Unfundamentalist

Above All, Love

christy wood

More Than a Follower

by Christy Wood in Christian Spirituality

It might just be me, having been raised in legalistic Christianity, but I struggle with the way discipleship is often portrayed. I feel like there is this heavy emphasis on what we are supposed to DO as a disciple even from mainstream pastors and teachers.
Follow * Deny Yourself * Take Up Your Cross * Be Like Jesus
These statements, or at least the thoughts behind them, ARE in the Bible. They aren’t wrong. But I think something is missing. Someone.

There has to be more to being a disciple of Jesus Christ than just action verbs focused on our behavior. Check out this “Jesus encounter” from John 1:
The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God.” When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Him. Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?” They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?” “Come,” He replied, “and you will see.” So they went and saw where He was staying, and they spent that day with Him. It was about four in the afternoon. John 1:35-39
According to Bible scholars, this is most likely NOT the time these men became disciples of Jesus. “Followed Jesus” simply means they followed Him.

Jesus is walking by, just going about His business. John, knowing who Jesus is, points Him out using a strange name. He calls Jesus “The Lamb of God.” The disciples are curious. Who is this man? So, they follow Him. (My imagination… [Read more…] about More Than a Follower

An Illusion of Freedom

by Christy Wood in Christian Spirituality

Growing up in a Christian cult (Bill Gothard, of IBLP and ATI), I’ve had plenty of experience with legalism. Formulas abounded in my world–if you do such and such, then you are guaranteed this fabulous result, but woe to you if you don’t. Rules, standards, commitments, all these kinds of things supposedly made you a better Christian and more likely to have God’s blessing on your life. “Godly” people acted this way, dressed that way, and avoided these things, etc. Performance, outward show, controlled behavior, fear, and anxiety…I’m excessively familiar with all of this.

Unfortunately, you don’t have to be in a cult to experience legalism. There is plenty of it spread throughout “mainstream” Christianity. How exciting.

Many Christians will tell you that they aren’t legalistic (even though they are following a specific code of behavior) because they aren’t trying to earn their way to heaven. However, if you ask why they do good things, you will find that they are still trying to earn something: blessings, God’s pleasure, or maybe just the image of a “Good Christian.”

I truly believe the Christian community is starting to wake up. There are a good handful of us talking about legalism, exposing it, reacting to it. I love this! But we cannot confuse rebellion against legalism with actual freedom that comes through grace.

I’ve seen it and I’ve been there. We hate legalism, we realize how stupid it is, and we reject it and embrace things that we’ve always been told were wrong.… [Read more…] about An Illusion of Freedom

No Condemnation!

by Christy Wood in Christian Issues

I remember the exact moment when I realized that Jesus not only loved me, but He also liked me unconditionally. Somehow in my mind I had confused the two. Love seemed like something He had to do because He was God, but I was pretty sure He only liked me when I was performing correctly.

It makes sense, sort of… Parents and teachers like us better when we follow the rules, and we feel their dislike when we are making poor choices. It’s hard to imagine God being different.

We put God in such a tiny box, a box made out of our own human reasoning and logic. We create a god we can understand, in our own image. Silly us! He is only more, always more than we could ever imagine!

I was in my early 20s, about four years out of my “cult,” looking pretty normal to the untrained eye, wearing jeans, having cut my waist length hair, dating my boyfriend (now husband), and going to college. In the past I’d always been the rule follower, the people pleaser, the “good” girl; I did the right things to make people and Jesus happy with me. I had standards and expectations for myself.

I might have perfected the art of looking good, but on the inside I was a wreck. I was losing control. Worry and stress were consuming me. I was fighting with anger and resentment. I started having panic attacks and because I didn’t know what they were, I thought I might be dying (but wouldn’t tell anyone). To top it all off, I felt guilty for being so “out of control.” I knew that there was no way God could… [Read more…] about No Condemnation!

Living in the Real World of Gray

by Christy Wood in Christian Issues

I was raised in a world of black and white, right and wrong, good and bad, us versus them. Granted, my parents were more tolerant than a lot of the super-conservative, homeschooling families I knew, but the atmosphere was still there. And, it didn’t help that I naturally tend to think this way anyway.

Let me give you some examples. Yikes!

Wrong and bad things (in no particular order): dating, college, women wearing pants, public school, blue jeans, bearded men, women with short hair, being friends with the opposite sex, Disney movies, any movie rated more than PG, movie theaters, white bread, pork, music with a “back-beat” (e.g. rock and roll, CCM, country, etc.) tattoos, multiple piercings … you get the point.

Good and right things (contrasted to the bad ones): courtship, women in skirts and dresses, homeschooling, khaki slacks (for males), clean shaven faces, women with long, flowing, gently curled hair, sticking with friends of your own gender, movies rated G and PG that weren’t Disney (preferably old fashioned ones), homemade whole wheat bread, beef and chicken, classical music or instrumental hymns, one set of small stud earrings for females only, blah, blah, blah.

Okay, you might think that’s extreme. You might be asking what this has to do with “normal” Christians.

Here is what I have noticed. Christians, even “normal” ones, are often terrible at living in the real gray world. We choose sides and endlessly… [Read more…] about Living in the Real World of Gray