If we are silent….
08/27/2010
In Church we say- Jesus above all else. In Christ Alone. Be my Everything. Why do we say it? If we didn’t say it, what would we learn? Probably nothing of value.
I was reading CNN today. 2 articles interested me; one about a Church holding a Quran burning event and the other about Muslims wanting to worship alongside Christians in an old mosque, now a Cathedral. The first one said that as the Quran leads people to Hell it should be stopped. This was, as you can guess a fundamentalist Church. The article had the usual cringe moments, but I take their general meaning to be ‘stop allowing something to exist that causes people to go away from God and to Hell’. We may not agree with methods (uber fundamentalist in your face, pointing, judgemental etc) but I think the kernel of the point is sound.
The second one wants Muslims and Christians to worship together. This is the old argument that we worship the ‘same’ God. The article reads ‘Mansur Escudero, a Spanish convert to Islam, is leading the movement that is pushing for the right of Muslims to pray at the Cordoba Cathedral, ” I don’t think it’s important for Muslims. I think it’s important for humankind,” Escudero says. “We think this is a beautiful paradigm of tolerance, knowledge, culture. People of different religions living together.” We think this is a beautiful paradigm of tolerance, knowledge, culture. People of different religions living together’.
Whereas there is nothing in the Christian faith to say that we shouldn’t live together, I think it is blatantly clear that there is one God, and that God is only known through Jesus. Reject Jesus, you reject God. That, in my eyes, is more important for humankind.
So what do we do when we face these issues? Do we follow culture with a banner of ‘tolerance above all’, allowing it to be the guide for everything? Or do we have an element of ‘if it stops people getting to God it isn’t good’? I am very wary that the Christian church, especially for our youth, and especially through the words of certain Christian teachers, is in danger of losing the supremacy of Christ over all. Influential speakers, some who have touched our own shores, come with attitudes that the Christian faith is only one way, a step in the evolution of the spiritual and that we (every faith and every religion) are all one. These are those who speak to our youth and set in younger minds a dangerous lowering of Christ’s status in the name of harmony and tolerance. I do not agree. Period. Less and less do I see people ablaze with passion for the supremacy of Christ above all else. There are some and they are excellent. Many I see with a passion for tolerance, to be your best friend. All in the name of vague spirituality that doesn’t see anybody saved. They never ‘offend’. But what happens when Jesus is offended by this? There is nothing on earth that we can do that is more important that presenting Jesus as above everything; that He had to bear our load, that He died, that He was raised physically and that all power and authority on heaven and earth is His, and His only. That He is the one and only way and no amount of spirituality that claims a vague knowledge of a ‘God’ is enough.
We are a soundbite generation that lives for bursts. We give everything for small projects and then we die off for a year. Too often we save ourselves for one act of service every year and then feel we’ve ticked the box, done enough with a group of people large enough to see us do it and then we go back to the mundane. What message do we send by doing this? Our God, and more importantly our Jesus, is only for a while? He’s forEVER! Serving God for a few months a year (take a few weeks of projects and the Sundays combined to give a total) is NOT enough. Where are the people who cannot stop talking about God, talking to God, reaching out for Him, and going into the middle of their communities all the time? Why are they always the exception rather than the rule? Our church did 40 Days of Community and we all said ‘we’re going to keep this going, we won’t let this fizzle out and die’. Well, it has. Why can we not ignite a passion that stays lit? What is wrong with us!?
I partially think it is because we have a lesser view of Jesus. We do not see Him yet for all He is. He still isn’t above our comfort, He still isn’t above our money, He still isn’t the one we trust to keep us safe and secure allowing us to step out for Him. We are filled with spirituality which has turned into sentimentality. We are so aware of our province’s past that we dare not speak out for Jesus too loudly. So we don’t say no to other religions or practises.
We leave that to the ‘nutjobs’ who will do it anyway and we can hide behind them in our homes in silence saying ‘we actually think that too’.
I mean, they’re going to do it anyway, why do we have to!? Because it’s our call. Our call is to speak out for Jesus, above everything else. It is often us who refuse to speak outside, refuse to condemn sin that should be ashamed. I’m not defending the methods of some of the more extreme people but at least they have the guts to say it. We hide in our churches where people already know what is going to be said and believe roughly the same thing. We preach to the choir and think we’re great. So back to my original question; why do we say these things in Church? Why do we say them in Church and not in public? We often often often quote ‘preach the gospel and if necessary use words’. That’s all well and good, but Jesus, Paul, Peter, John, etc etc etc used words. They didn’t mime their way around. They didn’t say ‘I’ll keep quiet and let them guess what I’m on about’. Paul didn’t stand on Mars Hill and do interpretive dance; he spoke and on terms the people understood. Actions speak, YES, but so do words. Let’s use everything God gave us.
