[Note: Yes, I realize that yesterday this was a manifesto and today it is a declaration. That is because my good wife said she didn’t read it yesterday because she didn’t know what a manifesto was. Well I had to admit I wasn’t sure either but that it sounded really good. To that she suggested I stick to things I know instead of trying to be something I am not (like an intellectual), so it is now a declaration, meaning it contains a number of beliefs and perspectives on the world that we believe are necessary in order to interact in the culture in which we live instead of remaining separate and aloof. This list is by no means complete, but more of a beginning to get the discussion going. Please let me know what you think and if you have something to add. Because I believe these things are central to our work here at the Catch, we will be putting it in a permanent place on our site where we can refer to it and watch it develop.]
Whereas: We are followers of Christ who are wary about things that are given the cultural label “Christian”; and
Whereas: “Christian” has become a term that has more to do with how one aligns oneself politically and socially, or how one behaves in relation to certain cultural mores, than it does with anything of the heart; and
Whereas: We want to be Christians – but with a new definition;
We have come to the following conclusions:
We realize that we live in a world dominated by secular minds and philosophies. Because of our love for all people and our desire for them to know the love of Christ, we choose to learn about and interact with these philosophies rather than categorically reject them. When it becomes obvious that we have to part ways with the world to avoid compromise of our beliefs, we will do this in such a way as to not judge others who don’t feel as we do.
Though our hearts are connected to eternity, our feet are firmly planted on earth. For this reason we will strategize, barter, study and grow in two kingdoms. We have found that these two kingdoms need not always be warring against each other. We have found the things of God in the earthly world, and we have found evil in the kingdom of heaven, just as the parables of Jesus indicated we would.
We have learned to appreciate the artistic expressions of those who may not be following Christ. We will not begin with the assumption that they are wrong so that we can condemn them, but with the belief that they are right about something so that we can communicate with those who value their work.
We will not be threatened by “other paths to God” knowing that there is only one God and one way to reach Him, and if people are truly seeking Him, they will ultimately find their way to Christ even if they started out by way of another path.
We believe that wherever we go, God got there first. This means at least three things:
1) There is always something to find and embrace in the world, since God’s truth is everywhere.
2) We are never alone because there is nowhere we can go on earth or in heaven where God is not present.
3) There are many shoulders people are riding on other than our own. We do not have to finish everyone’s search; we are merely helping them along the way. If we happen to be there when someone comes to Christ, we will be overjoyed, but we will realize we are only part of a long line of witnesses who have prepared the way.
[…to be continued.]
John Fischer The Catch 
And to that last one… that it is not our responsibility that they accept Christ, for we do not control that. God does and only God can move their heart. It’s our responsibility that we tell them about Christ, preferably in a way that doesn’t harm the message.
And, it’s important that even if we feel like we failed in telling them properly or perfectly, we must remember that God will take that effort and use it.
(and about the manifesto… I can’t help thinking Unabomber whenever I hear the word manifesto – he definitely messed up the meaning of that word for me forever!!)
Hi John,
To me, your Declarations are like an expansion on this quote from Jesus in Matthew 10:16:
“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.”
Here is pertinent commentary from Clarke’s (http://bible.cc/matthew/10-16.htm):
Wise (φρονιμοι prudent) as serpents, and harmless as doves – This is a proverbial saying: so in Shir hashirim Rabba, fol. 16, “The holy blessed God said to the Israelites, Ye shall be towards me as upright as the doves; but, towards the Gentiles, as cunning as serpents.”
There is a beauty in this saying which is seldom observed. The serpent is represented as prudent to excess, being full of cunning, Genesis 3:1; 2 Corinthians 11:3; and the dove is simple, even to stupidity, Hosea 7:11; but Jesus Christ corrects here the cunning of the serpent, by the simplicity of the dove; and the too great simplicity of the dove, by the cunning of the serpent. For a fine illustration of this text, see the account of the Boiga: –
Jesus message to us calls for radical change in our way of looking at things, a reassessment of long-held assumptions. I find it easy to get caught up in “thinking” about these things and avoiding the call to be in relationship with Christ and through that relationship, also in relationship with his creation. That’s where the sharp edges are honed down, where I become aware of how judgmental I can be. Whew!
Thanks for shedding some light on this discussion.
1man·i·fes·to noun \ˌma-nə-ˈfes-(ˌ)tō\
plural man·i·fes·tos or man·i·fes·toes is a written statement declaring publicly the intentions, motives, or views of its issuer.
Chris·tian [kris-chuhn]–adjective
1.of, pertaining to, or derived from Jesus Christ or His teachings: a Christian faith.
2.of, pertaining to, believing in, or belonging to the religion based on the teachings of Jesus Christ: Spain is a Christian country.
