How important is Christian conversation? And in asking this question, I’m not asking with the emphasis on conversation. That is, I’m not asking how important conversation is that happens to occur between two people who happen to be Christians. No, that's unavoidable (unless you're a Lone Ranger Christian, which is to say, no Christian at all). I mean something far more significant and, unfortunately, far more rare among Christians. So I’m asking the question with the emphasis on the Christian element. How important is Christian conversation?
Indeed one might even put the question into biblical perspective by asking if such is essential? Which puts the first question on the plane of whether or not Christian conversation is of supreme importance? And by supreme I’m taking about the perspective of forever and ever—eternity’s perspective. Moving in this direction in my questioning, some will perhaps wonder what in the world I’m on about?
Well, consider the place of Christian conversation in Christian’s pilgrimage as the main character journeys onward—with the wind in his face—alongside a good temporary traveling companion, Charity. To understand aright the answer that Buynan gives in his allegory to my question, consider also that, biblically considered, the whole of the Christian’s life plays itself out in terms of an exceedingly hazardous journey. If your travels through this world do not seem at all like an exceedingly hazardous journey, you may not be on the journey toward the celestial city, for hard and narrow is the way that leads to life (Matt. 7:14). And so Buynan assumes (and makes this clear in the narrative) that the one who heads heavenward does so only through many afflictions and difficulties—the wind, as Buynan puts it somewhere, is always in his face. We might say, the struggle is an uphill struggle, the sacred city sitting atop the hill of life.
Still at the house of Discretion, as noted in my last post on the Pilgrim’s Progress, Christian now sits down to meat with Charity (p. 56f):
Now the table was furnished with fat things, and with wine that was
well refined, and all their talk at the table was about the LORD of the Hill, as namely, about that HE had done, and whereof HE did what HE did, and why he had builded that house: and by what they said I perceived that HE had been a great warrior, and had fought with, and slain him that had the power of death, but not without great danger to himself: which made me love him the more.
For, as they said, and as I believe (said Christian) he did it with the loss of much blood: but that which put glory of grace into all he did, was, that he did it out of pure love to this country. And beside, there were some of them of the household that said, they had been and spoke with him since he did die on the cross; and they have attested, that they had it from his own lips, the he is such a lover of poor pilgrims, that the like is not to be found from the east to the west.
They moreover gave an instance of what they affirm’d, and that was, he had stript himself of his glory, that he might do this for the poor; and that they heard him say and affirm, that he would not dwell in the mountain of Zion alone. They said moreover, that he had made many pilgrims though by nature they were beggars born, and their original had been the dunghill.
Thus they discoursed together till late at night, and after they had committed themselves to their Lord for protection, they betook themselves to rest. . . .
As the narrative makes plain in the larger context, Buynan thinks that Christian conversation, of the variety above between Christian and Charity, is essential for pressing on toward the goal of everlasting rest and glory. God has appointed this means as a crucial means. And as I indicated in the question above, that it is distinctly Christian conversation matters if it is to be a means of our preservation and perseverance in the race set before us. And Buynan’s example of this is exemplary: the conversation between Christian and Charity centers on the cross, the Gospel, the things of the Spirit—the power of God for salvation to everyone who is believing.
And so my prayer and heart’s desire is for our salvation through the means of Christian conversation, without which we will not get to heaven (Heb. 3:12-13).
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