Short Blog?
My friend once told me that my blogs were too long - that people wouldn't be interested in reading them if they went on and on. Well, this blog is for him (and them).
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My friend once told me that my blogs were too long - that people wouldn't be interested in reading them if they went on and on. Well, this blog is for him (and them).
Here is a wonderful comment from Seth about my most recent post called "Quotes: Christianity and Compassion." Seth had some wonderful ideas to share, and helped me to gain some good perspective on my sometimes poor attitude toward the Church. He wrote:
I was just mentally inserting this blog into the pen umbrage of the "meat and potatoes" blog. It is sometimes easy to be hard on the things that I view as dippy: insert Testamints, Bible bags (especially pink and baby blue with lace), Precious Moments, etc here. It is so easy to be critical of the simple, and yet how are these things different from the "faith of a child." Where is our compassion toward those who are, sometimes annoyingly, outspoken about their faith in very "simple" ways, i.e. not "on par" with major theological works (Orthodoxy, Mere Christianity, anything Ravi Zacarius, Dante, etc).
I am convicted that it is too easy for me to critique those things which do not meet my tastes. Why does art or music or literature have to be any more "deep." Did He not say, "let the children come" and have "the faith of a child?" Is it pride that causes us to favor the complex (or otherwise seen as innovative and unique) over the simple (seen as Pop[ular] or mass produced).
Should we base theological value on the amount of ensuing patronage? Are all great artists truly starving artists. Are Great Christians those who suffer the most? Does God value Steve Green over Keith Green? Mega-Church over country chapel? Vice Versa?
Where can we insert compassion into our critique of the church and its actions? Is there some type of scale or standard on which God rates Testamints above or below Love and the Like? Are WWJD bracelets between them? Is "Shout To the Lord" at the very bottom? How did Paul critique the church(es).
On what scale do we measure the truth/beauty/justice of an art or item bearing the Truth of the Lord? Is it the motivation of those who make them? buy them? wear them? Is it the message? The Ability? The chic-unique?
I want to ask these questions because I first want to champion your reaction to the dove awards and estes park events. Then i realize that we all fit into some silly mold. We all peacock around in our own ways. Some favor the more mainstream some the more unique.
If we are to be less critical of those around us, we should include the Church in those "around us." I tend to agree with C.S. Lewis who says that many of these topics should be treated with a "hearty belly laugh" and a realization that we are all "quite silly presently in the eyes of the Lord" -The Four Loves.
The book that presently comes to mind is "the Great Divorce." Each character has its own flaw and their flaws are, surprisingly, all virtues which have been perverted into vices. --Seth
And my response:
Seth-
Thanks so much for your words! I am personally convicted by your thoughts. In my attempts to challenge the Church to love well, I often get too fixated on my complaints about what we aren't doing or how we are missing the mark. I needed your gentle correction to remind me to extend that same compassion to those who are my brothers and sisters in Christ - ESPECIALLY to them!
I have been convicted lately about my attitudes toward the Body of Christ. Sometimes my disappointments turn to cynicism, and I get angry or bitter - hopeless. When I lose hope, I turn to blame instead of grace. And I admit that some of my blogs reflect that hopelessness. I hope I have not added to the cynicism of others. That would be a terrible offense!
I think that, like in Lewis' "Great Divorce" and also highlighted in his "Mere Christianity," any God-given gift, which is inherently good, can be perverted, twisted and used to hurt rather than heal. However, that was not my intent with the latest blog. I simply wanted to represent some viewpoints outside of the Church to help us gain some perspective and possibly learn from our "target audience" how we can better target them. I hope that the views represented by any believer OR non-believer would be taken to heart, knowing that their viewpoint - even when cynical or negative - could hold an element of truth to further renew our minds and draw us closer to God. After all, a God as big as ours can certainly use anyone and anything for his purposes!
Thanks so much for your thoughts, Seth! --Scott
P.S. I also agree with your sentiments about how our search for depth or "valuable" art often comes from pride (or the desire to appear deep) rather than a genuine motivation to search and taste the ultimate mysteries and depth of God. That, too, was a grouding thought for me to chew on.
“Christendom has done away with Christianity without being quite aware of it.” - Søren Aabye Kierkegaard
Question: Why do you think Kierkegaard said this? Was he just attacking the religious? Or did he have a point? How does this relate to compassion?
“If Christians would really live according to the teachings of Christ, as found in the Bible, all of India would be Christian today.” - Mahatma Gandhi
Question: Is it possible that an "unbeliever" could make a point worth pondering? How does this relate to compassion?
“Make no judgments where you have no compassion.” - Unknown
Statement: This one kind of rocked me.
“Compassion will cure more sins than condemnation.” - Henry Ward Beecher
Question: How can the Church learn from this?
“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” - The 14th Dalai Lama