Darell was a very friendly and kind man, whom I met at the park Sunday. He was playing a board game with a friend and agreed to do an on camera interview with me to discuss his views of reality. Thanks Darell! Please take a few minutes to watch.
My reflections:
Darell seemed a bit reluctant to identify specifically why he converted from a Unitarian background and was attracted to Christianity in particular. An indefinite higher power and a general belief in life after death is consistent with Unitarian views. But at some point a belief that God is related particularly to Jesus Christ rose to the surface in Darell's spiritual journey. If God has revealed Himself clearly in Jesus Christ, there's no reason to be ashamed of speaking about what you believe and why, provided you do so with gentleness and respect. However, if we give undo respect to the opinions of others, we will find ourselves compromising our faith or suppressing our love for God and people (who may need to learn from what God has shown us).
When asked about "Why should God let you into heaven?" Darell originally gave an answer that revealed that his faith was in his own goodness; "good deeds out weighing his bad deeds". Do Christians trust in their own good deeds to save them? Or do Christians trust in Jesus Christ, who died for their sins and rose from the dead, to give us forgivenss and the gift of eternal life?
Keeping in mind that this was a spontaneous interview, and many people don't always clearly know how to express what they believe, my sense was that the relationship between Jesus Christ and being forgiven, accepted and loved by God may not be very clear for Darell. I'm guessing that's perhaps a part of why he's uncomfortable sharing why his faith is particularly directed towards Jesus Christ. For anyone who identifies with that, I'd recommend watching "Can you help this man?" under my "Resources for Reality". Got reflections of your own? Post a comment.
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