs of cash and a job that is flexible. What are the impoverished members of his clergy supposed to do?
TAM: I have lived vicariously through this website in terms of your journey through Richard's book. Surely, you must be almost finished. This is mind-numbing.
The likes of Billy Graham's son must cringe at the sight of Warren and his "flashing blue-light Kmart special of a Christian roadshow".
Funny, I am from (still) very Catholic country and we have here saying, translating, "Travel Broadens the Mind", though of course I would not expect too much of it if someone goes abroad to tell his story rather than listen to what people in visited country have to say.
And to those who can't allow themselves, for various reasons, to go to other places, I am advicing browsing the Internet. There is such a vast amount of information available there in various forms and definetly one can become virtual friends with people from a completly different culture.
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