One of these things is not like the others.

According to Wikipedia, the children’s television series “Sesame Street” started broadcasting in 1968.  From the very first episode an integral part of the show’s program was the song, “One of these things is not like the others.”  Typically four objects would be shown, three of which had something in common.  One was obviously very different.  For example, there may be a banana, an orange, an apple and a shoe.  Which one is different?  The goal of the segment was to introduce critical thinking skills to children. 

The song quickly made itself into the larger cultural context (such as today’s Monday Morning Minute!).  One need only say, “One of these things is not like the others” and immediately people understood a distinction was being made between two or more objects.  In the adult world, this is often used in the context of comparing critical thinking perspectives - political ideologies, worldviews, and even religions.

There are those who argue that all religions are the like one another.  There are just creative variations on a theme.  The practice of religious rituals and rules is simply a social construct generated by  humanity as Homo Sapians evolved in their social relationships.  Ancient humanity needed something to explain the unexplained and to try to control the uncontrollable - storms, sickness, death, pestilence, etc.  They developed religion.

There is a level of accuracy to this perspective.  We are hardwired to pursue answers to the question, “Why?”  We do seek to control life’s variables.  The only difference between our society and ancient cultures is that we have more tools in the box in our pursuit of explanations and control.  Although not labelled as such, science, technology, and unprecedented wealth are a religion for many.

One quick caveat:  this really isn’t about “religion.”  It is about faith. All people of all time are people of faith.  We do want to explain the unexplainable, to exert control over the otherwise uncontrollable.  Whatever we believe will accomplish this will the the object of our faith.

This is where Christianity is “not like the others.”  The object of our faith is not sourced in the world around us, the created order.  It recognizes there is One who is greater, who is independent of, unique from, and the source of all that exists.  Consider the following:

A personal God.  God is a person.  That does not mean God is “one of us.”  God is not a human in a more highly evolved state.  God is not an alien being.  God is a person.  All of the qualities that make us persons are sourced in God.  For example, God has intellect, emotion, and volition. Consider John 3:16 - God loved the world (emotive), He sent His Son (volition), that whoever believes on Him would be saved (intellectual planning).

A knowable God.  We do not need to guess what God is like.  He has made Himself known through His created order (“The heavens declare the glory of God”), through His Son who dwelt amongst us (John 1), and through the Scriptures.  Who God is, what He is like is not dependent on our creativity or a social construct.  Not only can we know what He is like, part of the dynamic of God’s “knowability” is that we can have a relationship with Him.

An engaging God.  God is not disconnected from His creation.  Nothing happens that is unknown to Him.  A mind-bender element to this is that all of God’s creative order is not only subject to His authority, it is accomplishing His purposes..  Before anything existed He planned the details of how it would function.  No one can fully explain that truth.  Nonetheless, He sees even the bird that may fall from the sky and cares about it . . . yet cares even more about each of us, His image-bearers!

A Creator God.  This is the crux of the matter.  The issue of a Creator God goes far beyond the debate about origins, the age of the earth, and the historicity of a flood event.  If there is no intentional creator, how can the creation have purpose?  Who or what defines moral standards?  What has value?  What is true?  What is real (maybe there IS a Santa Claus - every day scientists discover all kinds of new species!)?  More importantly, why are we here?  What is our function?  What is our value?  What is our hope?

There is so much more that can be said that makes Christianity “not like the others.”  It is not our purpose or goal in life to argue about “religious superiority.”  It IS our responsibility to understand how this uniqueness of God expresses itself in the unique way we engage in His created order.  We will have different priorities, passions, and perspective.  We will be a people of grace, compassion, and of hope - in spite of our circumstances.