What If You Knew You Were Going To Live Tomorrow?

That's the question that goes to the core of "Christianity Beyond Belief", a book by Todd Hunter that I just recently finished. If I were to summarize, Hunter exhorts Christians to not simply stop at reveling (rightly so) at the wondrous salvation bestowed upon those who are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. He suggests that there is a greater redemptive purpose that Christians can and ought to play. In Hunter's words, a Christian should be:

1. A cooperative friend of Jesus... that is, being intentional in terms of engaging with our friends, family and neighbors in discipleship and outreach fully aligned with the Great Commission. The goal is that being intentional should never cross the line into being manipulative, or as Hunter puts it, "I don't want or need anything from others. I want things for others."
2. ... seeking to live consistent lives of creative goodness... using examples from Isaiah 58:9-12 and Matthew 25:35-36, Hunter encourages the new (actually, old) apologetic of loving others radically through not just feeding the hungry, visiting the prisoners and clothing the naked, but contextualizing that service in one's own job and neighborhoods. He anticipates the immediate objection: "Yes, we still need a verbal witness, and yes, the truth still matters. But in our 24/7 spin me, sell me, manipulate me, exploitative world, actions speak louder than words for millions of seekers." It's the typical counter to the "the name of the game is to get people saved" mindset.
3. ... for the sake of others... I personally found this troubling at first until I read the chapter on this a little more. Part of it is sensitivity to a human-focused Gospel message, which isn't really a Gospel message at all. My knee-jerk was to object that the only "sake" that actually matters is God's glory, period. It's not about me, and it's not even about other people. It's about God, primarily, and even our service of others is done for the glory of God. In any case, I feel pretty confident that Hunter agrees with this. His point is railing against a "me-centered" life.
4. ... through the power of the Holy Spirit. Here he challenges Christians to move "from theological lip service" as it relates to the Holy Spirit, and invite him into our communities of faith and listen to him - especially as it relates to empowering us to be the "cooperative friends of Jesus" and "divine appointments", where seemingly random encounters with people are truly opportunities to love, serve and engage.

As I read the book, I admit that there were times that I found it a bit "touchy-feely", and wondered if in some ways it revealed my own conflict of two of my major theological influences. Having being spiritually raised in an InterVarsity setting which stressed servanthood, "relational evangelism" and manifesting Jesus' love outwards as key parts of fruitful ministry, the book reminded me of a lot of those same tenets. But for more than a decade, I've been fed and influenced by doctrine and a faith culture which focuses more about the depravity of man and the glory of God and His grace - and how faith can and should alter my worldview towards career and life. And how deep theological understanding of God's sovereignty and purposes transform the soul, and thus the outwards actions of one's life.

Hunter himself illustrates the tension of what I'm describing. Hunter writes:

God cares about the planet, about systemic injustice and poverty, about the eternal destiny of humans. You don't need to choose one over the others. Rather, we are called to cooperate fully with God in whatever comes our way. Work to make just laws. Help those in need. Pick up trash. If someone has questions about spiritual things, converse in peace, without needing to "win" an argument. We've made being good to others too difficult. Some of us have confused ourselves into apathy. Sometimes we have theological hang-ups about "what really counts." For many Christians of my generation, "saving souls for eternity" is what really counts. Every thing else is optional, but mostly viewed as a distraction from the real thing. Now, the pendulum seems to be swinging the other way. To an increasing degree, we are losing the ability and confidence to share our faith, to help someone decide to be a follower of Jesus.

It's not that the two influences are necessarily at odds, but the emphases are different (or at least it seemed that way). I have the utmost respect and value for both and am grateful for what both have taught me.

Bottom line is that I liked this book. It was challenging and practical, and I pray I apply some of its learnings faithfully and wisely.