Losing Your Balance

Photo credit:  Melinda Sue Gordon/Sony Pictures

An interview with actor Brad Pitt highlighted an ongoing problem in Christianity.

Recently as I drove to meet my wife for lunch, I heard a familiar voice on the radio.  After listening for a few minutes I remembered that the voice belonged to the American actor Brad Pitt.

In the interview, being conducted by NPR's Terry Gross, Mr. Pitt recalled how Christianity made an impact on his early life, but also how he ultimately went away from it.  He said that there were "many other reasons" for his departure, but one of them that he chose to highlight caught my attention because it resonated with some of my experience with Christianity, and maybe it will resonate with you as well.  The reason can be explained in one word, exclusiveness.

The Balancing Act

Many balancing acts exist in Christianity, a key one being the balance between exclusiveness (being separate) and inclusiveness (being inviting).  The Bible speaks many times of the need for a distinction between believers and nonbelievers.  We read in the Old Testament section of the Bible where God and His prophets repeatedly tell the nation of Israel how and why it needs to be separate from the surrounding nations and their false systems of worship.

We also see the separation in the New Testament in many of the teachings of Jesus especially in the parables recorded in Matthew 25 (foolish vs. wise virgins, resourceful vs. lazy servants, sheep vs. goats). The apostle Paul spoke of separating from those who did not believe the truth; especially from those who had a superficial theology (as we will look at later in this post).  So the Bible states that a time and place exists for exclusivity, but what happens when this exclusiveness becomes unbalanced?

Why Don't They Get To Go To Heaven Then?

You have people asking questions like that one.  This question came from a young Brad Pitt as he struggled with Christianity.  The full quotation goes as follows.

"I was very curious about the world even at a young age, and I don't know at what point I became aware that other cultures believed in different religions, and my question was, 'Well, why don't they get to go to heaven then?' And the answer was always, 'Well, everyone gets a chance — meaning at the word of God as it was described to me then. And that didn't sit well with me then."

Many people have asked that question or at least have had a sense of uneasiness about the subject.  That group included me, at least until I discovered this passage in the book of Romans.

"For merely listening to the law doesn’t make us right with God. It is obeying the law that makes us right in his sight. Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know his law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right. And this is the message I proclaim—that the day is coming when God, through Christ Jesus, will judge everyone’s secret life."  Romans 2-13-16 (NLT)

In this passage, the apostle Paul highlighted this concept as a way of contrasting the behavior of apparent outsiders (the Gentiles) with the proclaimed insiders (the Jews).  Key thoughts being that the Gentiles did not have to hear the law to fulfill its requirements, and that God will judge people by how they live, not by what they have heard.  So if such relatively plain texts exist then why do we still have the exclusive/inclusive argument, are we neglecting the root of the problem?

The Root of the Problem

Behind an imbalanced view of the exclusive/inclusive concept, a much deeper one exists; an incomplete picture of God.  Why do people have an incomplete picture?  They get it from His professed followers.  Followers of an inviting God often use religion as a barrier between God and those who want to come to Him.  They like things the way they are, and don't want any "sinners" to interfere with life as usual.  The very same problem that the Roman believers had centuries ago continues today with similar results, people hungering for something more are left feeling empty and isolated.  So how do we solve such a problem?

Solving the Problem

To paraphrase a popular saying, we need to be the change that we want to see in the world.  If we want a more balanced Christianity, we must ourselves be more balanced.  If we want Christianity to be more inviting, we need to be more inviting.  If we want people to have a complete picture of God, then we need to have one ourselves.  All this only comes from having a deeper relationship with God.

What incomplete picture of God did you once have or continue to have?  Share in the comments section.