Is this a joke?

A Catholic, a Protestant, a Hindu, a Muslim and an atheist sat in a meeting...

Don't wait for the punchline because there isn't one.  At least, not a funny one.  Or, perhaps...well...

Anyways, this really happened.  As best as I can determine it, at least.  I could be entirely wrong about the men I was in the meeting with and their particular religious orientation.  But that is neither here nor there.  

The point is that this is becoming the reality in the United States today and, for that matter, in many areas of the Western World.  This has already been the status quo in many countries in Africa, Asia and South America for many years.  And, as the world continues its shrinking trend where travel between nations becomes more common, global telecommunications brings people together, and the lines between cultures become more and more blurred, this will become more the norm than the exception.

There are those in the Christian church, especially in the United States, who would mourn this state of affairs and fight tooth and nail to prevent it.  "We must preserve our Christian culture!  We cannot have these people coming in here trying to turn us into their kind of people."  To some extent, I may agree, but only as regards to the constitution of our nation.  There is such a thing as the rule of law and there is a foundational law in our country that needs to be considered in everything.  But, I digress.

The point is not whether or not the country should allow people of other walks of faith among us, the point is that this is how things are and we have a choice to make.  Are we going to feel threatened by this?  Or is this a chance for us, in Christ's church, to show our mettle and prove to the world that we are confident in our faith?

You see, this is not the only time in history when Christians have had to live among other religions.  In fact, this was the norm for churches like Ephesus, Thessalonika, Phillipi, Corinth, Galatia, and Rome.  In all these places, there were Jews, followers of the Emporer cult, worshipers of the Greek gods, worshipers of the Roman gods, Egyptian mysticism and divinity cults, etc.  Move ahead a few centuries and we have the Teutonics in Germania and the Druids in what is the United Kingdom today.  Historically speaking, we have had a pretty special privilege for the past few centuries, both in the US and in Europe, of Christianity being, if not the specific religion of choice for the general populous, at least the religion that had the strongest influence on culture in general.

I guess it would be normal to look around and see a culture that has stood for a thousand years or more (that being, generally, Christendom) crumble as it has and feel a sense of fear and loss.  But I think this is a golden opportunity for Christians in the West to rediscover what it really means to live the Christ-like life.  Now we have to work at it, now we have to really spend the time and discern, as the cliche goes, "What would Jesus do?" because society is no longer driven, in general by those phrases.

So, how do we do this then?  Well, we fall beck, first, to what Jesus said were the two most important things for us to consider when it comes to how to live our lives.

Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” - Matthew 22:34-39 NIV 2011

What is most important, really, is to devote ourselves to God with our entire being and to demonstrate this devotion in the love we show to our fellow humans.

But what do we do about all those non-Christians around us?  Well, part of our work should certainly be the working out of the Great Commission, to make disciples of Jesus.  But the rest of the time?  You know, those times when you go to work, go to school, go to the market, interact with the government, with society, etc.?  What about all those times?

Well, back to those churches in those cities I mentioned, Paul had some interesting advice.  To Rome he said, in regards to the government and the other folks watching:

For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended - Romans 13:3 NIV 2011

to the Thessalonians

so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody. - 1 Thessalonians 4:12 NIV 2011

And there are many other passages to the same extent.  Live at peace with others, as much as you are able. Do unto others what you would have them do unto you.  Love your enemy, pray for those who persecute you.  Live righteously so that you may be a city on the hill, a light to the world, salt to the earth.

A multicultural society is not to be feared.  We are given confidence, as followers of Christ, that we are earnestly, honestly, faithfully seeking the truth.  And because of that confidence, and because of the promises that he will go ahead of us into the world, there is nothing to fear.  "They will know we are Christians by our love" as the song says... in fact, the whole of the book of first John essentially says the same thing.

Do we have to agree with them?  Do we have to say, "Your way is just as good as mine"?  No, we don't.  But we also don't have to fear others, we certainly should not avoid them, and if we truly love other people as being made in the image of God, even if they don't follow the same God, that does not negate this simple truth.

Instead of xenophobia, instead of drawing lines between our societies, instead of building walls, lets let humans be humans.  Share the truth of Christ in our deeds, in our actions, so that, when they look at us, they see that light, that salt, the city on the hill and they will be challenged to question, "What makes them different?"  And be among them so that, when they do ask, we are prepared to answer.  Always be prepared to defend the faith, as Paul wrote to Timothy.  This is how we live, then.  Not in fear, not in enmity with the "other", but as faithful ambassadors to the world of the Kingdom that we call home.