Three elements of faith. Tribal, convinced, growing

Good post. Just when we think we’ve arrived, a new road appears saying Kingdom ahead (but not the miles).
Matthew6:33

Im keeping my eyes on Jesus. In my walk the personal is the same, the obstacles the same. Add a few people life changes. Be faithful to the same church wisdom increases, same Bible. I agree to know your limits after you’ve tried everything, but then you get into the groove and/or a rut. So learn more and try more. When you get into Gods will it should stay exciting. Witnessing, studying, overcoming your mind, school, rest. Love can stay exciting too. Do it Gods way.

The only (me) or should I say lack of (me) that I focus on is Christ in me. Its the only identity that will stop the crazy (me) or the horrible sinful (me). Or the prideful (me) and the (me) that thinks he's better than he really is.

The only way that can happen is when I live Christs example. When I sacrifice (me) and put in Christ into that situation. Its a guarentee to be the right way.

I think it is good that we admit out weaknesses. That we are sinners and supceptible to fall for the easy way out. Think of self first before others. Even when we think we are being humble thats when we fall due to our pride. Especially in a world that makes the individual everything.

But its a paradox that the more we sacrifice self for Christ the more we are the best we can be. Living out our fullest life. The more we can be confident and grow.

I think tribalism is the result of rejecting God being sovereign over all. This is the Tower of Babel when it became about tribes and dividing people instead of one people under God. Because the people wanted to make their own gods. Be the gods of their iwn world. Only in Christ that we can restore unity through sacrifice and forgiveness.

stevevw said:

I think tribalism is the result of rejecting God being sovereign over all.

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It can be.

"if you love those who love you, what reward have you?" Jesus says in Matthew 5:46.

So, we don't want a tribe to be an in-crowd thing . . . inbred, isolated with only certain other people.

However, having a tribe can be about family relating, and our Father wants us to relate as His family. So, it is good to have people to share with.

com7fy8 said:

So, it is good to have people to share with.

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Unless they become tribal in nature like religious denominations which eventually erect walls and see anybody outside their own as enemies.. defeating the entire purpose of Christianity.

com7fy8 said:

It can be.

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I think it inevitably leads to a conflicted people. A society or nation of people cannot hold different and opposing beliefs under the same roof.

If belief and the right to hold and practice a belief is a real human right. Then the logical implication is that all religious belief has the right to be expressed in a free society that does not favor one belief over another. If two religions have different conflicting beliefs and practices then this will cause conflict and resentment.

com7fy8 said:

"if you love those who love you, what reward have you?" Jesus says in Matthew 5:46.

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Loving others does not mean accepting evil. Peter says don't let your freedom in Christ lead to covering up evil. We still speak to Christs truth. We just don't meet fire with fire. Rather we remain quiet and not go to war with the enermy. But obey God.

com7fy8 said:

So, we don't want a tribe to be an in-crowd thing . . . inbred, isolated with only certain other people.

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Thats right. Thats a good description " in-crowd thing" but also "out-crowd thing". It divides people into identity groups where some or good and others are bad.

But worse it reduces people down to the identities they are using. Such as skin color, sex, gender, class, looks, intelligence ect. The exact opposite of "being made in Gods image" and unity in Christ. Christians should see others as being made in Gods image. Which is not the individual identity. Its not even anything of this world that has been created by humans under social constructions.

com7fy8 said:

However, having a tribe can be about family relating, and our Father wants us to relate as His family. So, it is good to have people to share with.

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Yes and a Christian should be able to meet anyone in the world from any culture or background and be unified in the cross of Christ. In that sense we are not meeting the persons exterior expressions in this world. But a spiritual being for which we see Christs identity.

Not to say that our worldly identity is not important. We see Christ coming through our worldly identity. Which is even more amazing that Christ can unify such different people.

But the world gets it back the front. When Gods image and Christs spirit is taken away there is nothing left but the world identity. This becomes the gods and morality. Which is ever changing as there is no external and worthy authority to base that unity on.

Maine Progressive said:

I can see where you're headed with this. But the way you have stated it doesn't fit reality. Obviously two divergent religions are never going to merge. But 'conflict' as in violence or legal suppression is not a necessary outcome. Differences can cause that kind of conflict when one of the religions fails to allow the unfettered existence of the other.

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Yes they are called radical Islamist and local radicals who side with them against the west. A specific ideology designed to undermine and destroy the west. The refusal to take on western values of freedoms and want to impose an ideology on all.

Maine Progressive said:

As is often the case, most major religions are large enough to include extremists and zealots who see their faith best expressed by fighting against any other. Christianity and Islam are no different. That is the weakness of faith liberated from compassion. And, whether we care to admit it or not, all of the major religions at their core espouse peacefulness and tolerance. It's only their opponents who brandish false representations of their danger. And it's only those insecure in their faith who fear that some other religion will do them harm. Anyway, I'm not disagreeing with you. Just clarifying what we mean by 'conflict'.

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This all seems to work when everyone accepts that there are differences and allow those differences to be lived out. It also only works when the dominant culture is still respected.

Most immigrants who came after the war were from Christian nations. Or at least non religious people who respected Christian nations and conformed to those nations. They kept their cultures but also adhered to the dominant culture of western nations.

But now we are importing alien cultures who hate the west and the more they become dominant the more they will conflict. We are seeing this happening throughout Europe and in all western nations now. The dominant culture of the west, of western Christianity is being undermined and put into conflict with other cultures who hate our way of life and what we stand for.

It seems a crazy policy that we invite people who hate the west to come into the west and then wonder why there is so much fighting and division.

Not just that but academic ideologues have been actively cultivating hatred against the west in universities and producing many local activists who are wanting to destroy their own nation. Telling lies and misrepresenting the west because of their hate. This is a reciept for disaster and division.