Scaffolding
Today I want to talk about modes of Christianity that we see in today’s modern world or faith landscape. I like the word “mode” because it’s descriptive. A mode is a way or manner in which something occurs or is experienced, expressed, or done. So we’ll be looking at two different modes of Christianity - popular religion and inner Christianity. I’ll explain both, what they look like or how they express themselves, the pros and cons of each, and finally, how they relate to each other and why it's important to understand the role of both in the evolution of the Christian faith on earth.
I want to start by making a generalization about the kinds of Christian people we tend to see today. There are those with the faith of the institution - what I call “popular Christianity” and those with a more personalized, experiential faith - let’s call it “inner Christianity.” What we tend to see happen is that when these two types of faith come into contact, conflict results. There’s a side with a deep reverence for the Scriptures that tends to downplay an experience of God and there’s a side that is more interested in a direct, personalized experience of God and a reliance on the inner leading of the Holy Spirit.
I see this conflict playing out a lot of time in my life, where my experiences or opinions are put into a box by others and characterized as “emotional” faith instead of “rational” faith. The point of this teaching is for me to show there doesn’t have to be a conflict if we can understand the role that these two modes of faith play in the bigger picture, and that’s what my goal is today.
Let’s look at popular Christianity first or the “religion of the institution,” if you will. What are some characteristics of popular Christianity or institutional religion?
1) Prioritizes obedience to Christian dogma, theology, or decrees. The emphasis is on obeying God’s written commands, as revealed by the Scriptures and the pattern of apostolic teaching throughout the centuries.
2) Ritual, routine, and repetition are keys for persevering in the faith and maintaining Christian tradition.
3) Individual interpretations or revelations of Scripture are untrustworthy and subservient to the views and opinions of church leadership.
4) A strong emphasis is placed on human rationality, logic, and reason over direct experience and divine intuition.
These are just some of the ways I would characterize what one might call “popular religion.” By the way, this doesn’t just apply to more liturgical church settings or denominations like Catholicism - there’s “popular” religion in all denominations and sects, just like there is inner Christianity in all denominations and sects. What are some pros and cons of this mode of Christianity?
Contrary to some opinions in more liberal or Charismatic Christian circles, “religion” is not the tool of the devil, but a structure that has been put in place by God to preserve the ancient faith, as it has been handed down by Christ and the apostles. The institution, particularly the Catholic and Orthodox Church, is a pillar that has withstood the test of time - with its various upheavals and challenges. Popular religion is the fire that has not gone out for two thousand years and continues to burn brightly in our present darkness. It is something we can always return to, something that we know will be stable, unchanging, and unshakable. The faith of the institution is Peter - the rock on which the Body of Christ finds support and which the forces of hell will never prevail against. The faith of the institution is the gatekeeper of Truth.
There are issues with the faith of the masses, however, issues that the Holy Spirit is working to actively address and correct as time marches on. The biggest issue with it is the unfortunate power of religious idolatry. What this means is that our theologies, ways of understanding God, and dogmas become much more important than a living, breathing relationship with God. The faith becomes less about faith, hope, and love, and more about getting other people to think in the same way that we think, or to experience God in the same way that we do.
Our theology and ways of thinking become a straightjacket from which it is very difficult to escape. Our teaching grounds into us religious complexes that don’t help us but are actually very harmful in the long run for spiritual growth, freedom, and life in the Spirit. We come to hate or ostracize those who think differently about God or who have a different way of experiencing Him. We thus sow division and conflict.
In this way of thinking, we can become unchanging, stagnant, dead things who live for the written Word. Remember, the written word kills but the Spirit gives life (2 Corinthians 3:6). Fear can use popular religion to its advantage and make us slaves because we will always be afraid that thinking the wrong way about God will mean He will hate us and we will go to hell. We can’t truly know the love of God in this way.
Intellectual obedience to written rules and regulations does not save us. God is not interested in getting us to think in one particular way. Rather, we are anointed to experience God in powerful, individualized ways, in order to contribute to the larger whole. This is where inner Christianity, or a direct experience of God, becomes so important and crucial. We often hear, “it’s not religion it's relationship,” but, as we will soon see, this isn’t quite true - it’s actually both.
Inner Christianity is the direct, individualized experience of God that is empowered by the inner Spirit of Jesus Christ. The power of faith is not found in obedience to Christian legalism, but in the intuitive relationship with God through His inner power working in the human heart and mind to heal and glorify the human condition. Here are some more key characteristics of inner Christianity:
1) Prioritizes direct, individual experience of God over “popular religion.”
2) Emphasis on personal revelation from God and applying it to lead an empowered life in the Holy Spirit.
3) A belief that the power of God already rests within man and faith is about the manifestation of this truth.
4) Generally more openness to spiritual manifestations and giftings that characterized the Faith in the apostolic age.
