East Meets West
Chris Seay
October 1, 1999
In a bookstore near my home, I inquired about the books in the religion section.
The clerk, twenty-something with a butterfly tattoo on her arm, explained,
"We sell a lot of books on Eastern thought and spirituality, not as many
on Western religion." Then, as if correcting herself, she said, "Not as many
on Christianity. I guess that is the only religion based on Western ideals."
I realized again how we, the church, have painted ourselves into a corner.
In May I toured the MTV studios at Times Square with a group of young pastors.
After we bumped into singer Jewel, veejay Jesse, and rockologist Matt Pinfield,
some executives shared that in a recent survey of MTV viewers, 99 percent
said they believe in God.
Record numbers want to know God, yet Christianity is seen as the religion
of the West in a postmodern world that is re-embracing Eastern thought. Yet
Christianity is rooted in the East. We worship a savior who spoke an Eastern
language, whose birth was signified by a star seen by magi of the East, and
whose lineage is a who's who of the ancient Near East. Yet our faith
seems to be inseparably intertwined with Western ideals.
The poisoned Tootsie Pop
If you have any doubt that Christianity has swallowed Western thought whole,
visit the counseling section of your local Christian bookstore. The assumptions
become clear. When times get tough for modern Christians, we look at the
Bible through the lenses of Rene Descartes, the father of modern psychology.
As you browse the racks of books, you will find yourself climbing Maslow's
pyramid of self-actualization. Most of us are so accustomed to interpreting
Scripture through the lenses of our own needs (as told by Maslow) that
we've created a Christianity customized ...
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