"Life and death are at war within us," is the very first line in a book by Thomas Merton. The book, The New Man, written forty years ago, is a treatment of humanity, Christianity, a little politics, and a whole lot of how all those things intersect. If you don't know much about Merton, you can read a short bio at: http://www.merton.org/chrono.htm. You have to read Merton understanding he was a bit of an extremist, but there is a wealth of reflective, accurate assessment on life and religion in his thought. I love the following idea:

"The most paradoxical and at the same time the most unique and characteristic claim made by Christianity is that in the Resurrection of Christ the Lord from the dead, man has completely conquered death, and that 'in Christ' the dead will rise again to enjoy eternal life...Christianity without this fabulous eschatolgical claim is only a moral system without too much spiritual consistency. Unless all Christianity is centered in the victorious, living, and ever present reality of Jesus Christ, the Man-God and conqueror of death, it loses its distinctive character and there is no longer any justification for a Christian missionary apostolate [witness]." Merton goes on to say, in a very pointed and accusatory way, that without the key doctrine of the resurrection Christianity has tended to be just a witness/justification for Western culture's economic progress [OUCH!] and not a true witness to the Gospel.

Wow. I feel at once both called out and encouraged. At times Christianity has been an appendix in my spiritual autobiography. It was something I just browsed occasionally, referenced if needed, and used to rationalize an already occurring thought, belief, or action. For example, I'd had my high school trumpet stolen out of the back of my car years ago. I got very upset, angry in fact, and hoped God would punish the perpetrators severely - like in having both legs broken in a fall down a flight of steps! - for their "sticky fingers" and greedy attitudes. See, I knew stealing was wrong on an experiential level, but I used my Christianity to back up an already held belief. Too many years my Christianity was just a moral system - with not much spirituality - and it was a system I used in order to judge and pigeon hole those less "moral."

What I hear in Merton's dusty words are encouraging though. And here is why: although Christianity surely contains moral fibers for life, morality is not the basis - or core - of what I believe. I don't believe that I have to get my life "just right" to be a believer in Christ and the resurrection. (Oh, morality helps in my everyday existence, but morality doesn't save me.) I don't have to have a morally accurate past, a spotless present, or an unimpeachable ethic for the future. Christianity is not dependent on, does not have as its foundation, is not beholden to, being morally good. Religion does. Christianity, in its purest form, does not. At the heart of the good news is: I will never be morally good enough, and that is O.K. with God. Jesus was, and that is the only thing that counts. I'm not asked to be perfect. I'm asked to be faithful....faithful to the one who was perfect - so perfect, in fact, that God raised Him from the dead. I get to share in that, and that is the good news.

As the war between life and death rages within me, I'm going to lose some of the battles. That's a given. But just because I lose some of those struggles doesn't mean God's given up on me. Yes, the war currently rages within me...but the final victory has already been won. My faith tells me that ultimately, life conquers death, love conquers hate, good overcomes evil, and faithfulness defeats sin.