I came to teaching Sunday School through the back door. I married a minister’s daughter. This makes a defacto member of the minister’s family and means that I will be volunteered for duties at the church. This included teaching Sunday school. I did my research and I made sure that I was marrying into a faith I could believe in.
My parents were lapsed Catholics. About the time that I was five, they became Cheasters (Christmas and Easter only). A few years later, Easter became optional. Additionally, I attended the most liberal high school in New York City. While I was willing to accept some spiritual benefit of religion, I also felt it was a way to excuse people from thinking rationally and to excuse behavior that was otherwise inexcusable. I never expected to attend a church full time.
Five years in, I’m a believer. I don’t just show up and do my family duties (though I certainly do that). I pray. I read the Bible. I do it all.
At first, I thought there would be problems resolving my faith to my politics, but there actually isn’t any at all. I believe there are several key tenets to Christianity:
Forgiveness
Matthew 6:14
For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
The most important fact to remember is that if you believe in Jesus, your sins will be forgiven. The Bible repeatedly shows us how humans are not perfect and they cannot help but sin constantly. I am incensed by fundamentalists who use this as an excuse to rail against those they perceive as sinners and to flagellate themselves in trying to be perfect. You are only human. If you believe, you are forgiven.
Now, if you truly believe, you are trying hard to not sin, but if you do, you are forgiven. An extension of this is that you need to forgive others as well. Rather than protesting funerals or talking about how disasters are God’s way of punishing sinners, we need to forgive and love those who we believe to be wrong. We need to find constructive ways of helping them to lead better lives. Not perfect lives, but better lives.
I am constantly filled with envy. I continually compare myself to other people and feel as though I was cheated. I try hard to stop this, but I can’t. I keep trying and keep asking for forgiveness. Nobody is perfect.
Judge Not
1Judge not, that ye be not judged.
2For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
3And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
4Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
5Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
Matthew 7:1-5
1 Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. 3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.
Given that none of us are perfect, who are we to even judge another? It is God’s role to judge, not ours. I really believe that unless somebody asks for my help with their sins, it is not my place to help them with it.
People do ask for help all the time, but they do it in different ways. They don’t ask for help in overcoming their self-pity, they ask why they can’t find a long-lasting relationship. It is still not your role to tell them that they are wrong, but rather to help them do right.
Again, I am angered every time a Christian condemns somebody else—strangers, even—as sinners. I do it too; I’m doing it right here. I can’t justify it, but how else can we interpret the Bible without applying it to actions we see in real life? Knowing the right thing to do is not always easy. That’s why we pray for guidance.
Love
Matthew 5: 43-45
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
Jesus brings us a message of love. He wants us to love all people, friends and enemies alike. This is a very tall order, but one that we should strive for. I find that this fits nicely in with the liberal preference for rehabilitation and diplomacy over harsh jail terms and war.
Charity
Matthew 25:40
‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
Giving to others is essential to being a Christian. While not everybody is rich, we find ways to give. We give time, we give knowledge, we give hope. Interpreting this is at the heart of arguments about social programs. Liberals view them as a way of giving help to those less fortunate. Conservatives view removing social programs as a way of giving guidance and discipline. Either way, it’s important to remember that Christianity preaches charity not just for those who receive it. Giving to other people is beneficial to the spirit of the giver also.
Gratitude
2 Corinthians 9:15
Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!
I find the best thing about being a religious person is that I have somebody to thank for all that I have. Great days, beautiful sunrises, minor miracles: it’s nice to have an appropriate reaction to these. Every time I pray, I start by thanking God for all the things I have. This helps me to remain grateful and not take small things—like my lovely wife—for granted.
I try to keep these pillars of Christianity in mind while preparing my lessons.
Since I am teaching high schoolers, I put my emphasis on preparing them for life in the real world. Let’s be honest, most people do not attend a church regularly. Of those who do, fewer and fewer are mainline Protestants. Living a devout life in the real world is not easy.
What it means to be a Christian
Right now, they attend church because their parents force them to. One day, they’ll have to decide for themselves. I want them all to understand what it means to stay in the church as an adult. I know that some of them will not continue on, but I want them to make the choice for themselves. I just think you make decisions better if you make them honestly.
Living by Christian morals even if you’re not a Christian
Even if my students do not choose to stay members of a Christian church, I hope they continue to live by the morals they learn from the church. There are so many important lessons that Jesus taught that all people should follow. Just because you don’t show up to church or read the Bible doesn’t mean you can’t be a good person.
Living as a Christian in a non-Christian World
I teach tolerance of other faiths. I personally believe that other religions may be equally valid, though I don’t teach that specifically. I do stress that it’s not appropriate to criticize another person’s faith. Nor is it appropriate to criticize somebody’s lack of faith.
There is no reason to keep your faith secret, but there is also no reason to crow about it. People will ask what you did over the weekend and you can tell them honestly. “I went to church and we had a meatball cook off afterwards.” Some people will be curious; others will be turned off. Gentleness in both cases are effective. Let people get to know who you are as a whole person, not just by your religion.
No political party has a monopoly on Jesus
It is valid to say that conservatives often give more respect to people who make Christianity central to their life. It is also valid to say that liberals actively promote a wide assortment of programs designed to help those less fortunate. Politics and religion are separate. Let your faith inform your politics—it’s part of who you are—but don’t let the two cloud each other.
Matthew 22:21
Then saith he unto them, "Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's."
I am not a theologian. I am not an expert on the Bible or on Christianity. I am one person trying to resolve his faith to his way of life and trying to provide a little guidance to teenagers in the same position.
