Congruent Christianity

Last updated on: June 25, 2013 at 10:45 am by Cameron Trimble

Congruent Christianity 2013-06-25T10:45:27-05:00 Cameron Trimble

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Congruent Christianity is a pattern of living that seeks to consistently express the core values of Jesus in every area of our lives. This doesn’t happen by pretending we are perfect or holy. The only one who might be fooled by such pretense might be us. Anyone else who lives with us knows the truth of our weakness, failures, and mistakes. Living a life that is congruent with the values of Jesus is not found in pretending to be better people than we really are. In fact, the most congruent people are probably those who most often say four things:

I don’t know.
I need your help.
I was wrong.
I am sorry!

Why are those things so difficult to say? Why is it so hard for us to acknowledge that we don’t know something? We have such hard and fast opinions, but, as Artimus Ward, said, “The problem is many of us know so many things that simply aren’t so.”

Why is it so hard to ask for help or to admit we were wrong and take responsibility for our mistakes? Saying “I’m sorry” is the ultimate expression of what it means to live by grace, and grace is the ultimate core value for Jesus and those who seek to follow him.

Healthy people don’t need to say those things any more often than unhealthy people, but they have learned that to tell the truth about their lives is to trust God’s amazing grace and that grace is the only path to health, wholeness, and holiness.

We can continue to PRETEND to follow Jesus, but congruent followers offer grace to others because they know how much they need it themselves. Pretending otherwise only fools us or, perhaps, only makes fools of us.

by Michael Piazza
Co-Executive Director
The Center for Progressive Renewal

Uncategorized

Previous Post

June 19, 2013

Courage

Next Post

June 26, 2013 Deviled Ham

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 September 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who was Rahab's husband?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Jesse Boaz Obed Salmon