The Prayer I Simply Can’t Pray Anymore

Regardless of now not contemplating myself an evangelical, I nonetheless have many buddies who do. So, I attempt to stroll the road between respecting their beliefs and saying a agency “no” to the facets of evangelicalism that I consider are dangerous.

This has created a number of awkward moments.

For instance, when an evangelical buddy gave me a prayer request the opposite day, I politely refused to hope for what he requested. “I’m sorry, I cannot pray for that,” I stated.

It was the form of prayer request that wouldn’t have raised an eyebrow within the evangelical church world, however I simply can’t pray it anymore. In actual fact, even when I did pray it, I’m undecided God would reply it, anyway.

You see, my buddy is working a Christian youth camp. The objective of this youth camp is to persuade younger folks to turn into Christians. The tactic of getting these younger folks to turn into Christians is to persuade them that they’re depraved and sinful and in want of the mercy of God, who has poured out the punishment for our depraved sinfulness on his personal son, Jesus Christ… apparently.

Evangelicals name this message the “Gospel,” which, mockingly, means the “Good News.”

It doesn’t sound like excellent news to me.

Nonetheless, to my buddy, that is THE excellent news. And so, he despatched by a prayer request that stated this:

“Please pray that the Spirit would convict the young people of their sinfulness and their part in the sin of this world.”

However I ain’t praying it.

No means.

Right here’s why.

The selection that isn’t a selection

When Evangelicals current their model of the “gospel,” it normally goes one thing like this: “You were born sinful from birth, and the punishment for your sinfulness is eternal conscious torment in a place called Hell. However, God sent his Son, Jesus, to take the punishment for your sins so that if you choose to believe in him, you won’t go to Hell.”

The 1st step in changing somebody to “Christianity” by this methodology is convincing an individual that they’re so depraved that they’re destined for Hell with out intervention from God. That intervention involves us within the type of Jesus Christ: Select Jesus and reside. They name this “the good news,” they usually current it as a free selection each human has to make.

However, let me ask you a query. Does this actually seem to be a lot of a free option to you? I imply, I can get folks to do numerous issues if I threaten them with demise. If I level a gun at an individual and say, “You have a choice to do what I ask, or I’ll kill you,” does that actually represent a selection? In any case, if I threaten to torture an individual, I might get them to say no matter I would like ninety-nine occasions out of 100. Heck, I would even get them to profess that they consider me to be God.

And if I pin an individual face-down on the bottom, maintain their arms behind their again, and dig my knees into their kidneys, I might in all probability power them to say they beloved me if I promised to get off their again. However would they really love me?

No.

Ditch hell out of your gross sales pitch

As quickly as you attempt to get folks to observe Jesus by convincing them of their sinfulness after which bringing Hell into the equation, you’re, in actual fact, taking away free selection by decreasing it all the way down to a non-choice.

You can not create free lovers by power.

An individual who follows Jesus as a result of they consider they’re sure for Hell with out him will not be following Jesus for who Jesus is — however for what Jesus can do for them. They don’t seem to be compelled by love. They’re, in actual fact, merely doing what most human beings would do at a fundamental, instinctual, animal stage: Self-preservation.

Solely if you take away the specter of everlasting punishment — and even the promise of everlasting reward — are you able to say you’re actually intrinsically motivated to observe Christ — moderately than merely following him for what you will get out of the deal. The one who follows Christ with out the specter of Hell or the promise of Heaven is a real follower.

Photograph by Samuel Martins on Unsplash

Hell doesn’t create lovers of God

Proper now, there are tens of millions — if not billions — of individuals internationally who’re afraid of dying as a result of they consider they’re so sinful that God will solid them right into a fiery pit the place they are going to be tormented for trillions of years.

Lots of them say they observe Christ, however they aren’t motivated or compelled by the lifetime of Christ or his teachings. The truth that Jesus was the preeminent instructor of affection, grace, and compassion is good however in the end extraneous to the first motive they name themself a Christian: To acquire their ‘get-out-of-hell-free’ card.

Don’t you see?

Hell doesn’t create lovers of God. Hell creates individuals who attempt to appease God by saying, doing, and believing the fitting issues as a result of they consider their acceptance by God is determined by these issues.

And what does that go away us with? A fear-based faith the place salvation relies on human efficiency moderately than the goodness and beauty of God.

The form of “Christians” this creates.

Worry-based faith and disgrace work effectively to maintain the troops in line as a result of concern is definitely a robust motivator — however solely within the brief time period. It doesn’t end in actual, lasting transformation. In the long run, it produces some considerably completely different outcomes.

A system that makes use of concern to attain its targets in the end makes out God to be the identical — a fearmonger. Unwittingly, the church made God seem to be an arm-folding, eye-rolling, head-shaking, fist-waving, disapproving megalomaniac who’s not possible to please and always unimpressed. Furthermore, the church made it seem to be God, with a heaving sigh, begrudgingly got here and died for our sins, and we must really feel always responsible about making him die within the first place.

Consequently, the “God” the church presents appears to battle to indicate unconditional love or mercy to sinners, although, in accordance with Jesus, it’s in God’s very job description.

In actual fact, underneath the message that almost all of us have heard, we find yourself being extra loving than God after which not taking God very severely. Once I take into consideration my non-Christian buddies — bizarre folks — I do know that they’d normally give a man a break, overlook somebody’s errors, and, even on their worst days, wouldn’t think about torturing individuals who don’t like them, worship them, or consider in them. But, that’s how the “God” that the church presents seems to be.

Within the church, we’re instructed that we ought to like unconditionally, however the God who instructions that is depicted as having a really conditional and fairly unique love, it appears. We’re instructed to like our enemies, however it seems that “God” clearly doesn’t. God punishes them for all eternity.

Why would anybody belief or love such a God and need to observe him? A lot much less need to spend eternity with such a being?

I wouldn’t.

What I prayed as an alternative…

An individual will solely observe one other out of concern for therefore lengthy earlier than deciding to interrupt free from their puritanical regime. Love, then again, compels an individual to observe indefinitely. The issue is that love takes longer to reap a harvest than concern, and the church has by no means been recognized for its endurance.

Within the phrases of Australian poet Michael Leunig:

“There are solely two emotions.
Love and concern.
There are solely two languages.
Love and concern.
There are solely two actions.
Love and concern.
There are solely two motives,
two procedures, two frameworks,
two outcomes.
Love and concern.
Love and concern.”

Making an attempt to persuade younger folks of their sinfulness in order that they turn into so afraid of Hell that they settle for Jesus… which do you suppose that’s?

Love or concern?

So, when my buddy requested me to hope for the youngsters at his camp to acknowledge their very own sinfulness, I politely declined. As a substitute, I provided to hope a special prayer. I stated: “I pray that the Spirit would reveal to the young people a profound understanding of the fact that they are beloved sons and daughters of God.”

We love him as a result of he first beloved us.

—

This put up was beforehand printed on MEDIUM.COM.

***

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