Fearless Faith

Most of us have at least a passing interest in before and after pictures of various events. They frequently crop up in house remodel projects, family photograph albums, and historical pictures separated by years. Without a crystal ball, we can only guess what the future holds. It is just as well that we can’t see into the future with absolute accuracy or we might never get out of bed most mornings.

There is wisdom in the creative processes that brought us to this moment, this place in time. The linear aspect of time appears to be absolute from our vantage point, yet theoretical physics suggests a much broader and more complicated explanation. While our knowledge curve continues to accelerate, often beyond our ability to comprehend, it is an exciting time to ask questions in hope of more complete answers. That goes for the current pandemic concerns as well. How will we look at the before and after pages of history regarding COVID-19? Will we have learned something helpful as we compare the beginning with the still-to-be-revealed conclusion?

For many, there are also before and after snapshots of theological understanding. What we grew into was, in many cases, simply a reflection of our own environment … parents and family, cultural setting, habit, and which church we happened to attend at the time. But for the myriad of variables that established our course, we might have been born into a different faith or religion. About one third of world population describes itself as Christian. Any of us could easily have been born into a different culture and religion. In fact, the odds favored it.

For representing less than a majority, Christians sure can be an arrogant lot. We have no perfect knowledge that we are chosen over others to lead the religion parade, yet we make claims to that effect. We paint before and after pictures of Christendom’s value in our lives, vignettes that are not always clear. The meanings of many closely held beliefs aren’t always as true as we would hope for them to be. We react to peer pressure by locking away questions and inconsistencies so that both the before and the after conform to the church setting we inhabit. We don’t always believe the casual declarations of others, but to challenge those declarations leaves one on the outside looking in when it comes to church.

In the other corner are those who have the courage to inquire, debate, challenge, and at times openly defy the religious status quo. It’s a challenging yet vital place to find oneself. The pictures of the past, while cherished, are discovered to be less clear that what now stands before us. Before and after is about learning from the past and realizing something better for the future. Are we able to do that? The ultimate before and after snapshot from the Jesus era just might be Saul’s conversion and his transition to a calling worthy of an apostle. The ‘after’ persona known as Paul represents as dramatic a change as could be imagined.

The church is called to be a prophetic presence in the world, one that reflects the actions and ministry of a rather humble first-century carpenter. How will history judge our ‘before’s and our ‘after’s? Only time will tell.