Let’s Get the Hell Out of Here
Apr 10th, 2009 
I was engaging in a conversation with my sister and wife on how my Christian spirituality has “forced” me more into my humanness. The more I have attempted to be like Christ, the more I’ve discovered my humanness – the characteristics of who I am, the sympathies and frailties of my human existence, the inner strengths I would otherwise not know, dreams and passions I never thought would give me life, etc. Human desires I once called “evil” were in actuality just who I was made to be. I’m coming to believe, in part, that this is what Paul the Apostle may have meant when he wrote about being a “New Creation” in Christ. There would be no escaping of who the Christian is as a genuine human being, but an eye opening look at the deepest parts of our existence and experience – that in order to be “like-God” who was born into flesh and blood, we too would also have to become more “like man,” more human, fully human, and at that, more ordinarily human.
Perhaps it should be more about striking a sweet balance between remaining and being more genuinely present with our own humanness (immanence) while striving to be more God-like (transcendent). I think evangelicalism has placed the accent to heavily on the latter while ignoring what it means to be present. I find it impossible to have one over the other, since immanence/transcendence walk hand-in-hand and ought to be consequences of one another.
This transcendent, escapist spirituality will be reinforced this Easter, as Christians look to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ as hope of their own ascension from humanity. For me, it is a reminder that I am very much alive, that I am here, that I am present. My hope is not focused on one day leaving or escaping the world, but on my staying – hopefully, for many years longer. I am of no use if I’m so eager to leave, if I see my existence on earth as a stepping stone to somewhere else, or if I’m avoiding the human journey just to get somewhere else.