About three months ago, I posted the following definitions:
Delusion – a false or mistaken belief or idea about something. psychology – a persistent false belief held in the face of strong contradictory evidence, especially as a symptom of psychiatric disorder.
Illusion – something that deceives the senses or mind, for example, by appearing to exist when it does not or appearing to be one thing when it is in fact another.
Delusion and illusion are central themes of scripture. Delusion is a perfect description of fallen humanity. Communally we create illusions that reinforce our delusions. This is not to say there isn't good in human cultures. For a counterfeit to be successful, it must contain enough of the substance of the real thing to give the appearance of being the real thing. Our human cultures are facsimiles of the real thing, but they lead us away from God and not to him.
God is not content to leave us in our lies. He disillusions us so we can see him and ourselves for what we are. Jesus is the ultimate disillusionist. As head of the Church, he calls us to individually and corporately be disillusionists.
We are called to be in authentic community. Authentic community simultaneously exposes illusions and offers a window into the reality of the Kingdom. Maybe you have heard the adage that says, "Preach the gospel. If necessary, use words."
At the interpersonal level, tension must be raised about the efficacy of the illusions we live under. We are to be tools for creating that tension as Christians. This does not mean we are combative or belligerent. On the contrary, our disillusioning should be characterized by an unsettling sense of love and marching to the beat of a different drum.
When the tension is raised, we are called to point the way to Jesus and the authenticity that can be found in him and his Kingdom. This is evangelism, the telling of the good news of the Kingdom among us.
Unfortunately, most of liberal Christianity is hesitant to say anything definitive about Jesus. They would rather be in dialog, find common ground, and combat "universally accepted" notions of social injustice. This is their "good news of the Kingdom," or evangelism.
Conservative Christians focus inordinately (often exclusively) on personal salvation, usually motivated by a desire to resolve personal tensions in one's own psyche. Personal inner peace and freedom from the consequences of sin are the driving issues. This is their "good news of the Kingdom" or evangelism.
Neither of these scenarios leads to a world where every person, every social structure, every principality and power, and every realm is brought under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. One leads to social justice based on human wisdom, and the other leads to psychological healing. The Kingdom comes only by people answering a call to radical discipleship. It comes by lovingly and relentlessly disillusioning others and ourselves, so we can fully embrace God and his mission in the world.
Leave a Reply