3.of or pertaining to Christians: many Christian deaths in the Crusades.
Thanks. This means that manifesto wasn’t the word I wanted anyway. This is not meant to be a public declaration as much as one for Christians to reconstruct how we live in the world.
Wonderful reminder about who we really are in Christ. The message sounds just like Jesus – loving and leaving judgement to God. Thanks.
I couldn’t have said it better!
Well done, John!
Jesus didn’t change His name when the people didn’t like what they perceived He was all about. Neither will I. The term has been fine for 20 centuries. I suspect it will be around for a while.
I’m not with you on this statement: “we have found evil in the kingdom of heaven.” Really? What, then, is the kingdom of heaven? Isn’t that where God reigns? Surely we have not found evil where God reigns? Of course not. What we have found, of course, is evil among those who claim to be reigned over by God. We have found evil in the church. We have found evil among people who are, at least to some extent, kingdom citizens — but I can’t affirm the way you worded that. I suspect we’re thinking the same things, but I can’t join you on that wording. Maybe a little tweaking?
You will have to take this one up with Jesus. Three of the parables in Matthew 13 begin with: “The kingdom of heaven is like…” and then continue to picture evil influence (the four kind of soil, the mustard seed that grows abnormally and the leaven in the loaf). My conclusion is that he is talking about the kingdom of heaven on earth, and thus the church.
John, I like your manifesto AND your declaration. 🙂 But I don’t think that “Christian” and “culture” have to be mutually exclusive. In other words, I think you CAN have a Christian culture, and also be open to other people and not exclusive and aloof. I believe a Christian culture CAN include all peoples as long as that culture is built on grace and not works.
The First Century Church struggled with this. Believers that came from a Jewish background wanted the new church to maintain Jewish traditions, which were VERY exclusive. But the church fathers nixed that idea, setting up a very short list of “rules” for Gentile converts to follow: don’t eat things that had been strangled, don’t eat blood and avoid sexual immorality. But we have lengthened that list since then to include all kinds of things.
In Luther’s day, the list was long and tedious, which is why he wrote the 95 theses and nailed them to the door of the church at Wittenburg. He wanted to end all the nit-picky rules that man had added to God’s rules. Christ dealt with the same issue in His day with the Pharisees and their rules.
God’s rules are always a short list. Love and grace are always simple, though not always easy. I think we can build a culture that is based on that. Where we run into trouble is when we try to build a culture on rules that God has not endorsed. So it’s not Christian culture that’s at fault, but the RULES we build that culture on.
If we will stick to God’s rules – i.e., love God and love our neighbor – I don’t see why we can’t have a Christian culture and ALSO be open and welcoming to all who desire to know Christ.
Thanks for your brainstorming. It’s producing good fruit.
Waitsel
We as Americans in the 21st century with our 24/7 cable news networks get “mental pictures” when we hear certain words or phrases. If I tell a gay co-worker that I’m a Christian, they may get a mental picture of the Rev. Phelps group holding signs that say “God Hates Fags”. If I say the same to a Muslim, they may picture the Florida pastor Terry Jones burning the Koran. Do I think that this is fair to Christians? No, I don’t. Why would I want to fight an uphill battle with someone that I want to share my faith with? I don’t want to fight a battle at all. I will choose to tell them that I am a faithful believer in Jesus Christ. I will love them as Christ has commanded me. I will treat them with dignity & respect. Then I will let God do His job.
Has anyone read “Unchristian” by David Kinnaman? It is essentially saying what John is saying. He is right, we have turned word Christian into a political, uncaring word. The next generation of people do not associate the word Christian in a positive manner. The best we can do is prove to others that to be a Christian is to love and leave the rest to God. Jesus loved and died for EVERYONE!
Thanks John, I look forward to The Catch everyday!
Yes. I’ve read it. David, George Barna and I think along some of the same lines.
Hmmmm MAnifesto..sounds like subversive, liberal communist stuff…HA_HA. I love it..YOu have put into words what I have felt for so long. Jesus wasn’t a republican, and if I am a believer or follower, that does not mean i am slow between the ears. I think the Kingdom of GOd has been tied to too many things, in the culture we live in..ANymore I would rather hang with the lost , than have believers quiz me on my stance on every thing that comes down the pike.. Thanks John. YOU hit another home run
” . . . the world is dominated by secular minds and philosophies.” I’m not sure about the secular/Christian dichotomy you set up here. It seems like it’s more fluid than that for me. I think most of us are influenced at least as much by the “secular” as we are by the teachings of Jesus in terms of the lens by which we see and interact with everything and everyone around us. By the way, “manifesto” works for me. I’ve enjoyed both parts and look forward to upcoming installments. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.