True religion, Paul-style

Much is made, especially in the fractured world of American theology, about "true religion." Many Christian sects claim some exclusive hold or even pedigree that entitles them to this title. Still more in our increasingly relativistic society dismiss the idea of theological truth altogether. My thoughts on the issue, as always, take me back to the Bible, the source of all truth. What is true religion, according to the scripture?

As always, we have to be cautious about cherry-picking pieces of scripture to support our pre-conceived notions. Perhaps the most tragic flaw in hermeneutics is the propensity to rip sections of scripture out of context. I humbly submit my thoughts on "true religion" in this piece. I do not claim authority. I certainly invite feedback and criticism to my ideas.

As I looked at where my search led me, I could not see any real resemblance to any modern-day religious body; so what follows is not so much a description of what true religion is, but rather what it is not. Sadly, our modern theological context lends itself to a catalogue of what isn't true religion rather than what is. As to what is, I've chosen the renowned 13th chapter of Paul's first letter to the Corinthians as the basis for what is "true religion." The reasoning behind that is two-fold: First, everything Paul writes to the Corinthian church here is in accordance with Jesus' teachings and in agreement with other Apostolic teaching. Second, Paul is writing here to a church in Corinth torn asunder by strife and disagreement on this very issue. The context of this chapter is Paul's attempt to get the Corinthians to stop bickering over which spiritual gift and religious practice is superior and to come together to serve God.

Paul begins this part of his letter by listing some spiritual gifts that have been elevated in the Corinthian culture, namely speaking in tongues, prophesying, showing faith, and giving to the needy. The Corinthians are not all that different from us, placing value on outward signs rather than internal attitudes. Paul, echoing Jesus' condemnation of the Pharisees, sets the Corinthians straight right away. I can have all these gifts, Paul says, but if I don't have love (agape), then none of it matters.

So that's the first thing true religion isn't. True religion is not a show. It's not about the preacher, the song leader, the dynamic teacher, the faith healer on TV, the CCM artist with the newest hit single, or any other "gift" which might put us in the public eye. Those talents are all good, but if they are not practiced with an attitude of love, they're worthless. We all know only too well of preachers who took the pulpit only to be the center of attention, of "religious" TV personalities who were more interested in raising funds for their own use than with sharing the gospel. Sadly, that list is large. Paul tells us clearly that true religion isn't about gaining notoriety. It's about practicing your God-given talents, in anonymity if necessary, in the edification of others. Any other motive, and your talents are of no import.

How would a recognition of this truth impact the church today? What about the arguments about the role of women in the church? What about the disagreements over praise teams and other changes in worship? What about the complaints and grumblings of church members who feel "hurt" because nobody recognized their service?

Paul sets the tone for the rest of his letter here in his first paragraph: true religion is based in authentic love. Next then, Paul tells the Corinthians what authentic love is. Let's see if that looks like anything we might recognize today.