Anonymous

I spent 10 years in the Air Force. Back then we used to wear fatigues to work in. You know, those green suits. Some called them "pickle suits." Anyway, the rule then was that we weren't allowed to go to public civilian places in fatigues. We could wear the blues, but not the fatigues. So one day I was (in civilian clothes) going with my family to the local mall. In the parking lot I observed an interesting interchange. A sergeant in fatigues was walking ahead of a lieutenant in blues. The lieutenant started yelling at the sergeant, barking at him about the violation of the rules and not going in there in fatigues. Suddenly the sergeant swung around, covered his name tape, and explained in expletives what he thought the lieutenant could do with his ideas. Then he turned around again and headed off into the mall.

What was up with the covering of the name? Anonymity, of course. As long as the lieutenant didn't know who the sergeant was, the sergeant could violate the rules of the Air Force and of standard courtesy without consequences. Anonymity provided the sergeant the means to be a bad person.

In life, there are varying levels of anonymity and ... nonymity. Okay, I made the word up, but you get the idea. We find ourselves in places where we are well known and places where we are not known. We find ourselves in places where we cannot hide and places where we cannot be found. Those, of course, are extremes. Generally we are somewhere in between. The problem is that the closer we find ourselves to anonymity, the closer we are to being able to be jerks (at best) and lost (at worst).

On the Internet, anonymity proves to be an excellent opportunity for all sorts of bad stuff. Because you're anonymous, you can be whomever you wish in a chatroom and no one can know. You can be a male representing yourself as a female. You can be an adult representing yourself as a kid. You can be an atheist representing yourself as a Christian. You can go to blogs and launch tirades against ideas and people you hate without the slightest regard for their feelings because, after all, no one is going to trace it back to you. No one will actually hold you responsible. You won't have to move among the masses face to face tomorrow and fess up to whatever cruelty or even evil you inflicted. Anonymity on the Internet gives license to all sorts of problems and evils.

Anonymity is prevalent in many, perhaps most churches. People show up and they smile and shake the hands of the guy or gal at the door and they go inside and sing along or not and listen to the sermon and go home without ever once actually being engaged. If they did give their names to anyone, it's not like there will be any real connection based on it. So they come in -- problems, pains, and all -- and head on back out -- problems, pains, and all. Hopefully the Gospel was tossed out there for them to hear and hopefully they respond, but no one is actually connecting to them. This same anonymity occurs in all sorts of what I call "shotgun evangelism." You know the kind ... door-to-door or big-crusade or street-witnessing types. Assuming it is the Gospel they are given, it is still simply launched out into the air and hits those whom it hits. Rarely is there a follow up. Rarely is there a connection made. The Gospel is given to anonymous people who never get pulled in, never get connected, never get discipled.

In churches where this anonymity isn't allowed, it's a different world. I've seen one or two like this. People that visit these churches will get sucked in. They don't get to "attend"; they have to be part of it. They don't get to show up and leave; they find themselves being cared for and, in return, caring about others. Their cares and concerns become others' cares and concerns. Discipleship -- that "walk alongside" kind of teaching and living Christ -- becomes a given rather than a rarity. People are held accountable for their actions and helped with their problems.

Of course, these types of churches are quite rare. And when you find them, you'll also find that some people won't like them. You see, anonymity gives a license to sin. If you can cover your name tape and sin to your heart's content, why would you want people around you holding you accountable and sticking their nose in your business? But, then, if "sin to your heart's content" is what you're after, I suspect that the Gospel is what you need because repentance hasn't come yet. Besides, no one is ever truly anonymous. So my question is why aren't there more churches like the ones that won't allow you to be anonymous?