Wow! What a firestorm Kirk Cameron caused in his interview with Piers Morgan of CNN. Cameron was asked about his view of homosexuality, marriage, and abortion. He was polite while answering, but his answers were honest and not politically correct. His view of marriage and homosexuality is based upon Scripture. He believes that marriage is God's idea and meant to be between one man and woman. He also stated that homosexuality is a sin, and he does not agree with abortion under any circumstance.
I was made aware of the interview via Twitter; Cameron was trending for a few days worldwide. I checked it out and watched a portion of the interview myself. I found that I agreed with everything that Cameron was saying; it was all straight from Scripture. This does not mean that I agree with all of Cameron's doctrinal views; I am certain we would disagree on some issues. But I do respect his outspoken statement of faith in Christ and the biblical views that he holds. What has been so shocking to me is the outcry and vitriolic response from those disagreeing with Cameron. I happened upon a blog entitled "Friendly Atheist" by Hermant Mehta and was shocked at the simple way in which so many dismiss Cameron. I would encourage you to check his blog out at www.patheos.com
What I noticed from the majority of those commenting on Mehta's blog was the lack of respect for any view that differs from their own. In addition, many of the comments called into question the intelligence of Cameron; actually, most were downright rude. But there are some things we can learn from this blogger and the many who follow him.
As if we did not already realize it, the idea that everyone respects the authority of the Bible is incorrect. It seems that the prevailing ideas are that science trumps all or feelings mean everything. Pluralism seems alive and well. It does not matter what you believe because whatever you believe is valid and as true as that which anyone else beleives. In addition, feelings are often tantamount to fact. The idea is believe anything; just make sure you don't believe the Bible! There is a glaring irony in all of this though, for many of the atheists and unbelievers seem to revel in quoting the Bible or referencing verses and doctrines contained therein.
It appears that most of those participating in the atheist's blog do not respect the intelligence of Christians either. Perhaps this is simply a bias they have, or it could be that they have encountered Christians who lack the ability to articulate their viewpoint in an intelligent manner. I also have to wonder if the issue is tied to the fact that many Christians are often rude and condescending; I have noticed that some Christians are content to name-call and sling mud just like the atheist I have encountered. (I actually posted some comments on the aforementioned blog myself)
Granted, Cameron is outspoken in his beliefs and has the celebrity tag attached to him, but why do those who disagree with him do so with such contempt? Darkness does not like light. But I have to wonder if most of these self-proclaimed atheists and critics of Christianity have ever been exposed to a loving Christian. Is it possible that they have never experienced unconditional love and grace from a Christ-follower? Is it possible that they have never seen the love of Christ in action?
All of this leads me to a few cursory conclusions: Christians need to show the love of Jesus more than they need to spew forth the doctrines of Scripture. Here is the deal; no one cares how much you know until they know how much you care. One can know all of the theology in Scripture and be largely ineffective for the cause of Christ because they do not live out the love of Jesus. This means that we must be nice! We must treat others with respect and grace! Christians must also be ready at all times to serve others, even those who do not believe as we beleive.
Christians need to know the doctrines of Scripture. No, this is not a contradiction to my first conclusion; we need to live it as we know it was my first point. As I already stated, many atheists and unbelievers love to talk about the Bible and reference verses even though they say they do not believe it! Christians must know what the Bible does say in order to engage intelligently and to ensure that the Bible is not misquoted. It is quite a travesty to have an atheist be able to point out verses in the Bible for whatever reason and a Christian be caught unaware.
Christians need to understand the culture and time in which they live. Knowing the Bible and living like Jesus is more important, but it is helpful to know the foundation and genesis of the beliefs of a culture. For example, understanding some of the nuances of pluralism simply allows a Christian to engage intelligently; it also allows for probing questions to be asked. I love how Paul engaged the Athenians on their own level in Acts 17. Paul did not treat every situation in the same manner; he dealt with those in Athens differently that he did those in Berea.
Living like Jesus does not include mean-spiritedness, rudeness, or being argumentative. The issue is not winning an argument, so Christians must avoid the desire to engage on that level. There is room for debating, but I can only think of limited situations where hard-core debating is appropriate. But again, all of the arguing and debating in the world will most likely fall on deaf ears if Christians do not live out the love of Jesus. This means that we are a friend to those with whom we disagree or those who dismiss or mistreat us.
"The Bible says it, so you must believe it" method of sharing Christ will not work. The "serving others in the name of Christ" approach may open the door to being able to share the Jesus of the Bible though.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
The Mark of a Hypocrite
I recently retweeted "being mad that the church is full of hypocrites is like being mad that the hospital is full of sick people." It seems that I am running into that excuse more frequently these days- the "I don't go to church because it is full of hypocrites" excuse. This morning I had that same basic conversation with an added twist. One of my church members regularly takes me out for breakfast at a local greasy spoon. It's ok because just about anyone can do eggs, sausage, grits, pancakes etc. Anyway, I was able to engage of the waitresses there, and the conversation turned to God, church, and religion. It normally does when they come to know that I serve as a pastor.
That being said, it burdens me to see the typical squirming and excuse making that is normally part of these type of conversations. It is never my desire to put someone on the defensive or make them feel like I am "judging" them or anything of that nature; I see these encounters as a chance to encourage another. There are times I am able to pray with or for them or answer a "religious" question. I ultimately want to help them take a step closer to God, but I never intend to condemn or attack or try to put someone on the defensive.
The conversation this morning quickly turned to hypocrisy when the person with whom I was speaking offered that she stopped attending church because her grandparents (who were church goers) were hypocrites. I offered the "we are all messed up" and "there are no perfect people in our church" answer, and that is when it got interesting. She said, "well, the problem with my grandparents is that they would never admit that they were wrong or had problems." I think that is critical and eye-opening for us Christians! In essence, what this young mother of two was saying is that it's ok for Christians to mess up, but it is not ok for them to act as if they never mess up. It's not ok for them to be critical and defensive at the same time.
As I ponder this thought I believe that it is certainly a biblical principle, which I have expressed before. One mark of immaturity in Christ is the idea that you do not have anything to work on or have it all together. My mind goes quickly to Paul's description of his own struggle with sin in Romans 7. I think of David, the man after God's own heart, who cried out "create in me a pure heart, O God." According to the Bible we are being conformed to the image of Christ, being conformed. We are not there yet in any practical sense.
So I say this to all who profess Christ: be diligent to pursue godliness through honest searching of the heart and confession. Not seeing sin in our lives and areas where we fall short is the surest sign of a hypocrisy.
That being said, it burdens me to see the typical squirming and excuse making that is normally part of these type of conversations. It is never my desire to put someone on the defensive or make them feel like I am "judging" them or anything of that nature; I see these encounters as a chance to encourage another. There are times I am able to pray with or for them or answer a "religious" question. I ultimately want to help them take a step closer to God, but I never intend to condemn or attack or try to put someone on the defensive.
The conversation this morning quickly turned to hypocrisy when the person with whom I was speaking offered that she stopped attending church because her grandparents (who were church goers) were hypocrites. I offered the "we are all messed up" and "there are no perfect people in our church" answer, and that is when it got interesting. She said, "well, the problem with my grandparents is that they would never admit that they were wrong or had problems." I think that is critical and eye-opening for us Christians! In essence, what this young mother of two was saying is that it's ok for Christians to mess up, but it is not ok for them to act as if they never mess up. It's not ok for them to be critical and defensive at the same time.
As I ponder this thought I believe that it is certainly a biblical principle, which I have expressed before. One mark of immaturity in Christ is the idea that you do not have anything to work on or have it all together. My mind goes quickly to Paul's description of his own struggle with sin in Romans 7. I think of David, the man after God's own heart, who cried out "create in me a pure heart, O God." According to the Bible we are being conformed to the image of Christ, being conformed. We are not there yet in any practical sense.
So I say this to all who profess Christ: be diligent to pursue godliness through honest searching of the heart and confession. Not seeing sin in our lives and areas where we fall short is the surest sign of a hypocrisy.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)