History Matters

"Some religions, ancient and modern, require no historical basis, for they depend on ideas rather than events. Christianity is not one of these." - Everett F. Harrison

This is the opening line to a book called "A Short Life of Christ", and what an opener, eh?

The book is part of my reading list for Scripture School (or SS for short, though I'm pretty certain Adolf Hitler wasn't employing Scripture School to enforce his racial ideology, so best be careful not to confuse the two). A fine book it is, with this one line standing out among many others of similar profoundness.

I don't know about you, but I don't care too much for history. I'm a man who lives in the here and now, and so I don't concern myself with past goings on. I'm reminded of that little exchange between Bart and Krusty the Clown, which nicely sums up my position:

Krusty: Aw, heck: now where am I gonna get a danish?

Bart: Here's a danish, Krusty!

Krusty: Gimme, gimme, gimme! [devours it] Now that's danish! Where'd you get it?

Bart: I stole it from Kent Brockman.

Krusty: Great! [realizes] Uh, he didn't touch it, did he?

Bart: No.

Krusty: Good job, kid! What's your name?

Bart: I'm Bart Simpson. I saved you from jail.

Krusty: [not remembering] Er, I...

Bart: I reunited you with your estranged father.

Krusty: Er, uh, I don't know...

Bart: I saved your career, man! Remember your comeback special?

Krusty: Yeah, well, what have you done for me lately?

Bart: I got you that danish.

Krusty: [grateful] And I'll never forget it.

My point is that I can be so like Krusty, acting with complete disregard for everything that's happened, and caring only for what someone can do for me now.

Such thinking easily carries over to my Christian life, with unhealthy results. I tend to 'Greek up' my Christian experience, reducing it to a supreme knowledge of how the world works or the meaning of life. It may be a well intentioned thing I do, but it misses the point - the point being God's actions in history, and His actions even today.

When the Christian life becomes a list of great ideas, it loses both its power and its relevance. Yes, the Christian life is a really good way to live. I'd even go so far as to say it's the best way to live. Love your neighbour, forgive, be kind, don't steal - these are all desirable virtues. But they're not the basis on which our faith lies. They're a result of our faith, sure, but the faith of a Christian should go much deeper than simply believing that copying Jesus is a good way to live. This is similar to what I wrote about in my last post, but it's not so much the 'how' as the 'what lies behind the 'how''.

The Christian doesn't simply put his or her trust in ideas. Trust is placed in God - the God who acted in history, and who still acts today. Christianity depends on this history, because without it all it is is a dead faith. As Paul said to the Corinthians, if Jesus wasn't raised from the dead then his preaching is in vain, and so is everyone's faith. It's meaningless and futile unless there is a real historical root.

This is why the cross should be such a point of focus for the Christian today. Jesus' death and resurrection is our equivalent of the Red Sea crossing, only greater and more powerful. To meditate on it and inform people of it is not something that is irrelevant to our culture today. This event is the epicentre of God's action in history, and it's the event that separates Christianity from all the idea-based religions and ways of life that we are so easily drawn to. It's an event that is as relevant today as it was two thousand years ago, because it still bridges the gap between God and humanity - something no idea can claim to do.

The fundamental confession of a Christian isn't something ideological. It isn't anything to do with values or morals or good ways of living. The confession is a simple one, rooted in history and just as real today. It's "Jesus is Lord".

Those who reject Christianity most likely don't do so because they don't think it's good to love your neighbour, or treat people well, or to tell the truth. They do so because they reject the history of it. They don't acknowledge God as their Creator, and they don't acknowledge that they needed someone to die on a cross for their sins. You can explain to someone all the good that is involved in the Christian life, but until they can acknowledge the historical truth, and until they can say "Jesus is Lord", they will forever find themselves not being good enough, and not tasting of the grace of His Kingdom.