White Man's Christianity :)

I talked to a brother in the Lord yesterday and he began to talk to me about religion, more specifically an Indian brother that recalls being a youth at the time.

The White Man when trying to assimlate the Native American took young boys and made them cut their hair and go to a Christian Reform school. This man since had no need for religion but one day drunk on the beach of Hawaii He said "Jesus if you are real then I need you to save me." Jesus came in and saved him the next day he realized God had super naturally saved him from his alcohol addition. But what was the first thing this man did? Cut His Hair, why? because that was the proper thing to do as a Christian. But then he found he had His beloved Jesus but then people came to him and told Him he must choose a church, doctrine, and other various things what he believed. He finally fed up with the boxes of Christianity simply held to Jesus and followed Him. He called American Christianity White man's Christianity.

He said he wanted to Live in Christ but keep his cultural tradition all while following Jesus. He no longer wanted to be assimalated and phased out into the White man's world but if He wanted to do a tribal dance of his ancestors for the Lord then He was going to do it, if He wanted His Hair Long He would do that, if he wanted to wear a headdress and engage in his families heritage he should be able to do so.

We are all different culturally and socially and Jesus Christ meets us all in these different places and touches us all the same. Can you relate to this story in some way? Try to simply live for Jesus only to be told your doing it wrong? Or you need this or you need that and if you aren't doing this or that you are going to burn in hell? I know I can, I grew up in White man's Christianity and was filled with so many dos and don'ts I lost connection with Jesus in the middle of it all.

Hold Fast Brothers and Sisters, There is something more to this Christianity than the White Man's Version :)

When we get to see the Father
in HIS glory; HE won't ask what
creed or doctrine you believed,to
what denomination you belonged.
HE will ask you "Did you know
My Son?? Do you love Christ??
Did you follow and serve HIS
purpose?"

Hold Fast Brothers and Sisters, There is something more to this Christianity than the White Man's Version :)

I’m the first to agree with him about “white man’s religion,” they’ve certainly taken over most of the Bible belt!! (hehe)

We, white people, don't realize how DIFFICULT it is to even fathom giving up one’s “culture,” b/c most whites don't have a rich, deep history in their family (or few do), we've only been here for 200 yrs or so... but forgive me if I'm wrong about your family.

But those who do have a rich history and culture ties have to consider giving up their “identity,” sometimes family and/or a way of life.

And white man's religion has made people have to choose instead of allowing the Holy Ghost to "show them" what they can keep or give up.

Just my two cents!

God bless,
Lisa

I agree, Watching one of my favorite musicals Fiddler on the Roof there is a scene that I just love to watch and the is the scene with the Sabbath day Prayer. Something about that scene is just beautiful to me.

I believe if we are to effectly reach other cultures then we need to allow Jesus to reach the people of that culture while maintaining the beauty of that culture that is edifying and glorifying to Christ Jesus.

in Acts 15 28 For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things;
29 That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.

The culture of the day was sacraficing animals to gods.
ie. demons. so for a christian to eat at a place that did this would be a stumbling block to other brothers. 'jews' trying to convert to christianity.

the culture also enjoyed fornicating with temple prostitutes, or any prostitute.
God frowns on this behavior.

So believers in the beginning that were gentiles became subject to some form of doctrine, "teaching".
This teaching is an example of what some form of godliness would look like and be subject to.
For we turn from the ways of the world and to the ways of Christ.
I have found that when we become believers we feel and sence a need to be right with God in every fascet of life.
We can join a church or buy a book and discover quite early that someone who has been matured in the Lord for 40 years can put all the things that the Lord has put on their heart to live a lifestyle more pleasing to Him, 'God'
but we can read this book and it looks like a bunch of rules that are imposed on us new believers.
Were not mature enough to accept all that was revealed to the person that has been tempered by the Holy Spirit for such a long time.
To try and follow their path would be impossible anyway and seem like an impossible burden or even bondage.
yet to them it's a joy to follow the Lord's leadings.
If we see it as white mans religion, or church doctrine we misunderstand where some well meaning people are trying to do. Yet if its just a bunch of doctrine people are trying to impose on others it's not really serving it's purpose.
The purpose of any true doctrine is to get us to see things as God sees them.
If Jesus said he will send His spirit to convict us of sin and righteousness and judgment. then the spirit will convict us of things that are not pleasing to Him. then we are compelled to stop doing these things and we share what the Lord has shown us to others, or write a book for others to read and maybe be seen as someone who is just trying to force some doctring on others.
We as christians tend to build fences around things that could be perceived as sinnful or having an appearance of sin, and as to not be a stumbling block we build another fence so as to not cause another brother to stumble. it's done out of love, but could be perceived as just another rule.

