Christian in a secular world

Today most societies are pluralistic and secular presenting to the Christian serious challenges in living his faith. In many a society, the zealous Christian stands in danger of being misunderstood by those others who do not share his beliefs. He may even be hindered in his desire to bear witness to Christ by preaching His word or glorifying His name in other ways.

Now, to begin with the Christian must have a proper understanding of secularism. Most societies choose to be secular to avoid religious conflicts. By giving equal status to all religions, the government seeks to create harmony and peace. But there could be those who misinterpret secularism to mean godlessness. Man is a moral being and is governed by certain ethics in his behaviour. As such, the Christian can not accept an interpretation of Secularism that denies God and puts man at the center .

Granted that the state in which he lives does not take into account ethical or religious principles in its laws and governance, it must be his endeavour to stand for those universal values which are acceptable to followers of most religions. Justice, righteousness, equality of all men, freedom to believe and worship are some of the foundational values of any civilized society. Whenever these principles are violated, he has a duty to stand up for the victims and also seek to remedy the situations.

Rules
However he is also bound to follow the laws laid down by the government even though it may not owe allegiance to the Christian faith. The Bible enjoins him to respect the rules of the land and also to pray for those who rule over the nation.

The Christian, by virtue of his faith, is bound to be a responsible member of any society. He does not live for himself alone. The Lord has enjoined him to be a good neighbour and has entrusted to him a message of hope, love and peace that he is to communicate to fellow beings.

If the Christian is forbidden to openly propagate his beliefs, he still can live a life that reflects his convictions. "My life is my message," Gandhiji used to declare. This is more true of a believer.

Listen to Christ's exhortation in Matthew 5: 16: "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."

It is also true of today's world that everyone is so busy that they have no time to listen to your message. But the Christian's life can speak louder than words. His compassion and love for fellow beings should be such as to attract notice. Again, this is possible only when he has a spirit of sacrifice and an intense love for God and fellow beings. We live in a selfish and wicked world and we can make a difference only when our lives and actions reflect attitudes that are Christ- like.

Incense
An ardent believer in Christ does n't have to despair that he has little opportunity to live his faith in a society that does not acknowledge Christianity. Whatever the situation and however adverse the circumstances, the Lord can still use him. Here is what St Paul wrote to the Corinthians: " Thanks be to God who continually leads us about, captives in Christ's triumphal procession, and everywhere uses us to reveal and spread abroad the fragrance of the knowledge of Himself. We are indeed the incense offered by Christ to God, both for those who are on the way to salvation, and for those who are on the way to perdition: to the latter it is a deadly fume that kills, to the former a vital fragrance that brings life."(The New English Bible) Every Christian is a letter written by Christ to this world of ours.: "A letter written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, written not on stone tablets but on the pages of the human heart." When our actions are in contradictions with our professions, those who watch us will be confused. As some one so profoundly stated, we are the only Bibles the world will care to read.

Does our life reflect our professions?

We are also taught that God has prepared us for "good works." Well did Teresa of Avila reminded the believers of her time: " Christ has no body on earth but yours; no hands but yours; no feet, but yours. Yours are the eyes through which to look at Christ's compassion to the world; You are the feet with which he is to go about doing good; And yours are the hands with which he is to bless us now."