Christianity is like. . .

Christianity is like a mountain. One could spend years about it and not trek but a meager portion of its great expanse.

Ignoring the “why?” for now, people begin climbing at different places along the foot of the mountain. Some begin the ascent in simple pastures dense with flora and nurturing. Others begin along steep grades of loose gravel and stones straining to maintain under the weight of those who tread them, every perilous step rife with doubt and confidence. Others begin their ascent at some environment between these extremes. Deserts, lush oases, fellowship and isolation await each traveller who ascends the mountain.

Once the trek begins, some shoot straight for the top. They whiz through every kind of terrain, have stumbled onto a shorter path, or simply found a route that bypasses all the difficult places. We look at them high up on the mountain and wonder if we’ll ever join them. They have grown accustomed to the thin air, the seemingly harsh and barren environment, but they have learned to live apart from the excesses to which so many cling. Even their bodies have changed to survive in a wholly different environment.

Others on the mountain maintain a particular elevation or terrain. They aren’t concerned about making the peak of the mountain. They master their environment and show others the way up to the next stage. They survive the deserts, the oases even, and help others to pass through and prepare for the paths ahead. These mountaineers don’t sacrifice anything by not reaching the mountain top, but remain as guides for those who would challenge the mountain.

True that some entrench themselves along the mountain face and stubbornly remain, though it is apparent they should move on to other stages of the mountain. Some confuse the environment or elevation to which they cling with the whole of the mountain; they refuse to learn more about the mountain. Still, others maintain that climbing any further up or along the mountain might be dangerous.

No one climbs a mountain because it is safe.

I think I made a mistake in posting the last submission. This was supposed to be a survey of perspectives communicated through analogies. Posting G. Coogan’s definition deviated from that intention. I apologize for that.

We cannot forsake a structured understanding of God’s nature, but we must acknowledge that God engages us through our imagination. Forming in our minds As God forms in our minds images of His Being and our relation to Him, we thus experience God through metaphor. This does not exclude our knowing of Him. Metaphors are not fictions, but attempts at grasping reality from (our) incomplete frameworks.

ChristianityIsLike will be taking a new direction. I will seek to measure and explore our mosaic understanding of Christianity and Christ through various media including books, movies, journals, and subjective experiences. I hope you all stick along for the ride.

Some say it describes the relationship of the creating God to man, others consider it the greatest evil men have created.  I want to know what Christianity means to you.  Check the About section for info on how to submit an essay*. We’ll post your take on Christianity here at Chrsitianity is like.

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*Essay is a strong word. Don’t be intimidated. Send a paragraph or three full pages of work. It can be as simple as “I think Christianity is like x, because y.” or the most complex literary masterpiece the world has ever seen.

Christianity is like living in a house. Some people live in the house and they are always welcome. Like any house, there are rules for those who live in the house, but those who live outside the rules aren’t necessarily kicked out of the house. They still live in the house. A lot of people think that God gets angry at them and refuses to talk to them. When we disobey God, though, we still abide in God’s house. Nothing can take us out of our home in God’s house.