“…I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. So be as cunning as serpents and as innocent as doves.” -- Matthew 10:16
I wouldn’t waste much time arguing the equality of all humankind in the eyes of God with a white guy whom I’d heard declare “I hate #,” or with a member of the New Black Panther Party, who harbor similar sentiments against whites. Similarly, you won’t see me trying to convert those who demonstrate themselves to be part of the rising tide of Christophobes and anti-theists in our society – and I do hear from quite a few of those.
It isn’t much of a mystery why we have a rapidly-increasing number of people who hold antipathy for religion, Christianity in particular; it was part of the design of the political left to de-emphasize God and elevate the state. Playing to the natural self-seeking, baser will of human beings, they accomplished this rather successfully, particularly among certain demographics. Consequently, many younger people in the West eschew religion (at least in the traditional sense).
As we have also observed, factions within the Church have been corrupted by aspects of Social Justice, consequently, they perceive other church bodies as being their enemies. In addition to this, misplaced feelings of sympathy and solidarity have been cultivated among Americans for Islamists, which serves to further alienate people from Christianity, and of course, Judaism.
A highly insightful column by
Craig Groeschel addresses some of the reasons that Christianity is losing ground in America. In general, these have to do with churches and Christians in general failing to adapt to more mundane but significant changes in our culture, of being timid, pretentious, or lukewarm in their faith.
While I find agreement with much of what Groeschel says, like much of what is typically communicated about the church by Christian scholars, it’s preaching to the choir. I’m not much into apologetics (or even the connotation of the term), but it occurs to me that a lot of Christians don’t have the slightest idea of how to reconcile the attacks of militant unbelievers within their own minds.
For example, our detractors simply adore pointing out how personally flawed we are. To me, this is a no-brainer:
Of course we’re flawed – why do you think we follow Christ, you idiot? That’s probably not the most loving response in the world, but such an attack evidences a fundamental ignorance of Christianity to start with. The logic of the response is singularly accurate and should be disarming in practice, were it practiced.
Then there’s the charge that’s beyond pity in its decrepitude: all of the evil that’s been done by Christians over the centuries, some of it in the very name of Christ. Again, a no-brainer:
Didn’t I just acknowledge that we were flawed? Were you not listening? Of course we’re going to pervert the message sometimes… And while I would never attempt to justify atrocities committed by Christians, I never hesitate to cite the alternative philosophies invariably espoused by these people – like the number of people enslaved and murdered by socialists and communists in the last century alone far outstripping those enslaved and murdered by Christians throughout the history of Christianity. I am also quick to point out that the New Testament doesn’t actually instruct us to behead nonbelievers or sexually mutilate pubescent girls.
In his column, Groeschel (who is the pastor of a very large church) discusses the concept of Christianity encompassing a personal relationship with Jesus Christ rather than being a religion. I realize that to the initiated, and certainly to a pastor, this is a given – but to the nonbeliever or agnostic, it is just more church-speak. Such statements typically say nothing about the nature of such a relationship, how it might be achieved, or what that means to the believer, other than it renders them able to regurgitate church-speak.
Christians whom I respect, and the more spiritual people I know very seldom wear it on their sleeve. When I meet a Christian and he shoots his hand toward me with the words
“And how are yew today, brother?” I get the distinct feeling I am in danger of being raped. I know I’m not alone in this, because many so-called Christians have used their ostensible faith in order to take advantage of others. On this subject alone, volumes could be written.
But sincere Christians can’t do much about the insincere ones, and we can’t do much to sway the detractors. I tend to avoid the militant variety; when I can’t, I’m not overly concerned with appearing the hypocrite by eviscerating them (in the figurative sense, of course). “Playing nice” never works with bullies, which is why diplomacy is garbage.
Though it doesn’t make much of a difference in the practical sense, I would admonish fellow Christians, whatever their religious interpretation is, to realize that our more hostile detractors are, in effect, spiritually sick. It is easy to see that despite its imperfections, our society was far less dysfunctional 60 years ago than it is now. As secularism took hold, society became progressively (no pun intended) more dysfunctional in the aggregate, manifesting in more and more dysfunctional individuals. The charges of militant anti-Christians which exude astonishing levels of hatred and vitriol (and which frequently describe bizarre methods of torture) ought to be ample confirmation of this fact.
Predominantly Christian nations like the United States did not rise and endure as a result of their submissiveness. America’s founders certainly weren’t wimps. The stereotype of the pathologically passive Christian, in my opinion, takes the Gospel out of context and is perpetuated in order to render Christians confused and vulnerable. In the times that are coming, it is more than likely that Christians in America will be called upon to act with extreme prejudice against some of their opponents – that is, if they intend to remain counted among the living.
