Have you ever been called crazy?
In today's socio-political climate, belief in an all-powerful Being who spoke the world into existence in six literal days is viewed as naïve at best, with some feeling outright hostile toward the notion of the supernatural.
Christians are regularly mocked, belittled, and dismissed by much of the secular world, including the entertainment industry, academics, and scientists. Accusations of racism, homophobia, and bigotry are leveled against God's followers on a regular basis.
In the face of such negativity, how should Christians respond? Sadly, many church goers keep their heads down, hoping no one calls them out for their beliefs. Others resort to aggression - mocking or challenging those who dare to question God's character.
Perhaps there's another way. I've always been intrigued by the ubiquitous slogan that has found its way onto a myriad of merchandise, from coffee mugs to baseball hats: Keep Calm. You've all seen it: keep calm and chive on...keep calm and eat some chocolate...keep calm and drink this tea...
There's value in maintaining a calm demeanor in the face of resistance and anger. One look at the last year in the US shows the division and damage caused by anger. While there is certainly a time to be angry, the last thing Christians should be doing is getting upset about something that Christ said was going to happen! In John 15, Jesus tells His followers what's in store for those who accept Him, and who stand against the values of the world. He says "if you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you." (John 15:19)
Here's the thing - we should not be surprised or dismayed when some people hate us for reflecting the values of Christ. But we must, as Jesus reminds us in Matthew 5, love our enemies. The moment we become unnecessarily angry at someone, we lose any moral ground we were standing upon. Perhaps the greatest Christian challenge is to remain calm, always remembering that the world hated Christ long before it hated us. Remember, the message of Christianity was and always will be controversial. Our definition of family, our call for sexual purity, the challenge to financially sacrifice, and our invitation to surrender our will to a superior Being are just a few facets of our counter-cultural narrative. If people encounter this message in the form of an angry, aggressive, sour-faced church-goer, they will want nothing to do with it. But when they see the love of Christ reflected in a calm, cheerful Christian, then the radical message of the Bible will be framed in the way it was intended - within the passionate love of God for a fallen race, and His unending desire to save us from eternal death.
Keep Calm -- God is in control!
James Rooney
In today's socio-political climate, belief in an all-powerful Being who spoke the world into existence in six literal days is viewed as naïve at best, with some feeling outright hostile toward the notion of the supernatural.
Christians are regularly mocked, belittled, and dismissed by much of the secular world, including the entertainment industry, academics, and scientists. Accusations of racism, homophobia, and bigotry are leveled against God's followers on a regular basis.
In the face of such negativity, how should Christians respond? Sadly, many church goers keep their heads down, hoping no one calls them out for their beliefs. Others resort to aggression - mocking or challenging those who dare to question God's character.
Perhaps there's another way. I've always been intrigued by the ubiquitous slogan that has found its way onto a myriad of merchandise, from coffee mugs to baseball hats: Keep Calm. You've all seen it: keep calm and chive on...keep calm and eat some chocolate...keep calm and drink this tea...
There's value in maintaining a calm demeanor in the face of resistance and anger. One look at the last year in the US shows the division and damage caused by anger. While there is certainly a time to be angry, the last thing Christians should be doing is getting upset about something that Christ said was going to happen! In John 15, Jesus tells His followers what's in store for those who accept Him, and who stand against the values of the world. He says "if you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you." (John 15:19)
Here's the thing - we should not be surprised or dismayed when some people hate us for reflecting the values of Christ. But we must, as Jesus reminds us in Matthew 5, love our enemies. The moment we become unnecessarily angry at someone, we lose any moral ground we were standing upon. Perhaps the greatest Christian challenge is to remain calm, always remembering that the world hated Christ long before it hated us. Remember, the message of Christianity was and always will be controversial. Our definition of family, our call for sexual purity, the challenge to financially sacrifice, and our invitation to surrender our will to a superior Being are just a few facets of our counter-cultural narrative. If people encounter this message in the form of an angry, aggressive, sour-faced church-goer, they will want nothing to do with it. But when they see the love of Christ reflected in a calm, cheerful Christian, then the radical message of the Bible will be framed in the way it was intended - within the passionate love of God for a fallen race, and His unending desire to save us from eternal death.
Keep Calm -- God is in control!
James Rooney