Christianity’s Relevance for Today

Hope College had, in addition to fine science departments, an outstanding philosophy professor, religious courses and daily chapel services. My friend Bill and I lived in the same rooming house just down the hall from each other. One evening, I needed to ask Bill a question. I walked down the hall and knocked quietly on his door. When he didn't answer I opened the door and there I found Bill on his knees, praying by the side of his bed. Dumbfounded, I silently closed his door. I had never seen anyone doing that before.

As college graduation approached I found that I needed several more credits in organic chemistry to receive my degree. Wheaton College offered an intensive summer course that would fulfill my requirement, and so I headed there for July and August. The weather was stiflingly hot and humid but the air-conditioned library offered the welcome relief and quiet needed to study.

However, I found myself in a mental and spiritual crisis as I faced the imminent need to decide what do with the rest of my life. I was no longer sure I wanted to become a doctor, and if not, then what? The evangelical religious atmosphere for which Wheaton College was well known may have influenced my thinking, as did Bill's prior theological seminary enrollment. As I continued to attend my classes and labs, I wrestled with deep uncertainties, endured many sleepless nights and lost 25 pounds. And I thought often of Bill on his knees, praying. He never spoke to me of his faith, but I noticed that he seemed quite sure of where he was going and why.

Then one night, alone in my room and on the verge of a nervous breakdown, for the first time in my life I fell on my knees at my bedside, moved by a force I didn't understand, and accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. That experience was a powerful personal encounter.

Coming to that commitment had been excruciatingly difficult, an intense and costly struggle within myself. As many Christians would say, I had a “born-again” experience, but I had no idea how it happened, and was not expecting it. There are several other words that express the same experience: “conversion”, “change of heart”, “turned around”, and “called”. Every Christian is “called” to be a believer and follower of Christ, whether that calling is sudden, a dramatic struggle, or whether it occurs, as it more often happens, through the witness of parents or other respected adults as one grows up and matures in the faith community. However it happens, it is an opening of the spiritual eyes and heart, and yet remains a mystery. The great majority of Christians feel called to continue their life's work in a Christian spirit, while some are drawn to full-time Church-related work. That, I soon became convinced was to be my calling. I applied, and was soon enrolled in Western Seminary, in Holland, Michigan.

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What hope do we have as people of conscience, especially as Christians, for the world to be a better place? For people to behave differently—to be altruistic, self-sacrificing, cooperating with a sincere desire to help one another? Can we expect the Kingdom of God to come on earth?

Mankind does have a sense of “God”, of transcendent power and values, expressed in religion, which is indigenous in all civilizations and societies. In fact, a strong collective endorsement of ethical and moral principles may be necessary for a civilization to exist. I believe that God's Spirit is inherent in all of the world's great and enduring religions. I also believe that they reveal, in their core teachings and symbols, the same message for their adherents: you are set on this earth by God, by whatever name, who expects you to show humble respect for his rule and to care for his world, especially your fellow creatures.

The chief world religions provide not only a certain understanding of the world and how to relate to it, but also codes of behavior, dictating the best ways to live one's life and treat others. They set specific rules for relating to other people. The Abrahamic faiths all include variations on The Golden Rule. Whereas the Torah and Qur'an dictate “Do not do unto others what you do not want them to do unto you”, the Christian version is an imperative to positive action, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” All of these imply a rejection of the Old Testament rule of revenge, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth”.

Therefore, I believe, the authentic religious leaders of the world must re-examine the insights and wisdom of the faiths they represent, and speak the truth for our time. They must go beyond merely acquainting themselves with the beliefs and practices of other religions, and preaching “tolerance". They must meet together, embrace and acknowledge their common humanity, discarding their fear and suspicion of one another. They must “turn the other cheek” to justifiable criticism, but also put up with a great deal of ignorant, even vicious antagonism, without resorting to meanness, pettiness and violence. They must allow themselves to be emotionally and spiritually vulnerable to the intimate experience of identifying with the “other”, which bestows empathy. They must have the courage and integrity to examine honestly the barriers they have lived behind, and open themselves up to real dialogue, which they must foster within their own societies.