The religious heritage of Paris is unquestioned. Everywhere one looks, the signs testify to a time when devotion to God was a pre-eminent value of society. Still today, one stands in awe of the grandeur of the famous Cathedral of Notre Dame in the heart of the city. One is equally impressed by the magnificence of the Basilica of Saint Denis on the northern outskirts of Paris. Saint Denis is the site where the kings of France were buried from as early as the fifth century until the 18th century.
One cannot help but be impressed by the architecture, the beautiful stained glass windows, sculptures, paintings and other works of art that adorn churches and chapels both large and small.
Many of these works of art date from a time when teaching was done through pictures. Thus one can stand and discern the stories of both the Old and New Testaments from the majestic windows or the other brilliant works of art. Sometimes the stories are about the history of the Church and the sacrifices made to proclaim and preserve the Christian faith.
Walking through art museums such as the Louvre or the Cluny or any number of other such establishments, one is overwhelmed with the number of paintings based on biblical themes. It is as if one is surrounded by evidences of a time when Parisians exalted God through the arts. Obviously God was important in their lives, and they expressed it in art forms that continue to glorify God and bless others these centuries later.
Unfortunately the religious dedication of the past is not reflected in the religious practices of today. While France does not keep statistics on religious affiliation, press reports indicate than only 12 percent of the population of that nation attends religious services of any faith more than once per month.
While more than half the population identifies themselves as Roman Catholic, only about 8 percent of them practice their faith, one Catholic official said. That is roughly the same number of Muslims who live in France.
According to information from the U.S. Department of State, about a third of the French population call themselves atheist, another 14 percent says they are agnostic and another 26 percent describes themselves as religiously "indifferent." Another study found France had the lowest number of believers "in any form of God or Supreme Being" — only 27 percent.
It is no wonder that the owners of the Paris apartment my wife, Pat, and I rented for a week in March shared that religious participation was something "sorely lacking" in France.
What is surprising, perhaps shocking, is the report that even though almost three-fourths of the French population labeled themselves atheist, agnostic or religiously indifferent, more than half the population (54 percent) considered themselves "faithful" Christians.
Obviously it is tempting to trust one’s religious heritage as sufficient for a right relationship with God. That is what many of the Jews did at the time of Jesus. In both Matthew 3 and Luke 3, the Pharisees and Sadducees are presented as basing their relationship with God on their religious heritage — the fact that they were sons of Abraham.
John the Baptist warned against relying on religious heritage. He declared, "Do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham." That is counsel needed today.
In some cultures, Christian identity is something with which one is born. In Jordan, for example, if one is born to a Christian family, then one is considered a Christian. The same is true of Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and some other Middle Eastern and African countries. One’s Christian identity has nothing to do with personal faith in Jesus Christ. It has all to do with the religious heritage of the family into which one is born.
Some Christian denominations teach that identity with the church is the crucial issue. If one is a member of the church, then one has a right standing with God since Christ died for the church. That is one reason some Christian groups rush for infant baptism so the newborn can be incorporated into the body of Christ by the identifying act of baptism.
Again it is an emphasis on religious heritage rather than on a personal relationship with Christ.
Yet the Bible teaches that one has "peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5:1). Romans 10:9 adds that, "If you confess with your mouth ‘Jesus is Lord’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."
Confession is personal. Belief is personal. Salvation is personal. Peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ is personal. Religious heritage, no matter how magnificent, is not enough for a right relationship with God. As Baptists, we acknowledge that even being the preacher’s child is not enough to get one to heaven. The only way to have peace with God is through a personal faith in the saving act of Jesus’ death on Calvary’s cross.
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