With: Not Over, Under, From, or For

A few years ago, I was given a book by an elder from our church, called With by Skye Jethani, which seeks to move people beyond cultural Christianity.  I wish I had read this book earlier in life, as it would have helped me understand my own cultural posture toward Christianity and the positions of many people from different cultures across Africa.  As we seek to do discipleship, it's essential to understand the barriers people face, and this book helps us to do so. 

Jethani describes four common postures of Christianity using the prepositions of over, under, from, or for:  Life over God, Life Under God, Life from God, or Life for God.  Each of these positions has limitations and thwarts a genuinely intimate relationship with God. The author recommends that we unpack these positions in terms of our own relationship with God and move toward Life WITH God.

Life Under God is a posture that exists under the shackles of religious legalism.  In this posture, individuals strictly follow rules to appease a deity.  The goal of humanity is to appease and placate the divine by adhering to a strict code of moral and religious laws.  In this view, life is controlled by God, and believers can influence His actions, secure blessings, or avoid calamity by complying with His laws.  The relationship with God, therefore, is transactional - if I do this, God will do that.  This posture promotes a performance-based faith, which induces fear and undermines joy.  God is reduced to an enforcer of rules, and the spiritual journey is an anxious quest to avoid divine wrath or curry divine favor.  This posture gives rise to a judgmental and self-righteous demeanor toward those who struggle to follow the rules, thereby fostering division rather than unity.  This posture misunderstands God's desire for a loving relationship with his creation and misses the profound and liberating relationship that God offers through grace.

I personally find this to be a very common posture, from how I was raised as well as in many parts of Africa.  Works over grace, lots of fear and guilt.

Life Over God is a posture that gives the illusion of control by relying on divine principles and natural laws, replacing a relationship with God with self-sufficiency and formulaic living.  This posture believes that God has set the laws, humans need to reason and understand those laws, and then all is good.  God's guidance and an intimate relationship with Him are not required once these laws are figured out.  Faith is merely practical wisdom, defined by utility rather than relationship. 

This posture is often found in developed nations who have "figured things out" to the degree that God is no longer needed. 

Life From God is a self-centric faith, entrenched in consumerism, viewing God as a vending machine providing our personal desires and needs.  Faith is defined by utility rather than relationship.  God is a means to an end, and faith is fleeting and shallow in this posture.  God is often described as a loving Father, faithful spouse, and diligent shepherd, which are metaphors that emphasize God's relationship with us and care for
us.  This perspective seeks God's hand more than His face.

This posture is often found in the prosperity gospel teaching, that God is there to take care of you and provide all you need.

Life For God is activistic faith, prioritizing mission and purpose over a relationship with God.  Activism and service become idols in this posture, which can then lead to burnout and disconnection with God.  A relationship with the King is forsaken in exchange for seeking His Kingdom.  This is a performance-oriented faith that measures worth and standing with God by accomplishments and contributions, losing sight of grace.  Mission and purpose are important aspects of the Christian faith, but they should not supplant the primary call to be in a relationship with God. 

This is the posture I continue to wrestle with today, as do many church and ministry leaders. What a shame to seek the Kingdom and miss the King.

Life With God is a posture that serves as an antidote to the inadequacies of the other models, shifting from performance, principles, consumerism, and activism, to presence with God.  Each of the other methods treats God as a means to an end, for control, security, personal fulfillment, or purpose.  Instead, our identity is to be found in being God's beloved, which liberates us from the endless cycle of striving and performance.  

Skye Jethani evaluates many conversations that he has with believers through these postures, seeking to understand better the potential barriers that people face when living out these postures.  I wonder how these postures strike you in terms of your own faith, the faith of those in your culture or church, and how unpacking these postures could help people know better how to be WITH God?

I do encourage reading this book and the quote below shows how this relates to DML and HOW it is we are to work WITH God, not for, under, over, or from Him.