Snippet: Bullies and Saints

Snip·pet | ˈsnipit | noun a small piece or brief extract.

Here’s one from John Dickson talking about his takeaway from writing Bullies and Saints: An Honest Look at the Good and Evil of Christian History:

“I had an increased wariness and weariness at Christian bad behavior, and a heightened sensitivity about the bullies and how easy it is for anyone, especially religiously gifted or powerful people to become bullies and to use their faith as cover…. At the same time I have an intensified love for the original melody that Jesus proclaimed. ...love your enemies, which he took all the way to the cross. And that in every century of Christianity, even the worst centuries, there were always reformers, prophets, people who will put their hand up and say, ‘Hang on. We don’t look at all like what Jesus said. We are worse than the unbelievers of the world.’ And they caused revivals and reforms to break out. …I am convinced that there is within Christianity an inbuilt corrective mechanism where when people glance back at the gospels they go, ‘Oh my goodness, we don’t look like that!’”

This dovetails with a recent snippet post I did (quoting Tish Harrison Warren) on our faith and the church needing reform, not “deconstruction” (in the sense that the historical basics of faith are abandoned or dismantled).

Of course, some people feel they can no longer believe in orthodox Christian faith or any other form of Christianity, and “deconstructing” is necessary or, in a sense, has already happened.

But for those who want to believe, but the disappointment in the church or in other followers of Jesus is too much, I think there is another path.

You might say, “I’m not a prophetic type.” If so, I would suggest that there are whole enclaves you can find within the larger church where the prophets have been heard and where faithfulness is more common..

It may take a while to find, but if you want to believe and follow Jesus, and you know it’s not really possible on your own, it’s worth it.

Photo by Kat J on Unsplash

Snippet: "Don't choose a side in the culture war"?

snip·pet | ˈsnipit | noun a small piece or brief extract.

Here’s a snippet from Russell Moore, a Christian ethicist, commenting on the conversations he had with students at the U of Chicago where he led a semester of weekly seminars in the Institute of Politics:

“Most of my conversations with secularist students were along these lines: A lesbian agnostic wanted to talk about her parents, who are evangelical Christians. She said, ‘I really love my mom and dad; they believe like you do. Can you help me know some ways I can show them I love them and help me find ways we can talk to each other?”

In a time where so many are fighting a “culture war” and always thinking the worst of the people on the other side of a divide, he notes that these students weren’t interested in arguing, nor did they ridicule him for his evangelical convictions.

They asked questions.

They were curious and genuinely open-minded.

Behind closed doors, Christians and non-Christians students who met with him talked about each other in kind and civil ways.

They were interested in how to love and respect and maintain connection with friends and family with whom they disagreed on a host of issues, whether religious or political.

Interestingly, right after reading this I listened to an episode of the Church Politics Podcast called “Don’t Choose a Side in the Culture War.”

Giboney and Butler’s advice is not to be in some squishy middle on issues.

They call for taking bold stands that are informed by the Bible.

But they note that neither side of the culture war is distinctly Christian.

And, I would add, do you think you can actually (or decisively ever) win a culture war?

Would even want to win a culture war?

Do you think that’s a metaphor that leads to anything good in an overly-polarized society?

Maybe I’m in my own bubble and a victim of algorithms, but I see more and more evidence of the approach to public and relational engagement advocated by people like Russell, Giboney, and Butler.

I’m so thankful for it.

Photo by Austrian National Library on Unsplash