The Viability of the Christian Way of Life

by Tom Meredith

Yes, I know, most of you are fed up with the ubiquitous (and frequently hackneyed) religious rhetoric that unabatedly continues to permeate American society, particularly in "the era of Bush." Let me assure you, I am too. In a largely post-Christian culture, the sad fact of the matter is that when the faith inaugurated by Jesus of Nazareth is mentioned at all, immediately images of "Pat Robertson-esque figures," "gay bashers," and/or (for those of us who attended public universities) "fanatical campus Bible-thumpers" come to mind. These archetypal figures—in the eyes of both the educated and the uneducated alike—epitomize the "absurdity" of espousing the peculiar brand of apocalyptical Judaism which, for roughly the last two millennia, has been called "Christianity."

Though many other contributing factors could certainly be adduced, nearly all parties would agree that the domino effect begun with the watershed "event" of the Enlightenment, furthered by the ever-new discoveries of the modern sciences, and completed by the aforementioned (and similar) perversions of Christian faith, has served to virtually eliminate the Christian system from "the pool of viable worldviews" out of which the sincere and critical seeker may select her (or his) philosophy of life. With the faith of Jesus relegated to the dustbin of ancient superstition, many (though manifestly not all!) opt for a brand of "secular humanism" that seeks to embrace life from a nontheistic starting point. While admittedly running the risk of being lumped into the aforementioned category of "religious bigots," the burden of the remainder of this article will be to demonstrate—at least in inchoate form—the preferability of the Christian faith as the most cogent foundation of human existence.

Before doing so, I would like to begin by saying that my knowledge of the enormously complex philosophy broadly dubbed "secular humanism" is minimal. Taking to heart the axiom that one should not criticize what he or she does not understand, I will not primarily attempt to attack secular humanism. Besides, if I did, I am fairly confident that I would not be taken seriously anyway. Now, it matters very little to me if I am reckoned a fool, but it is of the utmost importance that Christianity not be written off as farcical; therefore, I will avoid such an unhelpful assault. (Note: Fundamentalists such as Robertson and Bush can readily be consulted if this type of "laughable caricature" is being sought!) Instead, I will offer a few broad reasons why I believe faith in Jesus to be the most tenable and coherent philosophy for the twenty-first century individual, intermingled with some "gentle challenges" to the secular worldview.

For starters, one must make clear what Christianity is and what it is not. Christianity is a personal commitment to—and faith in—Jesus of Nazareth as the perfect manifestation of God to humanity. The life that the earthly Jesus lived he lived in flawless obedience to truth, to righteousness, to the demands of love—in a word, to God's standard. This "quality of life" is available to all who come to God through Jesus, provided that the would-be disciple openly confesses his or her inability to obtain such a praiseworthy character by his or her efforts alone. This, in an abbreviated nutshell, is Christianity. Christianity is not mindless adherence to unverifiable dogmas, merciless rejection of all who demur at one's creed, and the parroting of otherworldly poppycock that vilifies the experiences and pleasures of this world. Though many in our day are under the (false) impression that the latter is the religion of Jesus, the biblical Jesus would have had (and, in my opinion, will have) scathing words for those who perpetuate such falsehoods. Once the inauthentic expressions of Christian faith common in our day are excoriated and disposed of, it is my conviction that what remains of Jesus' religion (as demonstrated in and through the lives of his modern-day disciples) is the most intellectually satisfying and emotionally convincing "explanation" of human existence.

Contrary to philosophies that offer the (apparently) exhilarating (yet ultimately despair-inducing) prospect of "creating one's own meaning" in a "cosmically meaningless" life, Christian faith provides a stable foundation upon which to ground one's innate sense of life's "purpose." For the Christian, humanity is not the random accident of a Creatorless cosmos, but is rather the crown jewel of the entire "divine experiment." Yes, at times the human race has hardly furnished much evidence that this is so, but the woeful truth of this statement actually serves (quite paradoxically) as indirect confirmation of Christianity's veracity.

In addition, the Christian faith sets forth a definitive answer to the age-old question regarding immortality. Through the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, God has demonstrated his intimate involvement in our world racked with sin and death, providing all of humanity with the hope of continued existence beyond our fleeting pilgrimage upon this earth. To be sure, this hope is not meant to trivialize the substance of our terrestrial lives, but rather to deepen and enrich it.

Finally, the Christian faith furnishes its adherents with a compelling basis for "traditional morality." While nearly all modern people approve of such virtues as love, self-sacrifice, and kindness—while condemning such vices as deceit, cowardice, and pretentiousness—it seems to me that the Christian stands on the firmest ground in affirming such values. As Nietzsche noted over a century ago, the most logical result of a "Godless" universe is not the adoption of a "default noble morality" offered by humanism, but rather the implementation of a "self-serving nihilism." From a Christian standpoint, this "noble morality" championed by the majority of humanity (regardless of their theological viewpoint) is an utterly grounded and objective one, rooted in the self-sacrificial love God demonstrated toward us in the incarnation of Jesus Christ. Such morality is not the chimerical by-product of a utilitarian decision made in the evolutionary interest of self-preservation, but is rather the sum and substance of an existence fashioned by a living God with the intention of producing a flourishing race of humanity.

Though I am not so naïve as to think that the majority of my readers will find this argumentative tack compelling, I would ask that you not dismiss these reflections as uncritical and/or myopic flimflam. As Dostoevsky so poignantly phrases it, "It is not as a child that I believe and confess Jesus Christ. My hosanna is born of a furnace of doubt." My hunch is that all of us (whether secular humanist, Christian, or any of the myriad worldviews up for grabs) who ponder deeply the mysteries of life frequently have occasion to wrestle with (at times profound) uncertainty. For those among you who are not inveterately opposed to the Christian religion, I commend the authentic faith of Jesus and his genuine disciples—both ancient and modern—as the most viable worldview in the contemporary marketplace of both religious and secular ideas.