Visible Faith

As I sat in McDonald’s eating lunch, I noticed a Muslim woman sitting across from me. I had no idea where she was from, but I knew what faith she followed. I realized that this would not work in reverse. While she could make a guess, she couldn’t actually know what faith I followed by looking at me. Knowing would have taken conversation—she would have to ask me.

Should this bother me? Should my faith be clearly visible to the casual observer? The question sat there staring at me. I had to ignore it for a bit while I attended a meeting, but after that I had a chance to return its gaze. In what way should the public expression of my face be visible?

For some Christians this is done through dress or through accessories. They believe there should be a discernable difference between them and the unsaved people around them. Some wear clothing from a bygone era, some wear crosses, some wear t-shirts with Christian jargon, and some carry Bibles. Something visible to proclaim their allegiance—visible piety. But this isn’t how Jesus called us to express our faith.

Time and time again Jesus instructs us in a private piety: pray in solitude, keep your fasting private, give without bringing attention to yourself. True piety isn’t found in ostentatious displays of public worship, it isn’t found in religious trappings, and it isn’t found in garb or accessories. Rather, we find true piety in a radical compassion for others. The Christian walking down the street, sitting on the bus, or eating lunch at McDonald’s will look like everyone else. Christianity cannot be seen at a distance. We have to engage the world. Only when we enter into other’s lives and let them into our lives will Jesus be seen.

In what way should the public expression of my faith be visible? When I love my neighbor as myself.

The Spitfire Grill: My Chance Encounter

Never start flipping through channels when you should be heading for bed.

Bed was already long past due, but I decided to go ahead and quickly check the movie channels. Quickly…yeah right. One of the movies seemed a bit interesting, so I figured I would watch it for a few minutes. Then I decided to wait and see who would show up to claim a bag of food deliberately being left outside. Then I wanted to see how a certain proposal played out. And after that I just had to find out why one of the characters had been in prison. Yes, you guessed it. I watched the rest of the movie.

The movie captivated me—a fairytale that pulled me along intriguing paths winding through an old forest both familiar and strange. An old woman who lives life how she chooses; an inexplicable offering of food; an unseen presence in the woods; a small-town gathering place; a lost son; a dying town. And into the midst of all this stumbles a blemished outsider hoping to find a new life.

Through the story one finds the familiar and expected strands of wariness, suspicion, jealousy, friendship, love, betrayal, and sacrifice. The story unfolds fairly predictably. But then the magic of a fairytale isn’t in the uniqueness of the story. It’s found in the spark of life breathed into the familiar that transforms the mundane to magic. All is still familiar, but now we see it with unveiled eyes. For a moment, we glimpse beneath the surface, and sit entranced.

Sunday Thoughts on Freire

I've recently started reading Paulo Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed. I'm barely into the first chapter, and already thoughts are flying. As I was sitting at Starbucks this morning reading Pedagogy and sipping a raspberry tea frappuccino, a quote lept off the page and grabbed my mind.

The oppressed, having internalized the image of the oppressor and adopted his guidelines, are fearful of freedom. Freedom would require them to eject this image and replace it with autonomy and responsibility. pg 31

As I read this, my mind jumped to the disciples of Jesus and the dynamics within the early church. The following arose from this churning.

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Jesus attempted to create a non-hierarchical community of equals. But we repeatedly see the disciples try to entice Jesus into setting up a hierarchy within the group. We also repeatedly see Jesus refusing to do so. Immediately after his ascension the disciples began to set up the hierarchy they so desperately craved. Their internalization of the image of the oppressor outweighed the transformative freedom to be found in the way of Jesus. They adopted guidelines inimical to the Gospel; and yet despite this, the grace of God shines through, promising freedom for those who dare to walk in it.

But this walking demands a divesting of the old order. Those who wield societal power must relinquish the prerogatives of that power, and those who have been dominated by that wielding must reject the values designed to maintain that power.