I often write about how "those on the Left" or "progressives" and especially the Left or progressive Christians are missing the point. They argue for social justice as an end rather than a means. They toss the Bible and still try to make a stand without a foot to stand on. They attack Christians whose positions come from God's Word and intolerantly cry, "Intolerance!" They can't seem to grasp that loving someone by urging them not to violate God's instructions is actually love. And so on.
I'm not writing about them today. I'm writing about us.
Peter wrote that we are to always be "prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you." (1 Peter 3:15) That "defense" is the translation of the word, apologia, from which we get our "Christian Apologetics". We are commanded to explain why we believe what we believe, why we hope in Christ. So we do. We mount our defenses. We arm the battlements. We're even biblical about it, ready to "destroy arguments" and "take every thought captive" (2 Cor 10:5). All well and good ... but too often we miss an important point -- the rest of the sentence. "Yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame." (1 Peter 3:15-16)
Does our defense of the gospel and the faith (Jude 1:3) include "gentleness and respect"? Too often it does not. We will fire off a volley of trigger words intended to create heat rather than light. (Please note I am saying "we" here; I'm guilty, too.) We know that "pro-abort" or "sodomite" are terms that merely inflame, but we'll use them with our sword thrusts against baby-killers and homosexuals. (If you weren't paying attention, "baby-killers" is equally inflammatory.) It's not that we need these specific terms to make a defense. We just use them because it suits our mood, our moral outrage, our righteous indignation. We use them because they do. These words, however, are not gentle nor respectful.
We are indeed commanded to defend the faith, to make a defense for our hope. Some of us take that up with vigor. When we do it with words intended to ignite a fire rather than light the way, we aren't doing it in the way we are commanded. We're supposed to speak the truth in love (Eph 4:15). Maybe some of you should consider, as I should, that our choice of words might need some refinement if we're going to defend the faith as we are commanded.
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Satan accuses the brethren day and night. He accuses with the tongues of his followers that we are intolerant, unloving and so on. As usually is the case, his accusations have some merit. But always, the real issue is the heart. When we allow Satan to frame the argument with the use of euphemisms there's no glory for God in that. Yet, when we are angry in our hearts, and actually filled with hate, God is not glorified then either. The words we use are accurate, and so we shouldn't necessarily shy away from them, IMO. Yet, if our hearts are bitter, perhaps we should shy away from any sort of "apologia", regardless of whether we acquiesce to the euphemisms or not.
Yes, it's the attitude I'm talking about that aims to inflame rather than correct that we need to correct.
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