Part 7 Faith and Framework
163 years ago, on the morning of June 30, a crowd of 25,000 gathered at Niagara Falls, anticipating a nerve-wracking spectacle. Positioned on both the American and Canadian sides, Jean François Gravelet, or The Great Blondin, readied himself to traverse the falls on a 1300-foot hemp tightrope, devoid of safety measures. Rejecting safety nets, Blondin believed that anticipating disaster increased its likelihood, captivating the masses with this morbid practice. Gamblers placed bets on a watery demise, and Blondin thrived on the pressure.
As the morning unfolded, diverse reactions emanated from the crowd—cheers, fainting, and people clutching each other as Blondin traversed the tightrope from bank to bank and back in a breathtaking 23 minutes.
Post-performance, Blondin committed to biweekly crossings, adding daring elements each time. He crossed backward, lay down on the wire, wheeled a wheelbarrow, and cooked an omelet on the rope. The most memorable stunt, however, was also the most challenging.
On this particular day, the crowd rallied in customary cheers before Blondin's daunting challenge. Legend has it that he questioned the crowd's belief in his ability to face this daring act. The crowd chanted: "We believe! We believe!" Seizing the moment, Blondin invited the loudest cheerer to be carried on his back, but the man declined. Undeterred, Blondin sought any volunteer from the silent crowd. After a pause, with no takers, Blondin's manager, Harry Colcord, stepped forward, offering to be carried across. Blondin's directive was clear: "Become one with my body. Don't do anything I don't do. Don't try to balance for me; otherwise, we both die. Just trust and move with my movements. From this moment on, you are no longer Colcord; you are Blondin."
This proved to be Blondin's most difficult challenge, yet he successfully navigated to the other side with Harry on his back.
As tens of thousands chanted "I believe" before his daring stunt, these spectators merely claimed a mental belief in Blondin's ability, similar to how many Christians assert a mental belief in a doctrine without genuine reflection or action in their own lives. Blondin's stunt suggests this type of belief is not belief at all; it is merely a mental assertion.
No one placed genuine belief in Blondin except for a singular soul – Harry Colcord. As the sole individual who was carried across Blondin's back, Harry stood as the embodiment of unwavering faith in Blondin's abilities.
True belief, as Blondin’s manager Harry Colcord embodied, permeates every cell of one's body, manifesting in action.
My first encounter with the Blondin narrative occurred during my college years, within the pages of a devotional. The devotional sought to convey a profound message about the often-misunderstood concepts of faith and belief within Christianity. It challenged the prevalent notion that belief is confined to a mere mental claim – an acknowledgment of the existence of God or Jesus and adherence to a specific set of doctrines. In today's Christianity, the emphasis often revolves around gatekeeping, delineating those who align with the "correct" Christian ideas and stances from those who do not.
However, this perspective starkly diverges from the original meaning of belief and faith, as illustrated by the Blondin story. True faith and belief are intricately tied to action and commitment. Regrettably, in Christianity, these concepts have become disjointed, creating a false dichotomy between faith and action.
This was not the case in the early church, where faith and action were inseparable – one and the same. The believer, echoed in the footsteps of Christ in both commitment and action. The fruits that manifest from our lives reveal what one actually believes.
With this more amalgamated understanding of faith and belief, commonly quoted verses like John 3:16 take on a whole new meaning: "For God so loved the world that he sent his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."
We can now perceive that perishing is not a punishment for failing to mentally adhere to a specific set of doctrines, but rather it is the natural outcome of failing to embrace, trust, and walk in the ways exemplified by Jesus.
For instance, if I were to say to my two-year-old child, “When you walk across the street, remember to hold my hand and do not run off. I will guide and walk with you to the other side. If you do this, you will not perish but have life.” This is not a threat; rather, an explanation of what happens. However, as Christians, we have misconstrued this verse into a threat. We have framed it as: if you fail to subscribe to this doctrine, you will be subject to eternal punishment.
“That whoever believes in him” goes beyond a simplistic transaction where uttering a claim to belief or reciting the sinners’s prayer secures a post-mortem ticket to heaven. Instead this belief calls us to embody the walk that Christ walked, to be “carried on his back” as Colcord did so to speak and synchronize our movements with Jesus’ to a life of transformative action and unwavering commitment, mirroring the Way of Christ.
When Jesus beckons us with the words "Follow Me," it is an invitation to tread in His footsteps, to emulate the very walk that defined His existence. This is why the early Christians referred to this movement as the Way before it ever bore the name Christianity.
However, there is a crucial aspect of this story that I overlooked.
I used to believe that I lacked the courage to fully commit or that I was too afraid to boldly embrace my convictions. I grappled with understanding why it was so challenging for me to align my actions with my professed beliefs. Why didn't the audience watching the great Blondin week after week demonstrate the bravery to match their proclaimed beliefs? Why do Christians attending church regularly struggle to align their actions with their professed beliefs?
Then, a realization struck me, and it emerged as a recurring theme, a pervasive thread weaving through Blondin’s story and numerous Bible stories (which I will be sharing in Part 8).
Blondin's manager, Harry Colcord, was able to climb onto Blondin's back because he had faith — not blind faith like we are constantly told to engage in, but a faith rooted in relationship. Colcord had faith in Blondin because he intimately knew him. He had witnessed Blondin practicing and executing his feats repeatedly. Harry even remarked that Blondin took to the tightrope like a bird takes to air. Having worked closely with Blondin, he had likely witnessed countless performances and practices, understanding Blondin's abilities more than anyone in that crowd ever could.