The Puzzle

 Hello, my name is Phil Smith. I am a married, 45-year-old father of two preteen girls. I've always been fascinated by Christianity. I absolutely believe that Christianity is God's answer to all that ails us. I love learning about it and I love teaching about it. 

 You may be thinking, "Phil, if Christianity is so great, then why isn't it working?" Well, I have two basic answers for you. First, because most people won't adhere. If you find a drug that cures cancer but only a small fraction of cancer sufferers will take the pill, you can't blame the pill for not working on a majority of cancer patients. Second, because it's very misunderstood. There are many reasons why it is misunderstood, but the reason that drives what I teach is the problem I call, "Whaaaaa?" 

 When we are given new information, we process it by relating it to information we already have. When new information doesn't relate as we think is should, we tilt our head slightly to the side and go, "Whaaaaa?" Christianity isn't like anything else but it is enough like so many other things that people are constantly trying to push it into some already-created file folder. But it won't fit. And the harder people push, the less Christianity works. So I need you to take a moment right now and create a new folder in your mind. An empty folder. Can you see it? Now label it, "Christianity". There, that's going to help a lot. 

 Since Christianity is so easily misunderstood, everyone interested in it must be very good at listening, the teachers very good at teaching, and the leaders very good at leading. This is because the natural tendency is always to fall into comfortable, convenient categories. Defining words with familiar meanings. Jumping to conclusions based on experience or common sense. Organizing in ways that look familiar. Making decisions on prearranged logic with already established premises. It's a good thing Christian teaching is so well presented, eh? 

 That was sarcasm. It is not well presented at all! Here's how it usually goes down... When a person responds to the gospel with faith, they are largely thrown into the general population of some church somewhere. Most of their instruction will come by way of 30-45 minute sermons that are largely disconnected from the sermon (or sermon series) before and after it. They will also read books and involve themselves in studies that are largely disconnected to the other books they will read and the other studies they will attend. As a Christian teacher, I find this frustrating. Not to mention there is no accepted standard for what qualifies good Christian teaching from bad. Anything else you study in the world has a linear and progressive approach to it, so as to maximize learning. But Christian teaching is like opening a 50,000 piece puzzle (10,000 of those pieces belong to a different puzzle entirely), randomly taking out pieces, and then tossing them one or two at a time to a person, hoping they can make sense of it. This approach is not only inefficient but also counterproductive. The results fall into two categories:  Nonfunctional Christianity (the world view is empty and has very limited effect) and Dysfunctional Christianity (the world view is false to some degree and has adverse effects).  These results are at the very least sad and all too often tragic.  I have experienced the sadness as well as the tragedy. I am betting you have too. And of course, the greatest tragedy is the harm to the name of Jesus and to his gospel. I believe much of this can be avoided simply by employing a structure to our belief system. 

 I like putting puzzles together. They are challenging and rewarding. I'm not at all intimidated by the number of pieces or by the fact that the puzzle we are putting together is the size of the meaning of life, but I do need two things: 1) a picture of the finished project and 2) a strategic approach. And that will be the challenge of this blog: to provide a big picture and a structure that helps define the new file we've created called, "Christianity". Sound fun? Does to me.