For God's Sake

It’s harder to live your convictions in the trenches than to nod your head at the confessions in the pews.

Traditionally the expanse between our theological statements and our practice of the Faith widens over years inevitably creating a hunger for reformation, revival, or renewal – pick your revitalizing label. What is stated and what is lived effectively become two different realities and someone, somewhere concludes with the monks of yore who discovered the Gospels, long ignored in a monastery basement, “Either these are not the Gospels, or we are not Christians.” I’m wondering out loud if perhaps our practice is betraying our convictions in regards to the good we do, and why.

Consider our propensity to fundraise, as an example. Is it not the tiniest bit troubling that we increasingly give only if we get something in return? We have meals, accept trinkets, and definitely expect that income tax receipt. In addition, and we especially do this with youth, we expect that they will do something – like feed us, sell chocolates, or shovel driveways – to earn our generosity. All this work to earn subtly models selfishness and teaches that you have to work to earn favour in the Kingdom – and how does this shape their understanding of God and grace? Secondarily, funds raised tend to be spent primarily on ourselves – programs for our kids, conference trips, or to replace that gaudy 70’s orange carpet (okay, maybe this last one has some merit). Is this the essence of service? We should be asking how Kingdom-minded all this really is.

Two theological inconsistencies are at work here – we give to get and we expect what is given to be earned. How does this reflect the nature of God whose grace and salvation is neither earned nor deserved? A deep spiritual ailment has beset us.

Having been wooed by the pleasures of 21st- century ease we are unwilling to part with our hard-earned cash without some earthly return. We revel in Mammon rather than God and only do good for our own sakes.

What has happened to doing good for God’s sake?

Any truly God-centered good is selfless and if I expect something in return I either don’t really believe it’s worthwhile or I’m not truly doing good, but simply performing an act of covert selfishness. If it is worthwhile it is worthwhile because it is good for God’s sake alone!

Sacrificial missionaries raising their own support are questioned by the godly in their new cars as to why they need so much. Youth rarely look toward voluntary service or ministry or seeing all they have and are as mission, but are encouraged (even by parents) to grab as much of this world as they can. We pump dollars into our ourselves, we’re proud of our spires or of not having spires, while the world screams to make poverty history, to solve the epidemic of AIDS, to heal racial divides, for an end to terror, for something to fill the hole in our souls that all our excess has not satisfied – the world cries out for salvation. Meanwhile we, whose commodity ought to be grace, demand to receive in order to give. Is it just me, or does something smell like Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5)? Our practice betrays our theology. Stop this heresy for God’s sake.