Christian?

Here at Corrymeela Steph and I are living in community. The Corrymeela community describes itself as an Open Christian Community. What does it mean to live in Christian community? It is a complex question with many answers. Here are my thoughts on the question.

Throughout the UK and beyond there are all kinds of institutions and organisations which bear the name Christian. Often when one speaks to those responsible about what this Christian-ness means they will speak of a Christian ethos; by this they often mean, sharing, concern for social justice, equality, and care for each individual. All of these values are labelled as Christian values.  Undoubtedly they are part of Christianity, but then are they not also part of Islam, Judaism, Sikhism and Hindusim? Are there not many humanists, socialists and communists, who would ascribe to such value? Why then is it felt necessary to fence these values off and make them possessions of Christianity?

Maybe we have to look a bit deeper in order to define what it really means to bear the name Christian?

I recently saw an intriguing bio on a twitter account it read:

echthrophiliac ~ \'ek-thrŏ-'fe-lē-,ak\ (noun)

1. one having an abnormal love for one's enemies

2. a Christian

according to this twitterer to be Christian is to take Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:38-48 seriously. Maybe here we have a good answer to what it means to be Christian?

Such words are easily said, but how is it possible to actually live this love of your enemies, it might sound nice in theory but what about practise? As human our immediate instinct is too often to turn inwards, to build walls, to respond to those who threaten us by hiding, by running away, with aggression!

Staying with Matthew’s Gospel for a moment longer, it is no accident that the passage referenced above about love of enemies is followed immediately by another on the subject of prayer (Matthew 6:1-34). According to Matthew's Jesus living this love of enemies is not possible unless we are able to draw on a source much deeper than ourselves. This wisdom comes deep from the experience of both Jesus and the community who wrote this Gospel. 

God’s ability to love is far greater than our own. It is by immersing ourselves continually into this all embracing unconditional love which God has for us that we are enabled and empowered to love others in the same way. It is in the struggle of constant reflection and contemplation that we are transformed into people better able to love.

So perhaps the deepest and most basic definition of being Christian does not relate to our actions at all. To be a Christian is to be one who seeks constantly to be transformed by an encounter with God. To be an authentically Christian community is not about doing or about believing, it is about being collectively transformed by prayer.