Living in Babylon

Don’t be so heavenly-minded that you’re no earthly good. That was one of those really popular sayings throughout the 80s and 90s. It was this call not to be so focused on the afterlife that you forget to live now. 

I became a Christian at the age of 22, a year into my career in finance. One of the first things my manager said to me was don’t be one of those Bible-thumping people who can’t get his work done. Christians had gained the reputation for beating you over the head with the Bible, being the judgmental holier-than-thou people, who were terrible at their jobs. 

This mindset is likely the result of some version of the processed gospel. Under this framework where it’s all about getting to the life hereafter, the sweet by and by, you either end up ignoring the world because you’re just waiting for heaven or you try to take the world by force, to bring heaven here, now.

How we view America or whatever country we’re in, determines a lot about how we view our role as Christians in this world. If America is the promised land then we want to take it over, institute a theocracy, and purge the culture of evil. Which, if America is the promised land, that makes sense. 

If it’s not the promised land and our citizenship is elsewhere, then we must figure out how to live well while here. We take the view that although this is not our eternal home as it currently stands, we are called to be salt and light for the glory of God and its good. 

Weirdos 

Peter opens his first letter addressed to Christians throughout Asia Minor by calling them elect exiles. Although the places they live may have been the only places they have ever lived, these locales were ultimately not their true homes. 

I am a Trinidadian from Brooklyn. I promise you nobody has more pride in where they are from than those two groups of people. And yet, I need to submit both of those parts of my identity to another citizenship. 

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. These are the famous words of the prophet Jeremiah in 29:11. If you have any church background there’s a good chance you know this verse. You’ve heard it plenty of times and have seen it everywhere from coffee mugs to hoodies to journals. 

The problem with how we use this passage is that it is often taken out of context. 

 This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”

See the whole thing? How does that change how we approach life? These exiles were to call on God amid captivity. They were to remain faithful as they awaited the day when the Lord would bring them home. 

We should be weird, not in the creepy sense but in the way that our lives are markedly different from the world around us. In the least ideal of conditions, we should still be marked by faithfulness. Markedly different yet subtle. 

We often think that different means we become these hardcore Bible thumpers who beat people over the head with the Word of God at every turn. Can we just admit that while that approach may win some, and we rejoice over the one being saved, it is often not the most effective strategy. 

How Different Are You

In a world that doesn't know how to speak to people they disagree with and a world in which Christians are more known for what they’re against than what they’re for - what if we started by being known for radical kindness to the world around us? Including those we disagree with. 

What if we were crazy generous? One of the ways we can be weird is by how we use our money. Instead of spending our life and time trying to amass as much as can, we instead committed our lives to radical generosity. We seek to give more than we take. We live knowing that we can’t take any of this with us. 

What if we displayed more empathy? We confuse empathy with agreement and therefore keep ourselves from weeping with those who weep. What has gone wrong when we can ignore the pains of others, rationalize them away, or try to verse it off our minds? 

Our Whys

Why do we do what we do? Pursue what we pursue?

As parents, we want the best for our kids. We want to get them into the best schools, direct their paths, and set them up for all the success in the world. But I am constantly asking the question, if they get it all and our kids don’t love Jesus, did we win?

So often our children are pushed to pursue specific avenues with no regard for how God has wired them, where he could be calling them, and what impact they could have there for this kingdom. 

It’s the same for us. How often do we decide first, pray later, and ask God to bless it? How many of us are wildly miscast because we’ve pursued our ends rather than what God has called us to?

The answer probably starts with loosening our grips. What if we committed to holding this world and everything in it loosely? This isn’t another Christian cliche but truly, none of this will go with us. We work ourselves to the bone. We are tired, frustrated, sad, and more lonely than ever. The system as designed is not working, so what if we just chill a bit?

Maybe you don’t get the job, maybe the precious antique breaks, maybe this, maybe that, maybe maybe maybe. Life rarely turns out how we want it to or expect, and that is ok. 

We live in Babylon differently from the Babylonians. Lives that are characterized not by the pursuit of more material wealth but by radical generosity and commitment to one another. In a world that treats others like they’re expendable, we show the world how different we are by our love. 

Just Live

Don’t overthink every little thing. Don’t be obnoxious. The thing that can make Christians unattractive a lot of the time is that we can be heavy-handed. Yes, the Gospel is offensive but we don’t have to be. While offensive, the Gospel is still a sweet aroma that leads us to eternal life.  

Be the good kind of weird. The kind of weird that is attractive.