“Why do
you call me good? No one is good but God alone."
- Jesus
I will say a
few things in case anyone doesn't want to read further after what I’ve said. Of
course, something we don't read could be an idea which never crossed our minds,
previously. This may almost be a brief rant, but it’s not intended as a
diatribe. Yes, the introductory quote will be relevant. That quote is relevant
in Christianity because if Jesus didn’t want to be called good, it’s probably a
beneficial concept to pursue ourselves. “Why do you call me good? No one is
good but God alone." I know many who consider themselves progressive
Christians. There is nothing wrong with being a Christian wanting a better
Christianity. Certainly, some portions of Christian history aren’t all that
admirable; however, some were indeed. For example, Mother Teresa and many
others were exemplary in their faith. We can’t change history. We must take the
good with the bad, and then again often this is true for all aspects of life.
My concern in this post is that if we really shouldn’t call ourselves good, we should
be careful in judging others. Well, that is my introduction, here we go.
First and
foremost, if we judge, we are not progressives. We are simply someone being
critical of someone who has a slightly different worldview. We may as well
accept we are also fundamentalists with a different worldview than the one we
believe is wrong. A good question I like to ask is can I prove the other person
is wrong in their view? Furthermore, if we answer yes because it's how we interpret
Scriptures, I rest my case. We are then obviously fundamentalists like any
other, but with a different view (or a different type). Based on my experience,
if one is really searching, our worldview might change more than once throughout
our life, depending on many factors. This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t question or
challenge what doesn’t seem right.
We constantly
must evaluate right and wrong as we grow in our spiritual lives. I personally
question many things. A good example for me is should the Lord's message be
given freely? I have always thought, yes. Did Jesus say in The Great Commission
go into all the world and charge a hefty fee for the good news? Some aspects of
church have become a business. Yes, there are some who have private jets, and
all sorts of things to aid in spreading their message. A lot of that message is
interpretation of Scripture by them. Sadly, Scriptures are often interpreted for
someone's own personal benefit. If we look at church history, not just using a Sola-Scriptura
worldview, we might learn that some of the customs of the early fathers were not
the way we've interpreted them to be today. This is probably why many prefer not
to study history that much. There’s much in Scriptures that can enlighten us
about making a living from the Good News. For instance, from Scriptures alone
we know that Saint Paul was a tent maker. He worked secularly. Don't get me wrong,
everyone knows if one is fair and honest in what they do. Do your own self-analysis.
It is always good to check where we are at a certain moment in time like the
present. I will stop here. Blessings!
