Who am I? - Q50 Community

Who am I?

There are a lot of ways to answer that question. For example, I could describe my appearance, or my preferences, or tell stories about my life experiences.

When people ask me about my job (which is how a lot of us define ourselves) I watch carefully to see their reactions. “I’m a pastor” is not a common answer to the inquiry about career choices. Most of the time the conversation about employment comes to a polite end and we move on to “safer” topics. What does that say about who I am, or at least how I’m perceived?

It says I’m religious, or spiritual, or a mystic, or something. It says I’m a little freakish and perhaps weird.

Our culture embraces an (not-so-subtle) unspoken rule: keep “religion” and “life” separated in their proper realms. Religion is OK as long as it stays in the “religion” box. It is wonderful if you like that kind of thing. It is respected (sort-of, perhaps better understood as “tolerated”). You like chocolate ice cream. I prefer pralines and cream. But to each his own, right? As long as it works for you.

There are good reasons why people feel this way about religion. How many wars have been fought because of religion? How much abuse has taken place by people in places of religious authority? How much trust has been broken? Religion does not enjoy a good track record.

In response, it has become quite vogue for Christians to come up with alternative statements: “I don’t believe in religion. I believe in a relationship.” Or, “I’m not religious, but I am spiritual.” Or, “I’m a Jesus-follower.”

All these have merit. All these also do disservice to the core of Christianity.

Religion is a system (Jesus was critical of the ancient, Jewish system). Spirituality smacks of mysticism (Paul criticized the Corinthians for being mystics). Being a Jesus follower sounds very hippie. So, what are our options?

We need to acknowledge this truth: no matter what we say it will probably be misunderstood. However dismissive we may be of traditional-ese (religion, spirituality) in preference for phrases like “I believe in a relationship,” we still have the problem of communicating the true nature of our faith.

Wait a minute! That’s it - that’s what we should say: I am a person of faith!

Words Matter: Faith.

At our core, every human being has something we believe to be the most important thing in life. Something in which we have, well, faith. For Christians, the object of our faith is the Creator God. At least we say it is (because we are still sinful beings we sometimes struggle to embrace the true magnitude of all that implies). But even those who are not followers of Jesus have something as the object of their faith: money, power, influence, prestige. Inherent in human nature is that we are all people of faith. Unique to Christians is that the object of our faith is God alone.

I like referring to myself as a person of faith. It opens the door for further conversation (“When you think about it, we are all people of faith”) and it allows me to talk about my “religion” in the sphere of “life,” breaking society’s unspoken rule. As I grow and mature in my relationship with God, I begin to see how my faith brings clarity to life's big questions: what is our purpose? What has value? What drives my priorities, my choices, my passions? This renewed perspective engages with life. It creates opportunities to share the Good News about being reconciled to the Creator God. “Religion” breaks out of its unspoken box. We call that evangelism.

Speaking of faith instead of systems, rituals, or spirituality also allows me to embrace my humanity as God's image-bearer. I can be transparent about my struggles, doubts, and fears. And failures.

And grace.

And forgiveness.

And reconciliation.

I can talk about the community that is learning this with me, together supporting each other, together experiencing and expressing the love of the God who created us.

So, who am I? Although very imperfect and still maturing, I am a person of faith.

Who are you?