Defending One's Faith? Not Necessarily... (Or Why Christian Online - and Real World - Trolls Do More Harm Than Good...)

(Photo Source: bethszimmerman.com)

Nothing makes me groan in despair more than to see a Christian railing on and on about something they believe strongly about related to their faith, while denigrating others, issuing pat statements and answers, and otherwise being utterly nasty and unhelpful in their words.  Whether it has to do with origins, political issues, cultural issues, or a plethora of other faith-related topics that Christians weigh in on, guns blazing, showing no mercy (not to mention love, compassion, or empathy), the way in which many Christians ‘defend their faith’, so to speak, is anything but the ways in which Jesus and his earliest followers responded to such matters conducted such discourse in their day.

Still Alive and Kicking...

The long silence between now and my last post is not a sign of another failed blog on my part, but instead is a testament to one major reality in my life: busyness. I have so much I want to and plan to write about, but between working full time, being a husband and father, and taking a full load of grad school classes, not to mention all the unexpected that has made life even more busy that I have only had time to jot down notes and ideas as they come, not being able to write something of the quality I expect of myself. 

That is 98% of the reason why I haven't posted in a while. Another 1% is because I try to exercise wisdom in the timing of when I post, not to mention there is so much on my heart, and some of it is meant for only me, for now at least.  What I mean by that is this: There is a lot I want to write about, a lot of things that come up in conversations, through observation, and things that are glaringly obvious, but I refrain because I feel like this site is not a place to air laundry or confront issues around me that I would better off deal with in a less public way. I have no intention of shaming anyone, nor in causing division, so when I feel that confronting an issue might risk causing division if I don't use great care, I usually opt not to post it right then. I'm not talking about mentioning people by name, but if someone I know says something off-kilter and I address the issue on here directly afterwards, that person could take personally what I said and feel attacked. Regardless of the rightness of my words, if I'm unwise in my timing and hurt another, what good is it? In such a situation, a more personal interaction would be wiser, more loving, and more appropriate.  If I take Jesus' words seriously - and ignore all those who say 'don't worry about hurting others,' for they often lack wisdom and say too much - I have to take seriously not just what I say, but how I say it, and when I say it. (Who I say it to, and why I say it are also important...) This is a matter of my own heart, not just a dissemination of knowledge - which puffs up - so my motives and intent are just as important as what I say. So unless I feel as though I can say something in both love and wisdom, I will keep silent. We have far too many loud voices out there clanging like gongs and symbols, I refuse to take part in that nonsense - I want what I say to actually be useful and meaningful, of Christ and from my heart. So I remain silent when what I want to say will only make more noise...

The other 1% has to do with the reality that entertainment and distraction are some of the most stifling forces in our society, and I'm not immune either... More on that in a later post. 

All of that to say that posting should resume in the relatively near future. I'm also considering starting up a podcast once things die down a bit, but I won't put the cart before the horse on that one. For now I'm waiting on a break in the busyness to pick up where I left off. And I'm also waiting on the right timing as to what I write about and when. 

Divided and Conquered - Part 4 - Conquered but not Destroyed (continued)

(Photo source: kimmierose.com)

Ever since I started writing about division within the church a month or so ago, I've been hit with temptation
after temptation to be just as divisive as I'm saying is hurting the church. Fortunately I've seen it for what it really is, a test to see if I am willing to practice what I preach - or in my case, write - but it has been difficult nonetheless. However, I tend to see adversity not as a sign of being wrong, but in fact more confirmation that I'm heading in the right direction. I have millions of stories to tell about that - autobiographical stories - but since I want to continue on picking up where my last post left off, I might as well leave that rabbit trail alone.

Divided and Conquered - Part 3 - Conquered but not Destroyed

(Photo Source: staticphotography.com)

So when I came up with the title of this series of posts about division within the church and loving one another (Divided and Conquered - Part 1; Divided and Conquered - Part 2), I was very well aware of its implications when it came to how it may be perceived by other readers.

I know many people chafe at anyone saying anything negative about the church, while others are exactly the opposite, taking every opportunity to take potshots at the church when they can - and I'm talking about Christians in both groups. I take neither view when it comes to addressing issues within the church, for on the one hand I feel it is very important that we stop sugarcoating and glossing over all that we're completely off-the-mark about, and sometimes stark and blunt statements are necessary to get the point across; on the other hand, I see no point in opposing something without seeking a way forward to fix the problem. I'm a firm believer that it's far better to be for something than simply against something else; the reason why a lot of 'negative' activism without concrete, pragmatic solutions comes across to me as wasted effort that fixes nothing.

Divided and Conquered - Part 2

As I mentioned in my first post about this issue (Divided and Conquered - Part 1), the church has seemingly completely ignored Jesus' teaching in John 13:34-35, instructing his followers to love one another and how in doing so others will know that they are actually Jesus' followers. Divided as we have become and so eager as so many Christians are to attack and defame others who call Jesus 'Lord' because of various differences, it's no wonder why many people consider us to be full of it when it comes to what we claim about Jesus and about how following him truly makes a positive difference in our lives. I mentioned how we in part have the Protestant Reformation to thank for introducing this concept of breaking away and only associating with people who think, act, and believe like we do. And as I write this, my heart is very heavy, because this practice has been going on for so long now that it's considered normal and right among far too many Christians, and not only does it continue to make so many in the outside world consider us mindless followers of a farce, but it also denies us the opportunity for iron to sharpen iron, so to speak - which I will get more into in another post.

Divided and Conquered - Part 1

 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." - Jesus (John 13:34-35)

 
I find it rather interesting what Jesus says about his followers loving one another, namely that it's how others know that we are Jesus' followers in the first place. He says nothing about taking bold stands, wearing 'Christian' apparel, jewelry, or trinkets, parading about for this cause or that, or even talking publicly about one's faith. No, what he said was that by loving one another they are showing others that they are indeed Jesus' disciples, his followers. 

A Few Thoughts on Racism

Considering all that has happened in America lately regarding racism, I am hard-pressed as a follower of Jesus to ignore it, even though a lot of well-intentioned Christians try to do just that, especially people who, like me, are of European ancestry and genetics. In fact, there is a lot I want to say about the topic of racism, but instead of writing volumes, which I could easily do, I want to acknowledge a few truths about the issue: