Jesus Cropped from the Picture

Chapter 11: The SLIMming Effect

T HE SLIM LIFE is a narrow, self-oriented, and provincial life that leads to arrested development. Consider how new believers are often introduced to life in Christ. First, they are oriented to an American church sub-culture designed for individual Christlike maturity, characterized by “your new personal relationship with Christ.” Often this involves a list of ethics (“we do this , we do not do that ”). Each church has its own “list,” although it may be unspoken. The list might address personal morality (like dating policies), doctrine (a mode of baptism), or politics (favoring one political party over the other). Over time, the new believer discovers which activities are respected (like daily Bible study) and which ones are frowned upon (perhaps watching R-rated movies). After being initiated into this sub-culture, a person knows which ethical, doctrinal, and political beliefs are expected. The person then begins a lifelong effort to become proficient in those same ethical, doctrinal, and political activities. The goal is know more and do more , but only within the activities approved on “the list.” This emphasis leads to an increasingly narrow life that eliminates much of the adventure of the Christian life, which I call the “SLIMming Effect.” The SLIMming Effect slowly domesticates intrepid soldiers for Christ until they feel like robots living in a cage of monotonous routine.

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