Combative Christianity

My last post was a stroll down memory lane and an amazing experience of God speaking to me. The theme (arrows, spears, armor of God, Braveheart) was thoroughly martial. Pondering those contentious days I find myself evaluating my current state.

Christians are called to give their life to the Lord. We are to be willing to even die in our witness to Him. Martrdom is the crowning achievement of Christian fidelity. I grew up on stories about the great heroes of the faith who endured horrible suffering at the hands of others who demanded that the martyr rejects Jesus, deny God and turn his/her back on the church.

Within the Church at large (and in my denomination) there is an ongoing struggle over the Truth. To take a stand for the traditional faith is, in many places, viewed with hostility and confusion. The question is how does one enter the fray? Martyrs witness to the truth but then they die. What about those of us who are in debate, verbally wrestling with other viewpoints. We seek to win the day, to deliver some argument so logically flawless, so profound, so emotionally stirring, so Holy Spirit filled that the opponent, wide eyed, mouth agape declares, "I see the Light! I convert!" The problem is, human beings are inclined to not listen in debates. We filter out what does not support our views and spin that which does. We are increasingly less and less open as the conflicts become more heated.

Combative Christians are seduced by the desire to win. We also tend to demonize those whom we oppose. When we demonize we often also project. So the opponent becomes a handy location for us to dump all our garbage. By the time we have reached the yelling and screaming (or retreated into our safe little enclaves where we can trash the others) there is little hope for conversion or conversation.

On the other hand, advocates for 'just getting along' ignore the importance of the questions being debated. In the end, if Jesus is the only way to salvation, it is pretty darn important that we are clear exactly what that means. Where we stand on that question impacts the eternal destiny of every man, woman and child on the planet. To get it wrong would be a tragedy beyond anything horrible that has ever happened. It  matters too much to ignore. And there is much more. In fact, there are dozens and dozens of other questions which are close to that in importance. Pretending like it does not matter is not a reasonable option.

The problem is every answer is not clear. There are degrees of certitude. There are also competing goods. So I choose not to kill neighbors who disagree with my soteriology (theology of salvation) and assume that they will do me the same kindness. I also acknowledge that The Church has not definitively and totally explained exactly what God's Word means on this question. So we say, "Only Jesus," but that means something different to a vast array of people (including Saints on either side and in between). The danger should be evident, the single most life-and-death issue with which we can ever be faced can become a matter of agree-to-disagree indifference. Relegated to a side table under a sign saying "who knows?"

So what to do? Return to hanging, flogging and burning at the stake? Subdivide into small (and increasingly smaller) self congratulating groups which agree with each other? Embrace the indifference of the contemporary age and immerse ourselves in our prefered distractions? [Or just blog? ha!]

The problem with fighting is we want to win. And fighting to win can end up betraying the Lord who died on a cross. Be assured, those who crucified The Master were convinced they were right. On the other hand, the problem with not standing for the faith is you become a coward, a betrayer of Jesus. So we listen to one another, we listen for God, we read The Word, we sit at the feet of the teachers (across time and geography) whose wisdom and insight bring us closer to the Lord, to the truth. And we do it alone and with others in the trusting hope that our God is faithful, and so we are called to be faithful as well.