Make 'em Wonder

I was listening to Avalon on the way into work this morning. I admit it, I like cheesy Christian music, and while I disagree with the theology expressed in some songs, I find them uplifting, overall. The song "The World Will Wonder Why," was playing, and after choking on the first few lines "I wonder... how some can look so hard and miss the Truth," as if the complex evangelical atonement theory and whatnot is just plain and obvious, we moved on to the main message of the song, that the best method of evangelism is living by example: "If you and I will shine His light...hearts discover life when we decide to let ours go..." Good stuff.

Thinking on what it means to live a Christian life that others will see and want to emulate, I began to wonder what the songwriters meant, what God wants from our outward lives, and how I live my life. My fiance, Matt, likes to tell the story of how Campus Crusade guys in college would tell him not to go to parties because then others will notice they don't go to parties, and wonder what is different about their lives. "No they won't!" Matt explains, "because they already know what's different--they know you're an uptight ass who won't associate with people outside your little faith-group." On the contrary, Matt went to parties, enjoyed his beer (responsibly, most of the time, we hope), talked theology over games of pool, and helped people get back to their own dorms or houses safely at the end of the night. He believes that set a better example of Christ's love than avoiding the situation altogether, and actually did get asked about his faith a few times. I imagine the guy holed up in his dorm with a few Crusade buddies did not.

Obviously, I side with Matt's interpretation of what it means to live one's faith in a visible way, but I ask myself what my own life would say, if someone were watching it for cues about my faith. I struggle with depression and feel very negative about life much of the time. I try not to be a downer in public, but I'm sure my behavior generally does not reflect the "happy all the time" image that would attract attention in today's stress-filled world. Is there another way to show that I have an active relationship with God, and that my life is better with that relationship than it would be without it? I really have no answer to this question. I hope that expressing attitudes of peace and love for all, and trying to avoid the selfish and money-centered ways humans tend to make gods of themselves says something, but who knows? If you listen to many Christians today, drinking, smoking, and sex are the world's greatest evils, which all true Christians will avoid. I admire the ascetic, self-disciplined life, but when you really think about it, doesn't it take a lot more self-control to avoid materialism, self-centeredness, and self-righteousness, than to say "no, thanks" to a glass of beer?