The Meaning of Life: A Teenager's View

Matty Collier, age 17:

I couldn't help feeling that I should have accomplished something by now.
It didn't need to be big. But it needed to be something that I did with no
help from anyone else, some idea that was totally my own. I knew I was
headed for anonymity the year after I graduated. I would find a job
somewhere and ease into a quiet life, maybe get married and have a few
kids. I was headed that way, but something inside me wanted to stop the
motion I needed to have my moment of glory, and after that maybe the
whole business of life would start to make sense. As it stood now, it
seemed like stupid little traditions that everyone went through without
ever asking why. I wanted to ask why. I wanted some answers. 

--Barbara Hall, Skeeball and the Secret of the Universe (1987), page 24.

The Meaning of Faith

It's odd to find a definition of faith in a gritty, glitzy crime novel, but here it is:

Oh, baby, everybody thinks that faith is this big rush of something that goes
through you like a big orgasm. It ain't that, honey! Naw! Faith is when you
don't feel anything inside, just emptiness and hollowness, but you go on and
whisper up a little something to the Lord. Talking to God when you don't feel
anything at all, that's faith. Believing when you don't even feel like you
believe in anything. That's when God knows that you love and believe in Him
the most, for sure.

--Jane Holleman, Killer Gorgeous (1997), page 191.

What is a Higher Power?

The notion of a "Higher Power" plays an essential role in 12-Step Recovery: "The alcoholic, at times," declares the AA Big Book, "has no effective mental defense against the first drink. Except in a few rare cases, neither he nor any other human being can provide such a defense. His defense must come from a Higher Power" (page 43).

In some ways, "Higher Power" is a potentially misleading expression. If all this means is that there is some "power" that's "stronger than me," it's easy to name a "Higher Power." For instance, the force of gravity is a power stronger than me. But will this stronger power fit the therapeutic, spiritual role which a "Higher Power" is supposed to play in 12-Step recovery? Of course not--plenty of physicists are alcoholics, despite their acknowledgement that gravity (or electricity or the Higgs boson) is a power "greater [stronger] than themselves."

So, what did the founders of AA mean by a "Higher Power"? Well, the founders of AA were also focused Bible-readers. And, lo and behold, we find the phrase "higher power" in the New Testament book of Romans (13:1-2, KJV):

13 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.

2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.

The context makes the idea of a "Higher Power" clear: When we choose a Higher Power, this isn't just admitting that there are impersonal forces stronger than us. Rather, we're choosing an authority whose directions we will willingly obey.

Seen this way, belief in a Higher Power (Step 2) and "turning our will and lives over to" that Higher Power (Step 3) become specific--and serious. A "Higher Power" is, simply, a being we acknowledge as having the right to command our obedience.

This word, "right," deserves a bit of attention. There are plenty of times when people command our obedience merely out of might (force).  We obey an armed mugger, for instance, not because he has a right to our money--but only because he has the might to cause us harm if we don't obey.

So, in sum, a "Higher Power" isn't just a stronger, or larger, power. It's a higher authority to which we concede the right to command our obedience. As I understand it, this is what it means to "surrender our will" to a Higher Power.

How do we glorify God? A Definition

An interesting definition of "glorifying God" from Lawrence Crabb's book, Effective Biblical Counseling:

"We often use the words 'glorify,' 'glory,' 'glorious' without stopping to define them clearly.
I am indebted to my father for the suggestion that to glorify God is to reveal His essential
Being. "Father, the hour is come; glorify [reveal] thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify
[reveal] thee" (John 17:1). I glorify God as I reveal Him by walking as He walked" (page 30).

Matthew 6:2-3 IRL

"Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do...that they may have glory from men....But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing..." --Matthew 6:2-3 (NKJV) 

Deconverts: Why Do People "Deconvert"?

Why do people fall "out of love" with their faith? Well, lots of reasons. One of the best books I've read about the phenomenon is sociologist Gary Zuckerman's book, Faith No More: Why People Reject Religion. In this book, Zuckerman finds 9 main reasons why people walk away from their faith:

• 1. Parents: "when only one parent is religious and the other one is lukewarm or an outright nonbeliever, the likelihood of apostasy for the children of such a couple is increased" (page 153)

• 2. Education: "Many of the men and women I talked to found that going to college made them look at the world diff erently, forced them to ask questions that they had never wanted or even thought to ask, and caused them to scrutinize their own values and beliefs" (page 154)

• 3. Misfortune: "For some people, when they experience loss or pain in their lives, it leads them to question God’s goodness, even God’s existence" (pages 154-155)

