Christians tend to view Judaism and Islam as its closest kin. If by kin, we mean our blood relations with whom we fight over our differences, they are correct. If by kin, we mean those with whom we share common interests and beliefs, they are wrong. Based upon my conversations with Evangelicals, Roman Catholics, Jewish friends, Muslim friends, and my brother-in-law (an Eastern mystic), I would have to say that Christianity's closest kin is Eastern mysticism. Maybe I'm wrong about this, but try proclaiming "sola gratia," "passive righteousness," "one way love," "no free will," and "sovereignty over suffering and evil" to most religious people, and they get "mad as hell." When I discussed this with my brother-in-law Marty (Jewish heritage but So. Cal. surfer and artist), we agreed on all of these things. (By the way, Marty is one of the hardest working people that I know. You see, he is free to work hard, because his standing before God is not dependent upon his success or failure.)
I was listening to a Q&A with David Zahl and his friend, Jacob Smith, this week about Christian freedom. "For freedom, Christ has set us free." (Gal. 5:1) David queried: "What is Christian freedom? What has Jesus freed us from?" David then goes on to postulate possible answers (paraphrasing): "Are we free to do as we please? Possibly. Are we free from the law? Yes. But what we're really free from is self." This is exactly what Marty says. This is exactly what has happened to me as I have come to know Jesus. God has in large measure, although not totally, set me free from self. Had God not, I would still be enmeshed in self-righteousness and its related sins of lust and alcoholism.
Why do so many Evangelical leaders commit adultery? The list is endless--from Ted Haggard to Bob Coy. While it is a moral failure, it doesn't stem so much from their "lack of moral integrity" as from their "believing that they have moral integrity." They believe that they are "keeping the law" and "pleasing God." The burden of keeping the law leads them to medicate with women and/or alcohol. God has put a deep desire in men for sex to keep the human race going. When one is otherwise "keeping the law," one feels justified in indulging in this deep desire. This is why so many Evangelicals wind up committing adultery. They are self-focused: "How am I doing? I'm doing good." They are living under the law.
In contrast, when one is not living under the law, when one is not working to keep God happy, one's burdens are light and self-medication is not necessary. Jesus said that He came to lift our burdens and that His burden is light. Only when we view God's burden as light can we ever expect to keep the law without becoming self-righteous. If it's a heavy burden, then shouldering that burden leads to the greatest sin--self-righeousness. If you think I'm wrong about this, just listen to Jesus. His two great themes were the Kingdom of God (where burdens are light), and the poverty of self-righteousness (white-washed tombs). If you think I'm wrong about Eastern mysticism, watch Kung Fu Hustle by Stephen Cho and listen to his interview afterwards. If you replace "chi" with Holy Spirit, Cho is speaking Christianity.
For my Evangelical friends, I'm not saying that practitioners of Eastern mysticism are "closet Christians," but I'm looking into it. Maybe Christians are "closet Eastern mysticists."
P.S. "In God, we find all joy and meaning."--Marty
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