Real Christianity

A Paraphrase in Modern English of a Practical View of the Prevailing Religious System of Professed Christianity in the Higher and Middle Classes in This Century, Contrasted with Real Christianity

Published in 1797
By William Wilberforce
Revised and Updated by Dr. Bob Beltz, 2006
203 pages
Published by Regal Books

William Wilberforce was born in August of 1759 into a prosperous British merchant family. He entered the British House of Commons in 1780, and three years he was elected a Member of Parliament and later went on to a career in politics that lasted almost forty five years.

He converted to evangelical Christianity in 1784 to 1785 but was beset with doubts about his political future not knowing how a Christian could serve God in politics.  With the friendship and guidance of John Newton, the former slave ship captain who converted to Christianity and wrote the hymn Amazing Grace, Wilberforce came to see how  his Christianity could not only coexist with  his political life, but could  influence it.

One of the areas in which his Christian beliefs was put to work, if not the preeminent cause for which he would fight, was in the abolition of the British slave trade, and subsequently, the abolition of slavery throughout the British empire itself.  The battle to abolish the slave trade was not neither easy quick, requiring a full twenty years before success was finally achieved.

It is Wilberforce’s tireless battle to end an institution–a battle that sprang out of his Christian beliefs, and a battle that would eventually pit him against members of his own social class–that, in my option, makes his story so fascinating, and which has led me to read his book, Real Christianity, one of the best books that I’ve ever read.

This book is a ‘revised’ and ‘updated’ version of Wilberforce’s original work. It is written in modern-day English. Any update or revision will, by necessity, be presented through the eyes of the individual doing the updating, and thereby be  subjected to his or her biases  and  experiences. This book is probably no exception. However , unless one is fluent in eighteenth century English one has no choice but to trust the words that he or she is reading reflects as much of the original author’s intent as is possible,. That is the decision that I made when reading this work.

In Real Christianity Wilberforce sets out his views on what   real (or ‘authentic’ Christianity) really means.

Throughout the book Wilberforce presents the reader with a tension between the Christianity that was practiced by those who claimed to adhere to the faith, and what he calls ‘authentic’ faith.  The practice of that day (which I suggest is equally applicable to any era, including the early twenty-first century) is presented in different forms—cultural Christianity, contemporary Christianity—which is sharply at odds with his view of authentic faith.

Wilberforce presents  his argument in seven chapters,  where in addition to the topic of ‘contemporary Christianity’ mentioned above he addresses such issues as current ideas on the nature of man,  understanding cultural  Christianity, true standards of Christian behavior,  arguments for true Christianity, the ‘current’ state of  true Christianity, and practical hints about authentic faith.

In the first chapter, he presents his ideas on contemporary Christianity and draws a clear distinction on what it means to be a ‘moral person’ on the one hand, and someone who  possesses authentic faith on the other  The thing that drives the difference between the two is priorities: for instance does a parent view Christianity important  enough to make it a priority when teaching their children, or is there a greater emphasis placed on gaining a good education?  The consequence of this way of thinking may not be immediately apparent—the consequence being that, due to a lack of education on Christianity obtained by a thorough study of the Bible, when the faith is attacked a credible defense cannot be mounted.  As a result, Christianity itself–at least that which is openly practiced by those who profess the faith–loses credibility and becomes marginalized pp 20-21.

H also argues that a serious study of the Bible is a pre-requisite for authentic faith, and in effect is a bulwark against heinous actions that can be taken in the name of what some may consider moral or right.  He rightly points out that some of the most hideous actions have been taken by men who believed that what they were doing was right—and this includes people who consider themselves Christians.  He makes the very persuasive argument that one’s actions should not be informed by what you think is ‘right’ or ‘moral’ but  what is learned from a thorough understanding of the Bible.

I think this is key to Wilberforce’s view of Christianity, and, I believe, what every Christian’s view of Christianity should be—that is, not to be bound by the norms of right and wrong based on the contemporary view of Christianity, but on a thorough and honest view of the Bible, a pure and authentic study of the Bible, unsullied by personal agenda or selfish gain.

