I am going to take issue with your assertion that Christianity is not suited for the modern world. It's not that Christianity is a poor fit for the modern world, but that it is a misapplication of Christ's teaching even to focus on "this" world instead of the next.
Where "modern" Christianity goes off the rails is that it tries to be of this world. Too often, priests and pastors want to impose their perception of God's Kingdom here on Earth, rather than focusing on leading their flock towards God's Kingdom itself. This is the same corruption that Jesus railed against, calling out the Jewish priests and their expropriation of the Jewish purity laws to impose their political will on the Jewish people. The path towards God can never be a path defined by Man.
Whether one is Christian or Buddhist (the two traditions with which I am most familiar, having wandered from Christianity into Buddhism and back into Christianity over the years), or, I would imagine, an adherent of any other spiritual tradition, the "goal" of spiritual practice is not to master this world, but rather to set it aside. In my experience spiritual practice is most fruitful when it is focused on letting go of the cares and attachments of this world.
Paul alludes to this in Romans when he speaks of the law of faith. And Romans is itself a rebuke to all those who claim that anyone who does not believe in Jesus is going to Hell:
"When Gentiles who have not the law do by nature what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that what the law requires is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness and their conflicting thoughts accuse or perhaps excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus." (Romans 2:14-16)
What matters is that we follow God's Law. Whether we apprehend that Law as the Ten Commandments or as the Four Noble Truths is irrelevant. If men honestly and devoutly pursue the path of righteousness, if they seek to do that which is truly right and not that which is merely popular, such men, according to Paul, have hope they will be received kindly on the Day of Judgment.
(Of course, if you say something like this to a great many "modern" evangelicals, they will roundly condemn you as being a tool of Satan. At least, that's what seems to happen when I say it to them!)
This is a superb launch to your new Substack--not disjointed at all. The topic(s) you are focused on are close to my heart and I 100% support your desire to raise consciousness along these lines. Thank you for speaking up with such clarity, insight, and conviction.
Wow, another great post! You're right that there are far too few Christian leaders showing the way forward. And there's definitely a subtle message of passivity within much of Christianity. I wrote all about my own experience with it here and how it nearly destroyed me:
I certainly haven't figured it all out and while I now take an active approach to engaging with my own life and family I still need to find a way to do more in my community. Christianity is ripe for a rewrite of it's interpretation. The Operating System largely doesn't work. People are too focused on a someday Heaven that Jesus probably wasn't referring to instead of doing the work in the here and now.
Can't wait to hear more from you:) Have a great week ahead!!
I’ve had different church experiences where we understood God loves all people and is not an exclusive club. The Calvinist fire and brimstone hell was considered an obsolete view. I’ve come to understand ‘hell’ more in terms of the personal experience of being alienated from community and losing the senses of self and of self worth. ‘Church’ after all is the community of people that come and worship together, rather than just a name for a building. There is a lot of good stuff happening in many modern (pre-woke) Christian churches.
You make a wonderful point about service to community. The most recent church I was a member of, for many years in the west, was very service oriented- through local outreach via soup kitchens, as well as missions trips to other countries. Many members put in their time locally and abroad in addition to their donations.
I have also found through direct experience over many years that Boy Scouts (and Cub Scouts) was a strong institution, turning boys into men of integrity and character (“fun with a purpose”) with a plethora of service-oriented opportunities and teachings. The Eagle project is almost always a community service project - I’ve not heard of one that wasn’t.
Other organizations, such as Lions Club, provide opportunities for service to community that can last for the rest of one’s life, if one chooses.
We would do well as a society to spend less time with our dehumanizing blue screens, which don’t solve problems and sap our time and inclination to work with others, and instead spend more time out in the community touching the lives of our brothers and sisters in a positive way and seeing/experiencing our fellow humanity.
I am going to take issue with your assertion that Christianity is not suited for the modern world. It's not that Christianity is a poor fit for the modern world, but that it is a misapplication of Christ's teaching even to focus on "this" world instead of the next.
