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Heres a cheeky note I found on labeling folk - what do you think?
Confessions of a Christian Nudist
I really loved My Charismatic Suit. It was bright and funky, the jacket made with excellence and the pants were oh so very contemporary. I felt free, relevant and, though I say it myself, crucial and cool. I loved the passion and the power that Charismatics had and I felt this was where it was at. But all that passion and zeal wore me down, the consistent striving to become, to press in, to possess the land. All that effort trying to become what we already are. So, I gave away my Charismatic Suit and I felt better.
Which left me standing in my Ariminianist Shirt, which luckily, was a perfect fit. Although I could never decide whether I chose it or it chose me, all the same I knew I looked good and it made me feel confident whenever I put it on. Until I started to see that faith is simply a response to the character and nature of God. My faith doesn t change God and it cannot change what He has done. My decision for Him is simply as a result of His decision for me. The cart cannot pull the horse. Oh dear, my shirt began to choke me so I ripped it off and began to breath easier.
Then I started thinking about my Fundamentalist Boots. Good solid boots that had helped me walk many a mile. Rugged and dependable, I trampled everything into submission with my Fundamental size Tens. Except, I had to be honest and admit that they were starting pinch. They no longer seemed to fit. Since I d discovered that the Word was a person, I d been finding it increasingly difficult to wear them boots. This Lion of Judah won t stay in the cage, the stag is out beyond the confines of the city walls and my feet had to get loose. Bye bye boots, hello barefoot and fancy free.
So there I was in my Evangelical underwear. Nothing too fashionable you understand, but functional and comfortable. I loved Christian Evangelicals for their determination to share the Good News. But the more I thought about it the more I realised that the Good News wasn t really good news, in fact it was pretty bad news.
Hey I wanna tell you the good news!
What s the good news?
You re all going to hell!
So I took off my Evangelical underwear and threw it away.
Which left me
..scrambling for something to wear!
I tried the Universalist range of clobber. And I have to say I liked it, they taught me much about the redemption of mankind and the fact humanity is represented by Christ. But I found that they didn t have much to say about the mystery of the ages, Christ in us. And they re always going on and on about aolian time, completely missing the point (in my humble opinion) about the universal events of the cross.
There have been other fittings that I ve briefly(pardon the pun) tried. I liked the cut of the Quaker Boxers. They saw the truth of Christ in every man and they treated everyone accordingly, but these boxers were too stiff and formal for me to move freely.
I tried the Emerging Church Y fronts, but as cool as they undoubtedly were, it felt to me like a case of all style and no function. I loved what they had to tell me about the alternative ways of meeting and they inspired me to be a relevant voice in society, but somehow they skirt(sorry! these puns!) around central issue of Christ in us.
So, I took it all off.
Leaving me - naked and unashamed.
Which is where I think we all should be.
Jesus said that his mission was to restore that which was lost. To take us back, way back to the garden, where Adam and Eve were naked, innocent and free. To destroy sin consciousness and restore innocence, undefiled by the knowledge of good and evil. Because the knowledge of Good and Evil always results in the doctrines of men and the next thing you know you re wearing these ridiculous garments and fighting with others who don t dress like you!
All I wear now is Christ. I am in Him and He is in me. He is All and in All. The life I now live, I live by the faith of the One who loved me and gave himself for me. I don t want to be defined by the doctrines of men. I want to be defined by Christ alone.
So there we go, if you want to label me, call me a Christian Nudist, but you ll might find it difficult to find somewhere to sew that label!
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