On a chapter entitled  The nature of Man Wilberforce’s ruminations provide an extremely valuable insight into the things that drove his Christianity, and for someone whose views on slavery would certainly be considered progressive for his time, his views might be surprising, certainly by early twenty-first century standards. For instance his views on the nature of man are based on a strict adherence to the Biblical teachings on the fallen nature of man.  He alludes to a belief, back then in 1797 when the book was originally published (a belief which endures to this day on the part of many), that man is basically good p 28.  The author then introduces the Bible’s view of man, which is the exact opposite, namely, that man is an apostate creature, fallen from his original innocence,  degraded in his nature, depraved in his thinking, prone towards evil, not good, and impacted by sin to the very core of his being’. p28 This is certainly not the view that man that is popular today (or even Christians) have of themselves today. On the contrary these words are more reminiscent of a fire and brimstone religious zealot than those of an open-minded progressive who, in the late twentieth and early twenty-first century, would no doubt identify with him more readily than those of his political adversaries.

Wilberforce then explores what he calls ‘cultural Christianity’. He touches on the idea that ‘cultural Christians may talk about religion or church, but they rarely talk about Jesus Christ, his death or resurrection., p43  He also explores an attitude towards Jesus that is lukewarm’, which is not dissimilar to their attitude towards the Holy Spirit, p44  He makes, what I think is an important distinction between ‘zeal’ and authentic faith, addressing those critics of Christianity who use atrocities such as the Crusades, the Inquisition and the exploitation of  native populations  to delegitimize the religion.  (We see such charges levied to this day.) (For instance one commentator in CNN when addressing recent criticisms of Islam recently resorted to the Crusades as an example of   Christian misdeeds.)   Wilberforce is careful to draw a distinction between ‘zeal’ and authentic faith. He states ‘[a]uthentic faith will often be accompanied by an appropriate zeal. But zeal can often be devoid of any accurate understanding of authentic faith.’  P45

He makes an interesting observation on emotion and faith, namely that faith should not be devoid of emotion, it is not strictly a logical construct, but an emotional one as well.

His reflections on ‘faulty thinking about acceptance with God’ are equally illuminating.  One train of thought is that if, on balance, the good that you’ve done outweighs the bad, and then you’re acceptable with God, p56. Others may think that the sacrifice that Christ has made has made us acceptable to Him, that here is no further personal responsibility on our part p57. The result of this faulty thinking is a failure to come to grips with our true state, p58.

He then explores what he calls ‘standards of Christian behavior’—specifically how  belief Influences behavior.  This is one of the book’s longest chapters. He asserts that the practice of Christianity produces no greater morality than that of those who categorically deny the essentials of Christian faith. He then contrasts the Bible’s teaching that we are to be holy and even perfect as God himself is perfect, p65. But how can this be achieved, given the ‘fallen nature’ of man’ p66? He emphasizes that the basis of authentic faith is the love of God, which must supersede the love of anything else, even love of family, p68.  Put it simply, loving anyone or anything more than God is idolatry, p68.

In this chapter he explores the ‘The Behavior of Cultural Christians’–where he argues that the thinking of many in essence puts God in a box, where He is prevented from possessing more and more of the individual. That person will eventually regress spiritually instead of progress into authentic spirituality, p70. Another result of this behavior is that our possessions become our property, as opposed to objects of stewardship. God is given our leftovers, p71, if he’s given anything at all. We eventually end up living according to the standards of society p71. This in turn leads to a sense of meaninglessness, a void develops which cause some to turn to sexual pleasures, p72, or turn to other pursuits, such as the accumulation of possessions, power, prestige or position, p73. (How much more true is this today where so many turn to different activities to ostensibly fill this void: sexual –witness the worldwide sex industry– or other material  pursuits. The author comes down hard on such misguided behaviours, he actually says ‘[g]iving our supreme devotion to a career is just as much an act of spiritual treason as giving our body to acts of immorality or our energy to greed and thievery, p75 These are the consequences when ‘authentic faith is not the motivating principle of our lives, p76

Another illuminating section in this chapter is entitled ‘Concerns About What People Think About Us Compared to the Attitude of Authentic Christianity’. The desire to be admired by other people…has come to consume most people in our culture, p83. This is in direct contradiction to what the Bible teaches, which is a condition of true humility and recognition of our flaws, p85. One effect of this external praise is that it has the effect of keeping our focus on external things, p86. He also draws a distinction between the mere outward appearance of good and the motives behind those actions and the related purity of the inner person, p91