• 4. Other Cultures, Other Religions: "For some people, it is moving to a new country and being exposed to new ways of life that makes them question their beliefs. For others, it is experiencing or becoming acquainted. with other religions. For still others, it is simply taking a class in which they learn about other religions, other cultures. But the underlying dynamic is always the same: experiencing, witnessing, or learning about other people who do things diff erently, believe diff erent things, and/or hold diff erent outlooks on life can stir up a process of critical self-refl ection that can be potentially corrosive to one’s long-held religious convictions" (page 156)

• 5. Friends, Colleagues, Lovers: "If it isn’t our parents that aff ect and infl uence us, then it is other people who are closest to us" (page 156)

• 6. Politics: "Many religious people who support gay marriage, oppose the war in Iraq, support protecting the environment, fear the likes of Sarah Palin, or simply identify as vegetarians are apt to feel some confl ict with what they are hearing at church or around their family’s dinner table" (page 159)

• 7. Sex: "There were basically three key ways in which issues of sex and sexuality were contributing factors in many people’s rejection of religion: 
• [(a)] The first had to do with desire. Some people, as they hit their teenage years or early twenties, found themselves wanting to have sex. But this desire was flatly condemned by their religion....
• [(b)] A second way in which sex can contribute toward apostasy has to do with guilt. Many religions spend a lot of time and energy making their adherents feel shame and guilt about sexual urges and desires. Sex becomes heavily associated with sin, uncleanliness, and moral depravity....This emotional linkage of healthy sexual desire/experience. with guilt/shame can leave a bitter taste in some people’s mouths. They came to resent what they had been taught, and the way it made them feel. Some distanced themselves from religion....
• [(c)] Finally, there is the matter of homosexuality. There is simply no question that being gay or lesbian can strongly contribute toward someone’s apostasy. Gays and lesbians learn early on that their sexual identity is unwelcome, unacceptable, and downright unholy. So many leave—and they go on to embrace secular values and secular worldviews that confi rm and celebrate who they are, rather than deny and deride" (pages 159-161)

• 8. Satan and Hell: "Many of the people I interviewed, particularly those who had been raised in conservative Protestant denominations or strongly Catholic households, had been taught to fear Satan and hell. And they did. And this fear remained an ugly, damaging, disturbing element of their lives for many years. As they got older, they began to resent it, hate it, and eventually question it" (page 162)

• 9. Hypocrisy/Malfeasance of Religious Associates: "Most religious people, at one time or another, come into contact with unsavory people who should not, given their outward religiosity and ostensibly piety, be so unsavory. Perhaps it is one of their fellow congregants. Or maybe it is their priest, pastor, or minister. For many of the men and women whom I interviewed, their withdrawal from religion was spurred in large part by religious people that they knew, or knew of, who acted in such a way as to create feelings of unease, disappointment, or repugnance" (page 162)

It would be interesting to see more examples, and find out if this list is all-inclusive--or whether there are still other reasons that people give up on their faith. 

What Is The Sinner's Prayer?

What Is The Sinner's Prayer?

1) Introduction:

The Sinner's Prayer refers to a prayer often recited by new Christian converts. The prayer is a kind of gateway, marking the moment a person 1) confesses their sinfulness, 2) calls on Christ as their Savior from sin, 3) acknowledges that Christ died for that person's sins (and was resurrected), and often 4) invites Jesus to enter the new Christian's heart.

A few more introductory background remarks, compliments of Wikipedia:

The Sinner's Prayer (also called the Consecration Prayer and Salvation Prayer) is an evangelical Christian term referring to any prayer of repentance, prayed by individuals who feel convicted of the presence of sin in their lives and have the desire to form or renew a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. It is a popular phenomenon in evangelical circles.^[1] It is not intended as liturgical like a creed or a confiteor, but rather, is intended to be an act of initial conversion to Christianity. While some Christians see reciting the sinner's prayer as the moment defining one's salvation, others see it as a beginning step of one's lifelong faith journey.^[2][3]

It also may be prayed as an act of "re-commitment" for those who are already believers in the faith. Often, at the end of a worship service, in what is known as an altar call, a minister or other worship leader will invite those desiring to receive Christ (thus becoming born again) to repeat with him or her the words of some form of a sinner's prayer. It also is frequently found on printed gospel tracts, urging people to "repeat these words from the bottom of your heart".^[4]

The "Sinner’s Prayer" takes various forms, all of which have the same general thrust.^[5] Since it is considered a matter of one's personal will, it can be prayed silently, aloud, read from a suggested model, or repeated after someone modeling the prayer role. There is no formula of specific words considered essential, although it usually contains an admission of sin and a petition asking that Jesus enter into the person's heart (that is to say, the center of their life). The use of the sinner's prayer is common within some Protestant denominations, such as Baptist Churches and Methodist Churches, as well as in movements that span several denominations, including evangelical, fundamental, and charismatic Christianity. It has also been used, though not as widely, by some Anglicans,^[6][7] Lutherans,^[8][9] and Roman Catholics.^[10][11] It is sometimes uttered by Christians seeking redemption or reaffirming their faith in Christ during a crisis or disaster, when death may be imminent.