If we are silent (in both action and words), then that is exactly what we will remain. Before you bash me for bashing that man’s quote, Jesus said to tell people, and I take Him as primary example.
So why do we use these words in Church? In John’s Gospel, Jesus talked about His words being IN us. IN us. When His words are in us, they change how we live. Do we believe them, are we living them? Or do we just say it because its Church, and that’s what we do.
One thing struck me. What do you mean by “we refuse to condemn sin”? Because I’m not really sure it’s our job to condemn sin or to be some kind of morality police. Is that what it means to be the light of the world?
Is condemning sin about the way the nutjobs do it? Protesting beside Gay Pride marches. Because I certainly do NOT think the same way they do. They have picked on one easily identifiable thing and pursued it endlessly. They are prideful. Arrogant and full of hate. And I don’t think it’s a correct reading of Romans 1. But what about greed? Injustice? Hatred? Malice? What about compassion? Forgiveness? The gospel is one of salvation not of condemnation.
If we think there’s “total depravity” then we should hardly marvel at the fallenness of the world.
thanks for the comment. i knew this would be one of those things that stirred this exact debate.
I dont think as Christians that we can not condemn sin and as Christians we are to reflect the standard of living that God requires (not quite morality police). I agree that the ‘nutjobs’ do it in a way that is incorrect. I think i said I didnt agree with the method, what I liked was the principle i.e some things are wrong. plain and simple. The issue of being unwilling to confront sin is something the church is getting stuck on here.
we are told not to judge lest we be judged. Thats true- we each recognise that fallenness is part of all human life and part of our own before and after salvation (as you also say, we should hardly marvel at it). I do not mean that we stand thinking we are above those who act in ways which Scripture says are not apprpriate. No, for each of us has acted in those ways in the past. We are not to look at anybody as lower. My honest sincere apologies if that is what came across (we, more than anyone recognise our own faults which should keep us rooted to the ground). That would indeed be prideful, arrogant as you say. But we are to rebuke and to stand up for what is right. To be salt and light is to by definition put on a new self and put away the old self. We do that by condemning sin in our own lives. By living differently we condemn sin through our actions, refusing to accept what the world deems acceptable. we condemn sin by preaching one God and one Christ. Thats why Paul had such a tough time. He didnt everything fly. Thats why the Bible is filled with references to martyrs, people who would not give in and go the way of the world. Those whom the disciples deemed unworthy to be compared to. Our job is not to condemn sin in the way you describe above in the example of the gay pride march, but we do need to recognise when there is sin and we need to confront it.
But as you say, the method is the issue. We do not do this by standing on the streets (as above). I apologise if that is what came across. My point was simply that the only ones who seem to be confronting sin at the moment are those who stand on the streets. and that is so frustrating. we dont want to look like them so we dont speak out. more and more the church is getting tongue tied and saying ‘i dont want to give an answer because there is no way i can answer without causing hurt’. Brian McClaren actually said that when asked if homosexuality was wrong. So he refused to answer. Thats what im driving at.
There are so many complexities in this. you again are right, Jesus came into the world to save the world not to condemn it, but He also said He would cause division and put family members against each other by what He was bringing. The gospel will divide, and im sure you would agree. But I wholeheartedly agree that we cannot only be like those who stood outside the march. We need another way. But for the record, I do think that there may be times when standing together would be no bad thing. Perhaps not to jeer and point fingers though. There is a great article online called ‘be a kinder calvinist’ and actually Dr John Piper has a sermon in which he mentions this very issue. We are not to growl and roar but to sit with them and weep with them and say ‘im lost without God. Im a sinner, im desperate and Im in need. But God is my everything and I want you to know Him too’. That confronts sin in more ways that standing on a corner ever will. For Satan cannot abide love, peace, holiness, selflessness.
Bottom line- as Christians we can’t ignore sin. We have to see it for what it is and be against it. To use the word ‘condemn’ isnt to suggest we go make our banners and quote the King James. Perhaps the more earnest and soul baring approach mentioned a few lines above. Im saying the Church is losing influence, we arent reaching out in the way we should. We used to influence society; some things for the better and definately some for the worse, now we seem to let it go by mostly unchallenged.
I hope that helps to clarify my position on this.