Archives for July 2019

Before you hit send . . .

Posted on July 18, 2019 Written by Mark McIntyre Leave a Comment

I seldom (almost never) go to Facebook to read my feed. But I recently was notified by email of an exchange that took place on Facebook and was sorry I clicked on the link.

In the exchange, I found that two believers that I know crossed a line in disagreeing with a third believer over what has become a political issue. Rather than stating the reasons for their disagreement, they made comments about the third believer that were basically ad hominem attack. I was saddened by their lack of respect for their fellow believer and the damage that they caused to the body of Christ.

In response, I thought I would highlight some suggestions for Christians in their use of social media:

The truths of Scripture are timeless and authoritative. But care must be taken in applying those truths to political issues. When it comes to governmental policy, can we admit that problems are always more complex than the partisan rhetoric allows? We need to be open to hearing other opinions and if critique is necessary, it should be focused on the issue rather than on the person who disagrees.
We always need to keep in mind what we learn from Genesis 3 and Matthew 7. In the latter passage, Jesus warned us of our tendency to be critical of others while making excuses for our own sin. His illustration of a log and speck, while humorous, perfectly illustrates how we often act. We are ALL flawed in our character AND our thinking. We need to be open to hearing other opinions so that we can progress in wisdom and understanding.
We are called by Paul to “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15). If we need to address incorrect thinking on a subject, it must be done with love. In the exchange listed above, I wasn’t feeling a lot of love jumping off the screen. What I observed instead was an attitude of if you don’t agree with me, I will not have anything to do with you.
Guard against falling prey to our “sound bite”, “hot take” culture. We live in a society where competition for attention is fierce and people often say outrageous things to get noticed. Take a deep breath and analyze what is being said before rattling off an angry response. Analysis and reflection on the issue should be done before hitting the send button.
Be really, really careful in adopting a “well if you believe that you must not be a Christian” stance. While there are beliefs that would cause one to be outside the orthodox faith, how one applies Scripture to societal issues should be open to discussion.
Finally, James 1:19-20 should serve as a caution. He tells us to be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger. Why, because our anger does not achieve the righteousness that God wants us to display.

While the angry, “I guess I showed them” type of response may be gratifying in the moment, it doesn’t help in the long run.

Such a response brings division which grieves the Lord who died to bring unity.

For the record, I still have respect for all those involved in this fracas. My guess is that eventually there will be healing in the damaged relationships. But had the ideas above been followed, some wounds could have been avoided.

What the church should be about

Posted on July 5, 2019 Written by Mark McIntyre 3 Comments

I started reading Saving Leonardo by Nancy Pearcey and ran across this paragraph in the first chapter:

“We often hear Christians speak about recovering the vitality of the early church. But which aspect of the early church are they thinking about? It’s a safe bet they are not thinking about the way the early church went on the offensive against the dominant intellectual systems of the age. Today’s churches pour their resources into rallies, friendship evangelism, and mercy missions that distribute food and medicine. And these are vital. Yet if they aspire to the dynamic impact of the early church, they must do as it did, learning to address, critique, adapt and overcome the dominant ideologies of our day.”

To engage our culture means that we need to teach people what Scripture says about our culture. We also need to teach people what Scripture says about how to engage our culture.

People flocked to Jesus. He obviously knew how to treat people with respect, even those who the religious leaders treated with contempt.

We are not called to ratchet up the rhetoric in the culture war. We need to see how Jesus used respectful dialog to point people in a different direction.

Jesus shows us that it is possible to be firm on ideas while being loving to those who hold different ones. But this takes work, hard work. Work that few of the churches I’ve attended seemed willing to undertake.

It is so much easier to avoid the discussion by not entering into it through cultural conformity.

Another method of shutting down discussion is to use condemnatory statements and harsh rhetoric. Instead of tearing down walls, this approach reinforces and raises them.

Scripture enjoins us to do neither.

Blending In or Sticking Out: What Should Christians Do?

Posted on July 3, 2019 Written by Adam Durnham Leave a Comment

This is a guest post by Adam Durnham. If you are curious about publishing a guest post, please review the guest post guidelines. Then contact me if you can work within those guidelines and would like to submit a post.

As Christians, we are called to fish for men. This means going out of our comfort zones in order to save the lost. But many of us become confused about the boundaries of blending in and actually stick out and become stumbling blocks. If you are someone who is seeking clarity, read to know more.

Before Jesus ascended into heaven, one of His final instructions included “making disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). Although modern-day Christian may not walk the Earth and proclaim the Gospel on the streets, we are still called to live our lives in holy ways and to share the Good News with our spheres of influence.

Fishing for men: Is there a gray area?

“Fishing for men” definitely requires balance. When Paul noted that he became a Jew for the Jews and acted under the law (1 Corinthians 9:20-22), it was clear that as Christians, we sometimes need to blend in to win people over.

Many of us become confused with the principle of blending in.

When I was a new Christian and a college student at a large university, I would often find myself in gray areas. I called them gray areas because there I was, professing my newfound faith, but also hanging out with my friends like nothing had changed. My alcoholism took over because I thought I had control and could keep drinking like I had before. I eventually went into a Christian rehab and decided to take things seriously.

As I became older, I realized that gray areas are not really gray. We cannot say that we are winning people over if we clearly know that we are becoming stumbling blocks.

Winning people or becoming a stumbling block

I could have used a guide about living my faith. So, I have created one. Here are some questions you may ask yourself. They may help you determine if your actions may win people for Christ or you are just acting as a stumbling block:

Is it against the law?

To ask if what you are doing is fit for winning people for God, ask if it is a lawful act. This does not mean the context of law in the Bible, but rather the everyday law that all citizens of a state or a country must follow. After all, God tells us to be responsible citizens by submitting to the governing authorities: “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God” (Romans 13:1).

Is it moral?

Having morals is quite different from being lawful. There are things that are passable in terms of the law, but they may not be acceptable in the eyes of others. As Christians, we ought to know that people’s eyes are on us. We represent Christ, and our actions should be blameless before others: “That you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world” (Philippians 2:15).

Is it aligned with God?

The highest tier of assessing your actions is knowing that it aligns with God. God manifests Himself through His Word (the Bible), the Holy Spirit, and through the confirmation of godly men and women. It is wise to seek what God says on a specific topic, to listen to the nudging of the Holy Spirit, and to listen to the advice of Christian elders.

“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (John 14:26).

“Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety” (Proverbs 11:14).

Do not stumble by winning people

Maybe the key takeaway is that it is good to “blend in” and reach out to others, but you must set holy boundaries that are acceptable in the law, in morality, but most important, in the eyes of God. Do not stumble by bending over backwards to please people and forgetting what is truly important. Instead, set yourself apart as holy yet approachable to those who are lost.