Another section of this chapter, on faulty thinking about ‘good’ lives and ‘good’ deeds as a substitute for authentic faith, is also extremely  thought-provoking. The author reiterates an overriding theme, that of motive, that it is the love of God that should be the highest purpose, p100. Some may openly show good deeds or appear to be ‘good’ people, but this may be fragile, when trials come, these deeds may fade away, p97 Another issue to consider is what society determines to be ‘good’. This ‘good’ may in fact be outweighed by the general evil (within the society], p99. One caveat to his argument is that when an act of ‘good’ does not flow out of  godly motivation, it is devoid of value. That is not the case.  These endeavours, however, do not earn favour from God, p102.

Finally a section on ‘The Big Problem with Faulty Thinking About Christian Theology’ provides a good summary of the chapter.  He reiterates ‘the main difference between authentic faith and the cultural Christianity that the majority of church goers in our country practice is primarily is a result of faulty thinking about the core truths of the gospel. ..these truths are viewed by cultural  Christians as unimportant to the actual practice of their faith…But to the men and women who possess authentic faith in Jesus Christ,  these truths are the centre of gravity toward which all of life is in motion. They are the sun of their solar system! They are the origin of all that is excellent and lovely and the source of light and life’, p128 (italics in origin text).

In contrast to the chapter on standards of Christianity, the chapter on the arguments for true Christianity is relatively short and somewhat more soothing, encouraging.  He presents the idea that authentic faith frees us to love those who have attacked our reputation or falsely demeaned our character, p134, and that moral achievement is valued more highly than intellectual achievement, p135

In the following chapter, he outlines how professing Christians arrived at the state which he has described throughout the book. This chapter is specifically about society in general, not specifically professing Christians.  In so doing he addresses issues that appear to be quite radical for a Member of Parliament.

On page 151, he addresses the intersection of faith and patriotism. He states that if patriotism is defined as a form of nationalism—i.e. using all available force to impose the will of one nation on another—then authentic faith is the enemy, p151.

He then expounds on an idea that I believe is extremely enlightening, where he argues that Christianity has no equal among belief systems. Not only does it teach the highest moral and ethical code known to man, but through relationship with the Creator of the code the believer is empowered by the Holy Spirit to keep it, p152. This idea of the Holy Spirit empowering us to achieve those high moral and ethical ideals is for me, extremely profound, and I wonder if any other religion has a similar idea,  that of a holy spirit, part of a holy trinity, interceding for us, and assisting us in our daily lives as Christians?

In the final chapter Wilberforce addresses what he calls ‘Practical Hints About Authentic Faith’.

When addressing ‘cultural’ Christianity, he declares: ‘Their Christianity is not Christianity. It is false at its core’, p165 (Italics in original text.)

One of the most insightful passages of the book is found in this chapter. On p174 he says: ‘If you are willing…to not settle for a cultural Christianity but desire to know and possess authentic faith, it is time for you to step away from the crowd. On p175 he addresses our ‘job’ as Christians, which is to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, according to Paul, ‘relying on the enabling power of the One “who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose’, p175. To this end you cannot be dissuaded by the opinions of others. He adds, ‘[t]o stay the course in a world like ours and a culture like ours, you have to decide that you will take all human opinion for exactly what it is worth. You will not hold it higher than it deserves, nor be afraid when it turns against you and attempts to discourage you from your commitment.’ P176

In the second section,  he addresses individuals who have legitimately received Jesus, but whose lives do not show the evidence of it, p184 ‘They regard their faith as something that has been taken care of and then proceed to live as if Christ were not really their Lord, p184-5.  These individuals are in danger of deceiving themselves, p186

He also provides a short list of people whom he presents as examples of authentic Christians: Bacon, Milton, Locke, and Newton, p187

The writing style is very direct, and reads like a personal conversation with the reader.  The author on many occasions speaks to the reader directly, using such terms as ‘I hope you don’t think I’m being arrogant or overly harsh on cultural Christians’, p19 and ‘I am hopeful that if I keep repeating myself on this matter, it will be impossible for you to misunderstand my meaning’, p58.