But remember, culture can be built around a belief system that is contrary to the ways of God. white black red yellow, doesnt matter.
If my culture every wednesday on a full moon dances to the devil, I would stop doing that.
If my culture thinks that celebrating and sacraficing a virgin to it's goddess fufills some sort of requirement for a good season, id stop doing that as well.
Christianity does not require us to stop a part of culture in our lives, as long as our culture doesnt violate God's culture.
American culture allows americans to hate someone who hurts us or our family members.
God's culture violates that thought pattern and says pray for our enemy's and forgive them.
American culture is headed towards not being allowed to say that homosexuality is sinful.
But God's culture says the opposite.
To try and blend christianity with culture may not be according to God's will.
I believe that when I became a christian that I died to myself and belong to Christ, this means dying to my culture and reading my bible and discovering what Christ has for me and what my new culture is going to be.

These are my thoughts, something to think about anyway.
God bless

Very Good, and I appreciate them very much. I agree with your post and it seems no culture is perfectly lined up with God's culture seems Jesus and the Holy Spirit working in us are the only ones that can get it right.

I believe the Native American individual was speaking of just what you were talking about. I have been guilty of using religion as a crutch and an excuse for laziness, though it was a lot of work. Instead of deeply seeking Christ I grew up in a culture where "deeply seeking Christ" was based on how many memory verses you had memorized, how often you attended church, which church you attended, what clothes you wore, what translation you read from, etc etc. Always trying to fit the some saw as a good Christian Life while it may appear good on the outside my relationship with Christ was more proof that I knew nothing about Him.

I have seen in many churches what they believe listed and handed to you as you walked in, I would guess 80 to 90% out of wanting to be accepted, simply accepts what the piece of paper says while never deeply interacting with the Lord Jesus to find out what He teaches and taught. Its shear laziness on the part of not only the person but the church that does such things as well. Religion just makes it cut and dry and enevitably dead. This is why I have started to ask my youth group "What do YOU believe?" I have told you what I believe but I want you to know what YOU believe.

I've learned a great deal from stepping outside of my own contemporary confines...not only culturally but also chronologically. One thing I've learned is that my fundamentalist upbringing cut me off from the more spiritual inner life that my Christian ancestors used to walk in as a matter of course a hundred years ago in this country. This deafness to the things of the spirit is no small deficit in a movement that claims to first and foremost uphold the inerrant view of scripture!

Perhaps out of a need to distinguish itself from the new age movement, the fundamentalistic evangelicals have been wary of anything other then a rationalistic approach to Christianity...which I believe has led to a pragmatic and even materialistic view of life. A lack of spiritual resources within our daily lives is one reason I believe evangelical churches turn to business and technological resources.

It is also one reason I believe many of our Evangelical churches are struggling. Many modern anglo evangelicals are so pragmatic that they have no cultural center...they are too willing to speak in lowbrow vernacular commercial languages, that they don't know who they are, or where they have come from.

One example of this lostness is that many anglo christians have forgotten their ancestors practiced an inner life that we might label as mysticism today. That was before we traded the slower, deeper vocabulary of the sprit for the new and improved fast acting message of pop culture. Compare the writings of evangelicals a hundred years ago with those of today and you'll see that evangelicals used to transcend material life, while today we are mostly preoccupied with it in terms of prosperity and political pursuits. Yet such cynical temporary packaging of the gospel simply doesn't transcend the cares and concerns of our material live...much of modern white mans Christianity has nothing to offer the soul.

This is an area that I believe our native American brethren can help us a great deal in. Like the Celtic Christians, in the middle ages, many Native American Christians have been kept their ancestors value on the spiritual. I'm not romanticizing here...I know everyone, and every culture has their share of deep problems. That is why Jesus is savior of every tribe and every nation! What i am saying is that their culture, as fractured as it is in this century, is still intact enough to remember the idea that we need to take time to nurture the spiritual within ourselves as individuals and as communities.

At least I am speaking for myself. A few years ago I was accused of being a mystic! Me, a fundamentalist white boy from Virginia! Actually the accusation was something of an awakening...I was expressing a concern for the inner life with Christ, and as feeble as my expression was, it creates a great deal of uneasiness in many white churches. As I collect historical books of our faith, I like to point out that some of what we might call mysticism today, was normal Christianity until the past 100-150 years.

This is not another anti white rant.. I might sound like a liberal, but the reason I could never call myself a liberal is because too many in that school don't preach reconciliation, they preach revenge. On the contrary, I love my Irish culture! I love it so much that I am inclined to reawaken the parts of our modern "souls" that we have lost in our technocratic religious enterprises during the last century...by being wise enough to learn from other cultures.

One such culture I learn from is that which is alive and well among individuals known as the Native American. They have taught me reconciliation. I love much of this culture! It's story completes the cultural identity of my north American homeland. They are part of my story as an American. I study their history as part of my history, and play their music as part of my music. I take my children to pow wows as well as Irish musical festivals. I want them to grow up seeing themselves as part of both....this is part of reconciliation...that our children don't fear or look down on one another...especially those who are in Christ!

Here are some excellent Christian Native American ministries and artists. I'll offer the usual disclaimer that I don't agree with everything by everybody blah blah...and then offer these links for your edification.

http://www.brokenwalls.com/content/

http://www.cherylbear.com

http://www.jasonupton.net/store2010/index.php/great-river-road-cd.htm

http://www.billmillerarts.com/

blessings,

MCl