Here's my story:
I grew up in the Lutheran Church. My dad was a pastor. He died suddenly when I was 9 years old.
I never remember hearing this phrase "born again" in our church as a child. I'm pretty sure we didn't talk about it. After my father's death, we moved back to our hometown and found a new church.
In middle school, I had a few friends whose families started attending a different new church in town. Services were held each Sunday at the roller skating rink. I'm not sure what their denomination or affiliation was, but they did weird things there... really weird things that we never did in our church --- old or new.
People raised their hands and swayed while singing. Many spoke in tongues during the service. They preached (almost exclusively) from the Book of Revelation and spoke of end times.... And they claimed to be "saved" and "born again." They also insisted that anyone who wasn't born again, wasn't getting into heaven.
All my life, I had been told that you just need to believe in God, treat others as Jesus did, and know that your sins are forgiven by Christ's death on the cross, if you ask for his grace. What was this being "born again" stuff?
I didn't like it one bit. I still don't. A quick Google search just now brought up some info from that church's website:
"Those who have not accepted the redemptive work of Jesus Christ will suffer eternal separation from the Godhead. The devil and his angels, the beast and the false prophet and anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life, shall be consigned to everlasting punishment in the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. This is the second death, the lake of fire."
- Reference: Revelations 19:20; Revelations 20:10-15Other testimonials fill the pages:
"I made a personal commitment to Christ 27 years ago. I have studied the Bible the past 27 years and have had many experiences to practice the Word and prove God's faithfulness to fulfill His promises."
"[We] invite you to come and find out that God desires to give you the kingdom!"
Yeah... I don't even know what to say about that. I feel like there should be an asterisk at the end of these statements with the disclaimer, "some exclusions apply."
At the time, some of this "gospel" they were spouting sounded pretty questionable, or at least worth doing research to verify whether it actually came from the bible. Even at the tender age of 12, I was a skeptic.
I didn't know the word "cult" at the time, but I could see how certain personalities got swept up in the concept. This authoritarian figure, like a preacher (though with no formal seminary training), was telling the congregation and anyone else who would listen, that "true Christianity" and the path to heaven was available only to God's chosen people --- those who repented and were saved, and were born again from the womb of Christ. All others, even people who identified as Christians but had not be been born again, would surely perish in Hell-fire. Any misstep or questioning, and your sinner's soul would burn for all of eternity.
It seemed too exclusive. Too judgmental. Too definite. Like, "You're telling me that only you and the people that think EXACTLY like you, are going to heaven? No one else?" It didn't jive with my concept of God, even then in my still-forming adolescent brain. The thought that my dad --- a man of God, who had spent his life spreading the gospel and showing Jesus' love to others --- hadn't gone to heaven because he had not been "born again." It makes me angry to this day to think about it. If that was "true Christianity," I wanted no part of it.
For a good part of the last 15 years, I have intentionally avoided church, attending only at Christmas and Easter, and only then to appease my mother. I've explored other religions and atheism. Though I've always retained a belief in God and felt a spiritual connection, I really disliked organized religion... Until I found the Gathering.
I'll admit, I was hesitant initially... but knowing that it was a place that was open to questions and doubts, believers and non-believers, ALL people, regardless of race, color, creed, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or familial status --- I thought it was worth exploring. And I'm glad I did.
So, back to Sunday's sermon on being "born again." Our scripture reading came from John 3:1-16 (NIV), which in part, reads:
Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”Cody explained in his sermon that this has become somewhat the center of western Christianity. To those who have a had an experience of "rebirth in Christ," it is an affirmation and an uplifting part of your story... but he cautioned that it doesn't automatically mean that you are faithful or without sin.
He asked if we had any interesting stories from our own birth... and let me tell you, there were some good ones! But we don't spend our entire lives talking about our birth. In fact, that's probably not something we talk about at all, unless a friend or family member is having a baby. It's simply not a part of our daily lives to discuss how we came into this world. Though it may be when our lives began, our lives don't revolve around that moment.
So why should our Christian lives revolve around being "born again?"
In short, they shouldn't. It's not the end all, be all of our lives as Christians. And the pressure for some to have the experience of being "born again" is sometimes enough to make us rearrange our story or fabricate some grand rebirth tale.
The story of Nicodemus, as told in John 3, is often taken out of context, and without consideration for what was, even at the time, a misunderstanding. Nicodemus was a Pharisee, which probably most closely relates to the profession of a lawyer today. He was a literal-thinker, a "rule guy," if you will, and saw the world in black and white. His fellow Pharisees were very suspect of this Jesus-guy that was stirring the pot in their city. Jesus was a rule-breaker, a dissident, a non-conformist. And they didn't like him one bit.
Nicodemus was curious though, and came to Jesus under the cover of darkness. He asked what he needed to do to become part of the family of God. Jesus answered that he needed to be born again. Nicodemus, being the concrete thinker that he was, took this literally.
“How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”
He was confused by the language and interpreted it as a riddle. The Hebrew word which Jesus likely used "anōthen" has multiple meanings: anew; from above; again... which may have lead to the confusion.
Today, we look at it from a different perspective. Don't get hung up on rules and regulations. Jesus says that all God's people are welcome to the kingdom of heaven. Your physical birth, lineage, or bloodline isn't a factor. And your spiritual birth isn't the main point of the story either. God's family is open to all.
Each day can be a rebirth in Christ. Each day can be filled with new life and new hope. Each day is given to us from above, and has potential for us to receive God's love into our lives. If you have a "moment of awe" or of God's presence or a "born again" experience, take it as a reminder of God's love and an affirmation of your faith.
You may have many of these experiences or moments in your life. Put them to work. Use them to do housekeeping of your personal and spiritual affairs. Ask what's keeping you from love, faithfulness, or kindness in your life. Use these moments as an opportunity for a fresh start and reminder of God's unconditional love for you. That wind you feel blowing? That's the spirit of God. Let it breathe new life into you.
Go. Be. Do.
UPDATE:
I just came across this article, The Problem With a Rigid View of God and it says so many things I couldn't put into words on the page. Definitely worth the quick read:
None of us are experts when it comes to God ... So it is best to operate from humility; from a stance of “I could be wrong…”
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