A "Retired" Christian... ?

In a television interview actor Peter O'Toole was once asked, "Are you a believer?"

His unique response was "I am a Retired Christian."

He seems to mean that he doesn't practice anymore, but he's still "cool" with God (whatever that means).  He does admit to reading the bible because of "the beauty of the language" and also comments on his admiration for the faith and belief of those people within the bible.

A perfect dodge.  A delicate sidestep away from any denial or acknowledgement of whether the faith of those people in the bible is actually built on something true.  If I was in the interview chair I would have asked two follow up questions...  Since I don't like dodges no matter how playfully colorful, I would have asked again: So then are you a believer Peter?  Do you believe the teachings of the bible to be true?...  Another interesting follow up question would have been:  What do you think it takes –as you say Peter– to be "cool" with God?  His answer to that probably wouldn't be that unique, but still worth asking.

I remember in High School a teacher was "cool" the more he or she for the most part let us do whatever we wanted.   If the teachers joked around a lot or used a few profanities for effect, they were really cool.  Basically a teacher being "cool" was a teacher being quite like the students themselves.  I wonder if Peter O'Toole might be going along the same track about God.  I'm cool with God.  God's cool with me.  God doesn't get uptight or really take anything too seriously.  For the most part, God just lets us go about our lives and maybe He just throws us a few tips along the way...

It is a perspective that provides plenty of room for the idea that someone could actually "retire" from God.  A notion so dramatically disconnected from anything resembling the beautiful, life-giving teachings that O'Toole says he reads every night, that the only logical thing to say is this understanding of Christianity is pure projection.

Saying I can "retire" from Christianity is like saying a Cocker Spaniel can retire from being a dog.  It would show more that I don't actually know what a Cocker Spaniel really is. In the same way, saying Christianity is the sort of thing you can retire from (like a hobby or a summer home or a vocation) shows Mr. O'Toole missed the basic category of the sort of thing Christianity really is.