What does witness to the Christ reality look like in the midst of so much that is false to Christ? This is an issue for followers of Jesus who care about witness to Christ. We see a distorted, destructive Christianity. Some expressions of "Christianity" are downright scary: We expect violence. Many of us viewed a video of a man, who had broken into the senate chamber, praying a prayer of thanksgiving to God. He was involved in the insurrection and claimed a God-given victory. These actions, of course, have nothing to do with the "reign of God" that Jesus proclaimed. Nor do any of the nationalist, ethnocentric, and racist blends of Christianity.
For those who have little experience with churches or Christianity other than what they receive in the news, there must be bewilderment at the dizzying array of Christian institutions, forms, practices, theologies, and values. Those that have read Jesus’ teachings in the Gospels may have recognized the distance between Jesus and many who lift up his name. There is much Christianity that operates in ways distant from the "reign of God" that Jesus proclaimed and his actions of mercy and compassion.
So, what does witness to Jesus Christ look like in the midst of so much that is false to Christ? Where do we see it? What forms does it take? Here are characteristics of a true witness in the midst of false Christianity:
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Actions Come First. Many, for good reason, are turned off on Christ-talk and God-talk. Witness to Christ, therefore, is seen first in acts of love. It simply manifests Christ in the world by action. It acts from the reality of the Spirit of Christ. Therefore it does justice, loves mercy, and lives faithfully. The love of God is made concrete and practical. It responds to actual needs with compassion. Actions proclaim the Christ reality. With loving actions there may also be opportunities to witness with words.
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Speak to Human Experience. When the opportunity to speak is present or necessary, Christ people must declare the message of Jesus without formulas and doctrines and with humility. We must operate like the first followers of Jesus: We must respond to people at the point of their need and with words that speak to their deepest humanity. We must speak to spiritual reality, rather than moralize. Our witness must come from a life rooted in the Spirit and able to discern the things of the Spirit. We may speak to spiritual realities long before we name Christ. Our words will engage with individuals’ spiritual journeys. Therefore, we will spend much time listening and receiving from their experience as well as sharing our own. If we see that the name “Christ” alerts them to be cautious because of their experience with people who do a lot of Christ talk without a Christ life, then we may, at first, speak of the Christ reality in terms that are more available to them. We may speak of our true humanity which, in its infinite depths, is rooted in God. After all, Christ is the union of God and humanity. He is our true humanity. People who have found their way to their true selves, have implicitly encountered Christ. They have come into a dying to the false and rising into their true humanity. The reality of Christ, even without the name, is never far away.
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Encourage Faith. Our primary message is the same as Jesus’ message: “God’s reign and purpose are near. God is near. Turn to God, the source of your life and identity.” We must encourage others to relinquish their lives to God and discover the Christ-life. When they let go of their lives to God (which is what faith does), they do so through Christ. As St. Paul puts it: We become right with God through the faith of Christ; his faith becomes ours. Faith is the gift of God in Christ. As we come to participate in this Christ reality, the word is: “Go on in him. Learn to live by an ultimate trust in God and in community with others.”