Christianity or just another lifestyle?

I watched this show on TV the other night called Tribe. It was about this guy that goes to the deepest darkest jungley parts of the world and lives with the long lost tribes there for a while. some of these tribes are dying out, a way of life and civilisation that soon will be lost and forgotten. I watched as a guy from the Penan tribe in Malaysia told of how soon because of deforestation his tribe would die out and there would be nothing of them left. It was sad, even for me, I don’t usually get sad. but this guy was so passionate about his way of life, a way of life that is so far removed from any we could understand in our culture.

As I watched I thought of what would happen if someone told them about Jesus. I wondered what would happen if they accepted Jesus as their saviour. I was on a day dreaming role, thinking of how their lives would be better and cooler and safer and different. Then it hit me hard, but how? How would their lives change? I was thinking they would have hope and greater support and better housing and better technology and an introduction in “civilised’ society. How DARE me!!! I remember sitting in a missions class in college and learning of how in the early days of missions in Africa, the missionaries told the people about God but in actual fact these people became westernised and their culture came under threat by a regime of religious lifestyle and western theologies and philosophies.

I don’t think much has changed. I think we evangelise with the expectation that the person will change, and they will, God will do some mind blowing stuff IN people’s lives. but we expect people to change their lifestyles and attitudes and culture and mould into a dogmatic, narrow life view. We as the Christian Church are selling a lifestyle alternative, a religious system to the people of this world. Jesus just becomes a selling point, an enticement. We see people trust Jesus and we automatically want them to denounce who they are, their hopes and dreams, their style, their cultural preferences.

Jesus said “the truth will set you free.” But what is truth when it is mixed with our own western world view, were we think people are only happy with safety and comfort. Jesus is NOT safe, I am not preaching a feel good theology, I’m preaching the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the forgiveness of sin not a lifestyle, not a system. 

God will change us from the inside out but the church demands that we change from the outside just so that they look good, just so it looks like they’re actually doing something. It’s time we did something about it. This is my start, my call, my cry.