The "Sinner’s Prayer" is not without its critics. Because no such prayer or conversion is found in the Bible, some biblical scholars have even labeled the sinner's prayer a "cataract of nonsense" and an "apostasy".^[12] David Platt has raised questions over the authenticity of the conversions of people using the sinner's prayer based on research by George Barna.^[13]

2) Anatomy of The Sinner's Prayer:

While reference is made to "the" Sinner's Prayer, there's no "pat" set of words that "count" as a sinner's prayer. A Sinner's Prayer can be as short as 50 words (as illustrated by this version I found in a random Christian tract):

Dear Lord, I now realize that I am a sinner and that you died for me. I repent of my sin, and ask You to now come into my heart, save me, and take me to heaven when I die. Thank you, Lord, for saving me. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Or the prayer can be more detailed, as illustrated by Ray Pritchard's 121-word version (in his book, An Anchor for the Soul):

Lord Jesus, for too long I’ve kept you out of my life. I know that I am a sinner and that I cannot save myself. No longer will I close the door when I hear you knocking. By faith I gratefully receive your gift of salvation. I am ready to trust you as my Lord and Savior. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for coming to earth. I believe you are the Son of God who died on the cross for my sins and rose from the dead on the third day. Thank you for bearing my sins and giving me the gift of eternal life. I believe your words are true. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus, and be my Savior. Amen.

Or here's an intermediate 82-word version, compliments of Cary Schmidt (in his book, Done):

Dear Jesus,

I believe in my heart that you are God. I

believe that you died for all of my sins and rose

again. I confess to you that I am a sinner, and I

ask you to be my personal Saviour right now. I

place 100% of my trust in you to come into my

life and take me to Heaven someday. I accept

your free gift of eternal life.

Thank you for keeping your promise and

answering this prayer.

Amen.

In any event, I find it interesting to break down the Sinner's Prayer into its "basic elements," which I list as follows:

Parts of a Sinner's Prayer:

1. Sinner: "I am a sinner..."
2. Deity: "You are [the Son of] Godj..."
3. Sacrifice: "You died for my sins [on the cross]..."
4. Resurrection: "You were raised from the dead [three days later]..."
5. Repentance: "I repent of my sins..."
6. Invitation: "Come into my heart..."
7. Eternal Life: "Grant me eternal life [in Heaven]..."

We also often find words such as "faith" or "gift" or "trust" or "grace".

Examples of the Parts in Action: 

With these "parts" or "benchmarks" in mind, we find that versions of the Sinner's Prayer often vary by how many of the above 7 elements the prayer contains. 

Billy Graham's famous version of the Sinner's Prayer hits many of the bases:

Example One: Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior. In Your Name. Amen.

Graham's prayer doesn't explicitly says that Jesus is a Deity, but I imagine that acknowledgement is implicit: after all, why would you pray to Jesus if He weren't divine? But, clearly, Graham's prayer makes no reference to Eternal Life. 

On the other hand, Graham's prayer notes something extra which would seem to be important:

      8. Forgive: "Forgive my sins..."

By way of another example, here's Campus Crusade for Christ's 60-word version (with parts highlighted):

Example Two: Lord Jesus, I need You. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be.

(I've taken the "receive You..." as an Invitation.) There's no explicit reference to Repentance, but I imagine that part's implicit in another "part" I'll highlight:

     9. Surrender: "Take control of my life (heart)..."

(Then again, we could count this as another version of the Invitation part, already listed. Does inviting Jesus into my heart necessarily entail that I've surrendered my life to him?)

Lastly, here's a detailed 133-word Sinner's Prayer (the St. Paul Street Evangelization version):

Example Three: God our Father, I believe that out of Your infinite love You have created me. In a thousand ways I have shunned Your love. I repent of each and every one of my sins. Please forgive me. Thank You for sending Your Son to die for me, to save me from eternal death. I choose this day to enter into (renew my) covenant with You and to place Jesus at the center of my heart. I surrender to Him as Lord over my whole life. I ask You now to flood my soul with the gift of the Holy Spirit so that my life may be transformed. Give me the grace and courage to live as a disciple in Your Church for the rest of my days. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

I presume that being saved from "eternal death" amounts to receiving Eternal Life. Notably, this prayer makes mention of the further element not found in the briefer versions of the Sinner's Prayer:

     10. Holy Spirit: "Let the Holy Spirit enter my heart..."

In any event, the variety of Sinner's Prayers is (to me) of religious and theological interest. I think I might devote some attention, from time to time, to further theological and Biblical aspects of the Sinner's Prayer and its history.