Where "modern" Christianity goes off the rails is that it tries to be of this world. Too often, priests and pastors want to impose their perception of God's Kingdom here on Earth, rather than focusing on leading their flock towards God's Kingdom itself. This is the same corruption that Jesus railed against, calling out the Jewish priests and their expropriation of the Jewish purity laws to impose their political will on the Jewish people. The path towards God can never be a path defined by Man.
Whether one is Christian or Buddhist (the two traditions with which I am most familiar, having wandered from Christianity into Buddhism and back into Christianity over the years), or, I would imagine, an adherent of any other spiritual tradition, the "goal" of spiritual practice is not to master this world, but rather to set it aside. In my experience spiritual practice is most fruitful when it is focused on letting go of the cares and attachments of this world.
Paul alludes to this in Romans when he speaks of the law of faith. And Romans is itself a rebuke to all those who claim that anyone who does not believe in Jesus is going to Hell:
"When Gentiles who have not the law do by nature what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that what the law requires is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness and their conflicting thoughts accuse or perhaps excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus." (Romans 2:14-16)
What matters is that we follow God's Law. Whether we apprehend that Law as the Ten Commandments or as the Four Noble Truths is irrelevant. If men honestly and devoutly pursue the path of righteousness, if they seek to do that which is truly right and not that which is merely popular, such men, according to Paul, have hope they will be received kindly on the Day of Judgment.
(Of course, if you say something like this to a great many "modern" evangelicals, they will roundly condemn you as being a tool of Satan. At least, that's what seems to happen when I say it to them!)
This is a superb launch to your new Substack--not disjointed at all. The topic(s) you are focused on are close to my heart and I 100% support your desire to raise consciousness along these lines. Thank you for speaking up with such clarity, insight, and conviction.
Wow, another great post! You're right that there are far too few Christian leaders showing the way forward. And there's definitely a subtle message of passivity within much of Christianity. I wrote all about my own experience with it here and how it nearly destroyed me:
https://reorder.substack.com/p/has-jesus-left-you-passive
I certainly haven't figured it all out and while I now take an active approach to engaging with my own life and family I still need to find a way to do more in my community. Christianity is ripe for a rewrite of it's interpretation. The Operating System largely doesn't work. People are too focused on a someday Heaven that Jesus probably wasn't referring to instead of doing the work in the here and now.
Can't wait to hear more from you:) Have a great week ahead!!
I’ve had different church experiences where we understood God loves all people and is not an exclusive club. The Calvinist fire and brimstone hell was considered an obsolete view. I’ve come to understand ‘hell’ more in terms of the personal experience of being alienated from community and losing the senses of self and of self worth. ‘Church’ after all is the community of people that come and worship together, rather than just a name for a building. There is a lot of good stuff happening in many modern (pre-woke) Christian churches.
You make a wonderful point about service to community. The most recent church I was a member of, for many years in the west, was very service oriented- through local outreach via soup kitchens, as well as missions trips to other countries. Many members put in their time locally and abroad in addition to their donations.
I have also found through direct experience over many years that Boy Scouts (and Cub Scouts) was a strong institution, turning boys into men of integrity and character (“fun with a purpose”) with a plethora of service-oriented opportunities and teachings. The Eagle project is almost always a community service project - I’ve not heard of one that wasn’t.
Other organizations, such as Lions Club, provide opportunities for service to community that can last for the rest of one’s life, if one chooses.
We would do well as a society to spend less time with our dehumanizing blue screens, which don’t solve problems and sap our time and inclination to work with others, and instead spend more time out in the community touching the lives of our brothers and sisters in a positive way and seeing/experiencing our fellow humanity.
"We need more healthy spirituality, and fast." ... "Christianity is not succeeding in America" -- Maybe, people are realizing this and there's a reawakening. New Catholic Podcast "The Catechism in a Year" Hits #1 on Apple All Categories -- ( https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-catholic-podcast-the-catechism-in-a-year-hits-1-on-apple-all-categories-301712706.html ) -- That's an interesting trend. Also, a friend sent me a link "You Won't Believe What They Just Did On Live Television In Front Of 10 Million People" ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5U1QAyz0BPM ) -- They prayed. They didn't meditate.
We haven't overcome the evil forces in the world but it's signs that people may be moving in the right direction. Miracles happen.