The Christian - Disciple of Jesus Christ
The Christian challenged by the world,
Continued
In the past, in traditionally Christian societies, people were able to live out
their Christianity supported, to a large extent, by the family, the surrounding
environment, and a common Christian value system which provided the points of
reference, at least in law.
Today, the faith is no longer handed on automatically from generation to
generation: people no longer are Christian because they have inherited the faith
from their parents.
Young people want to make up their own minds about their values in life and they
reject, or are strongly tempted to reject, what is handed down through the
traditions of family, society or church. We are being summoned to address this
new challenge of the present time.
When we talk about a ‘Christian’, what do we mean today? Are those who bear this
name truly believers; do they have a real, committed, personal faith?
Christians need to become more deeply and personally aware of their faith. A
good number of them need to be helped to make the transition from a sociological
kind of Christianity to a full Christianity which they have freely chosen by
their personal assent.
The Church of tomorrow will consist of Christians who have struggled against
their environment in order to reach a faith decision that is personalized,
clear, explicit and responsible. That is what the Church will be like in the
future.
Here is the crux of the matter: how can we today Christianize, through living
authentic lives, so many nominal ‘Christians’? A purely ‘practicing’ Church is
not enough: it must also be ‘confessing’. We must witness to our faith and live
by it.
What is Christianity? It is Jesus Christ, present in us, who must shine through
us. Christianity is not primarily a body of doctrine, a code of practice. It is
first and foremost entering into a covenant of life with God.