Inner Christianity is the way that we come to know God. We experience Him as a living presence that abides within us. The Scriptures serve us only so much as they connect us to the person of Jesus Christ. Intellectual knowledge of the Bible means nothing if it does not help us grow in love for God and each other. Inner Christianity understands that change must happen within us first before it ever happens outside of us. The kingdom of heaven is within us (Luke 17:21). Inner Christianity is the faith of John, who rested against the Lord and, as such, was able to hear the workings of His heart (John 13:23).
It is through this inner Way that we come to know God and experience His love. As we journey through life and learn to hear and respond to the voice of God, we grow into the mature image of Christ. This change comes from a great power working within us (Ephesians 3:20).
There are of course drawbacks to this mode of Christianity and we must be careful on our individual paths into God’s heart. An open heart and mind to the spiritual realm are valuable tools, but they require discretion and discernment. Paul warns us, “do not let anyone who delights in the spiritual realm disqualify you…they go into great detail about what they have seen and heard…but they have lost connection to Christ” (see Colossians 2:18-19).
If we lose touch with established Christian tradition, we can spiritually disorient ourselves and fall off the path of Christ. We can lose our humility and wander off into strange doctrines and teachings that do not serve to advance the Work of Jesus Christ. Any experience or revelation must be tested against what has come before. There is nothing new under the sun, only fresh expressions of what always has been (Ecclesiastes 1:9). Deception may offer an appearance of truth on the surface, but that doesn’t make it the Truth.
The circles of Christians that resonate with this “inner Christianity” are usually the first to speak out against the religious institution and what it may perceive to be a “lack of freedom.” They view liturgical religious institutions or the expressions of Christianity they came from as dead religion. In environments of spiritual pioneering, pride is a temptation that is easy to succumb to.
I present these two forms or modes of Christianity because I want to make a point. This point is that the faith of today needs both - “popular religion” (the belief system of the masses) and “inner Christianity” - the mystical, personalized experience of the inner Christ. There will always be the institution (the “Pharisees”) and there will always be those who embody and pioneer a direct experience of God and His Kingdom (“anointed ones; “Christs”).
The institutional faith is the belief system of the masses, yes, but it is also the pillar that supports all Christian beliefs. There can be no mystical (spiritual) experience of God without a platform to support this experience. The branches are supported by the roots.
The best way to illustrate this principle is to look at the life of Jesus Christ. Although He bore the fullness of divinity within Himself, He initially made Himself obedient to the institution and the faith of His parents:
“After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking questions…then he went down to Nazareth with [Mary and Joseph] and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature with God and man.” Luke 2:46, 51-52 (NIV)
Christ walked fully attuned to the will of the Father, humbling Himself to serve the Jewish religious system and embody its prophetic writings. Although filled with the perfection, power, and wisdom of the Spirit, He lowered Himself to reach the people of the common faith. This is our model and pattern for Christian living.
However, the hope of the world is the manifestation of the inner Christ (Colossians 1:27). A healed and glorified humanity is God’s ultimate goal. This glorification and manifestation of God in man comes by participating in Christ’s many sufferings.
“Now if we are children, then we are heirs - heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” Romans 8:17 (NIV)
Christian dogma and tradition are useful, so long as they empower an experience of God and His presence in our lives. The goal is that all come to share in salvation and learn to live in the life of God through the Holy Spirit. In the meantime, as darkness is expelled from the human heart, we need some degree of Christian legalism to help steward and guide our journey into true spiritual freedom. Legalism is a tutor that helps us learn to steward the glory of the divine presence (Galatians 3:24). As we mature into perfection, the need for dogma and the written code fades in the light of Christ’s living presence.
We need to remember that we all carry a certain amount of freedom in the Spirit and a certain amount of Christian legalism, or “popular religion.” God gives to us what we are ready to handle. So the next time we are ready to complain about lack of freedom in the Spirit, we would do well to remember that none of us have reached the pinnacle of spiritual freedom except for Christ Himself.
The global church of Peter - shaky, uncertain, legalistic - is slowly but surely transforming into the church of John - confident, restful, and spiritualized. Until we reach full union with Christ through His Second Coming, the two modes of Christianity will exist together and support the growth of one another. Mystics and innovators are born in the institution, not outside of it. The institution feeds and cares for new revelation until the proper season. When it is the proper time, God brings new revelations and understandings of the gospel to light. These revelations must first be tested and purified in the living fire that is ancient Christianity. Anything not ordained by God to last will not last (see Acts 5:38-39).
Of course, the promise of the prophets is that one day we will no longer need institutional religion because we will all be perfectly led by the internal presence of the Father. This is the full glory of the New Covenant, and the goal of all Christian spirituality:
“‘This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel after that time,’ declares the Lord. ‘I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,’ declares the Lord. ‘For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.’” Jeremiah 31:33-34 (NIV)
Until this glory is fully manifest in and through the Body of Christ, let’s focus on loving, honoring, and serving each other to the best of our ability as Christian brothers and sisters. In the end, love for God and each other, expressing itself in action, is all that really counts.
