One of the things I want to accomplish here is to allow folks to share their thoughts with the rest of us on matters of God, faith, and family. I encourage anyone who feels led to share something, or someone, that matters to you in these areas to send me what you’d like to post and we will. I have some things I’m working on, but I’d hoped and prayed for something from others. You are a unique group, with amazing lives and stories. You have meaningful things to share. Shine your light.
The following are some thoughts from someone many of you already know. If you don’t, then let me introduce you to Michelle. She is a fine writer and a good friend to many of us here.
Certainly, I’m well familiar with the Romans 10:3 passage that admonishes us not to think more highly of ourselves than we ought, but really, how could any American think Christianity was a small sect of no importance?
I’ve traveled all over the world and while I’d agree that America is not the be-all-end-all-of civilization, followers of Jesus are everywhere and they have a common point of reference: Christ as the risen son of God who came to save the world.
While Bible believing Christians may look and sound different, fundamentally what we believe, shapes who we are and how we think–no matter our nation of birth.
But why did these “visitors” think Christianity is just an unimportant little group?
When you look at a map of Israel, you can see how small it is in comparison to the rest of the world. Other than Jesus and God’s chosen people, not much has come from that triangle on the far eastern shore of the Mediterranean.
It sat at the crossroads of the known world at the time, however, and Rome thought highly enough of it that it conquered the land. The Ottomans wanted it too, not to mention Alexander the Great.
Do I need to continue with this list?
I recently got a hint of why some believe Christianity is minor while visiting New York City. I spent three days in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Natural History Museum.
It’s interesting to see where the emphasis lies in the largest city in the strongest nation currently teetering on center stage.
You’ll always find an art museum stuffed with Madonnas and child; crucifixes, paintings of pilgrims, Jesus, Mary, sometimes God, occasionally the Holy Spirit, artifacts, reliquaries, and boxes full of potential Biblical. You can’t miss Christian art in a “regular” art museum. Jesus has been the inspiration and demanded focus of artists and patrons since about 35 A.D.
The Met has a large section, front and center, full of golden chalices and icons–glorious art works that turn a social justice fan’s stomach (and mine, too) at the over-the-top expense.
However I read a portion of Mark the other day about Mary covering Jesus’ feet with expensive spices and wiping them dry with her hair, I was reminded of his remarks, “the poor you will always have with you,” and “Mary has given her best,” in preparing him for death. Those who created such jewel-encrusted art were trying to give their best–at least I hope so.
Still, I flinched at the excess.
Over at the Natural History Museum, Christianity is a side note to large anthropological features devoted to Asia, the Semite countries (including a painting of Nebuchadnezzar’s palace) and Islam. The reference to Christianity is buried in a side panel discussing Armenian culture (though they did a fine job explaining baptism).
In the planetary sciences–which I visited with an astronomer–we examined exhibits filled with bad and out-dated science.
In the biological section–a paen to Darwin–my biologist child shook her head time and again at all the inerrancies blazoned on the wall. “They have their science wrong. It’s at least 15 years out of date.”
Of course we loved the dinosaurs and other fossils, but here, too, more recent science has disproved the notion human life can from a primordial soup. No mention of the anthropological possibilities of God of course. That’s probably appropriate but the extremes they went to avoiding any mention of the transcendent were humorous.
I sat under the bones of an enormous wooly mammoth and read through Whirled Views’ final posts–thank you, Natural History Museum for free wi-fi. My eyes filled with tears when I realized, I wouldn’t be able to share my observations with you all.
Thanks, A.J, for giving me this opportunity.
. Throughout the Old Testament, God engages his people with his culture. He warns that only a remnant of believers will endure.
When you look at the effects of Christianity through the lenses of the big museums in the biggest city in the wealthiest nation (well, maybe with the possible exception of China these days), we who are believers, really are only a scrap of attention, a small blip on their scale.
We’re supposed to be a remnant–a small number.
I came away from New York understanding a little more why “sophisticated” people might think Christianity is a minor footnote to history. Opportunities to meet “real” believers, to engage with intellectually rigorous Christians, and to reflect on how Christianity has changed the face of the globe, are AWOL–at least at those two museums.
No wonder, so many don’t think of Jesus as an answer to any problems.
They don’t know anything about him.
Wandering Views 