My wife and I were at her office Christmas party. This is an event that I annually dread. My wife and is an engineer. I am a minister. I pride myself on getting along with people, but a room full of engineers is a difficult proposition. They like to talk about either their work or themselves and what they accomplished through their work. Neither are subjects that I am interested. It becomes burdensome to carry on small talk and my expertise is usually exhausted in the first two minutes. "Hi my name is Blair … It's nice to meet you … I'm Lisa's husband …I'm a youth minister …" And that's about where the mind numbing awkward pause sets in. Both of us are wondering how we can politely excuse ourselves to the cheese table, which would be much more entertaining.
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This year I was introduced to one my wife's co-worker's spouse, which brought much more entertainment than I have ever had at one of these events. The spouse's stated profession was she taught "Christian gymnastics." I couldn't conceal my snicker. Once we parted, Lisa explained to me that she was considering sending our daughters to her classes. This brought more snickers from me.
Lisa asked, "what is wrong with you?"
"Don't you think the idea is funny?"
"What?
"The concept of 'Christian' gymnastics?"
"I think it's important that every girl learn how to do a proper cartwheel."
That may be the case. I'm not a girl, nor have I any desire to do a cartwheel, so I wouldn't know. But it was at this point that I drew my wife's attention to the fact that it was "Christian" gymnastics. I explained to her that I thought it amusing that my daughters might be engaged in "secular" gymnastics. I agreed Amelia must do a proper Cartwheel. I certainly wouldn't want her to give off mixed signals in how she did her tumbling or balance beams. I definitely want the maneuvers to be "Christian." It would be important for all our daughters to keep in "Christian" health as they did their "Christian" floor exercises wearing their "Christian" leotards.
Lisa started to catch the spirit of the thing. She even came up with a name for the class. She called it the "Holy Rollers." The evening was filled with jokes between us. I drank my secular Ice Tea and ate my possible "Christian" baked chicken (we had no ability to know its state before its demise). Later, we drove home and stopped by and grabbed a cup of "Christian" coffee at Starbuck's (I know it was "Christian" because we were having a spiritual conversation with another friend as they were making it).
What have we come to? What is it with our desire to label everything "Christian" in order to somehow make it more acceptable to the body of Christ? We have "Christian" t-shirts, "Christian" music, "Christian" bookstores, "Christian" coffee houses. I even have friends that teach "Christian" Tae Kwon Do. I understand the need to stand distinct from the rest of the world, but I'm pretty sure that the appropriate way to do that is not to label our products or services as "Christian." The true way to do it is simply to act as people who have been redeemed by a gracious savior. Following the cues from Jesus' sermon on the mount, it is our motivation and how we deal with people that will mark something as distinctly "Christian."
By labeling everything we do and produce as "Christian," we are in danger of creating a sub-culture that could very well impede the body of Christ. I can't make myself anymore "Christian" than the day Jesus paid for my sins on the cross. It was Jesus atoning work on the cross that made me "Christian," not anything I did or merited. To create products and services that can somehow give the impression that if do this or we buy that will somehow make us more Christian is denial that Christ's death on the cross was sufficient in making us Christian.
This harkens back to the church in ..:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Galatia who were instructed by Jewish teachers they first must observe the law before they could become Christians. Paul warned them the law couldn't save them in the first place and not to put their trust in the doing of the law. In fact, he said to put their trust in anything other than Christ and him crucified was no gospel at all. This day of "Christian" marketing also brings remembrances of the 15th and 16th centuries when leaders within the Catholic church sold indulgences and "holy" relics promising these products would bring less punishment and more righteousness if they were purchased. Thankfully, Luther and the other reformers righted the ship and reminded us that it is only through faith alone we can be saved.
"What ever you do, do all for the glory of God." This was Paul's advice to the church at Corinth. This is what will make your product or services distinctly, "Christian." I don't think we can ever have "Christian" gymnastics. But we can have Christian gymnastic teachers who teach students to perform with excellence their God given abilities for His glory. I don't think we can have "Christian" music, but we can have Christian performers that use their art to draw attention to God. We will probably never have a "Christian" coffee house (how can a coffee house be saved?). But we can a) serve an excellent cup of coffee and b) create an environment that glorifies God (and I might add the first point is often neglected at these "Christian" coffee houses).
Jesus said, "In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." This is what makes something Christian, not a label.