I had a memorable “conversion” in the back seat of my car when I was five years old, after my sunday school teacher had prodded my class to take Jesus into our little hearts. I usually trusted adults and their instructions, and I did feel the “warm bright light inside” that people always talk about. It was a very memorable “first time”. In fact, it was so good that I asked Jesus into my heart a couple more times, for good measure, at various bible school and church functions in subsequent years.
It wasn’t until 9th Grade, when I was in a Public School and weening myself off Michael W. Smith and onto U2 that I started to take on reformational Christianity. There was a rebelliousness to it, since I didn’t have to be moralistic anymore (breaking some of the preconceived notions about Christianity that my unchurched friends had). And I felt like true Christianity was much more rock’n’roll than rock’n’roll itself, since many of the people around me were very conscientious about following the “rebel” dress code and putting the right amount of swear words into their speech so they could sound like they didn’t give a fuck. Also, I believed in Predestination, which automatically makes you pretty eccentric in a public school where the victory of the Enlightenment is regularly celebrated in history and literature classes.
As far as Christianity “clicking”, I think I’m always looking for the doubt that’s going to burst my Christian bubble, but when I read the Bible closely (and I’ve been doing that much more these days), it makes much more sense than any of the other philosophies or religious perspectives. In fact, the Bible speaks directly to many of the problems and issues of Western thought both during the Greek and Roman period and still today. I feel like I’ve underestimated the power and testimony of Scripture, probably because I was taught to read it wrongly when I was in church and sunday school (as a moral document rather than as a historical account of God’s sovereignty). As I read the Bible now, I think I’m still learning why the path my parents and adults told me was the best way is really the best way. Though I’ve heard many arguments for other ways, they still seem less powerful than the ones the Bible sets forth. But maybe it’s just that the back seat experience I had with Jesus left me so smitten that I’ve only got eyes for him now.
grant
Nov 01 2003
07:35 am
I had a memorable “conversion” in the back seat of my car when I was five years old, after my sunday school teacher had prodded my class to take Jesus into our little hearts. I usually trusted adults and their instructions, and I did feel the “warm bright light inside” that people always talk about. It was a very memorable “first time”. In fact, it was so good that I asked Jesus into my heart a couple more times, for good measure, at various bible school and church functions in subsequent years.
It wasn’t until 9th Grade, when I was in a Public School and weening myself off Michael W. Smith and onto U2 that I started to take on reformational Christianity. There was a rebelliousness to it, since I didn’t have to be moralistic anymore (breaking some of the preconceived notions about Christianity that my unchurched friends had). And I felt like true Christianity was much more rock’n’roll than rock’n’roll itself, since many of the people around me were very conscientious about following the “rebel” dress code and putting the right amount of swear words into their speech so they could sound like they didn’t give a fuck. Also, I believed in Predestination, which automatically makes you pretty eccentric in a public school where the victory of the Enlightenment is regularly celebrated in history and literature classes.
As far as Christianity “clicking”, I think I’m always looking for the doubt that’s going to burst my Christian bubble, but when I read the Bible closely (and I’ve been doing that much more these days), it makes much more sense than any of the other philosophies or religious perspectives. In fact, the Bible speaks directly to many of the problems and issues of Western thought both during the Greek and Roman period and still today. I feel like I’ve underestimated the power and testimony of Scripture, probably because I was taught to read it wrongly when I was in church and sunday school (as a moral document rather than as a historical account of God’s sovereignty). As I read the Bible now, I think I’m still learning why the path my parents and adults told me was the best way is really the best way. Though I’ve heard many arguments for other ways, they still seem less powerful than the ones the Bible sets forth. But maybe it’s just that the back seat experience I had with Jesus left me so smitten that I’ve only got eyes for him now.