In the Wake of My Witness
I saw someone today that looked a lot like a old friend I had. So much so that I did a double take and wondered if it was possibly him. It turned out not to be but it did get me thinking about the temperamental nature of the friendship we shared back in the day. It also got me thinking more about the witness we leave in our wake.
There have been a few conversations that have popped up over the last few weeks that have given me a glimpse at what people looking into the lives of Christians see. I am sorry to say that the falling out I had with the aforementioned friend was over a bit of a religious debate. I was of the opinion that since this person already knew the values and opinions a Christian person would have, in keeping with the bible, that my stating them obviously would not be a matter for much concern. However, I was then put in the category as many of the Christian people that have bothered me over the years. I was then one of those "Repent of Die" preachers.
My husband picked up the book Love Wins by Rob Bell last week and though I haven't read more than a chapter or 2 we have been discussing some of what he has read. If nothing else the controversy surrounding the Book has been fodder for some interesting debate. In truth there isn't a person out there that can say they know for a fact exactly what will happen after we die. We don't know how God would choose who will go where or for how long. I do know however that telling people they must repent to avoid the fires of hell does not seem to be a very effective witnessing tool.
Unfortunately that is the view that most non Christians have of us. It makes me sad to see that we as Christians have been all lumped into the same group. I feel that now, in order to tell someone about the love that God has for them we need to first fight against the stereotype that has been created of what it means to be Christian.
I believe we are also seen as blind followers of something that does not make logical sense. It is lamentable that there are quite a number of people that don't seem to have any knowledge of why it is they believe what they do. I have come across a few that are spouting rhetoric that seems offensive to a non believer but when they are challenge they are unable to defend their beliefs. At this point they tend to resort of a type of spiritual "attack" where they will just claim that their opponent is going to hell and retreat. I have heard quite a few accounts of discussion that followed this pattern. I know this has not been an effective method of witness and I have ended up doing damage control a few times.
In truth my response to friend I spoke with earlier verged on the "attack" method. I lament the language and the approach I took. I know that I was on the receiving end of a lot of aggression against what I believe but as soon as we decide to "lash back" it can go much worse for us. I think I needed to have a thicker skin. After all there was nothing said to me that I had never heard before. There was no point that he made that shattered my belief system. If I could go back I hope I would be able to keep my cool a little better and just agree to disagree.
Somewhere along the way it seems some people have forgotten the message of love that was the core of the bible. Hopefully when questions come out way we can share in a loving manner and show that we care about the person, not just about their afterlife.
I could really go on and on and take this in so many different directions but I had just been remembering my past failure today and wondering if it were still possible to turn things around.
There have been a few conversations that have popped up over the last few weeks that have given me a glimpse at what people looking into the lives of Christians see. I am sorry to say that the falling out I had with the aforementioned friend was over a bit of a religious debate. I was of the opinion that since this person already knew the values and opinions a Christian person would have, in keeping with the bible, that my stating them obviously would not be a matter for much concern. However, I was then put in the category as many of the Christian people that have bothered me over the years. I was then one of those "Repent of Die" preachers.
My husband picked up the book Love Wins by Rob Bell last week and though I haven't read more than a chapter or 2 we have been discussing some of what he has read. If nothing else the controversy surrounding the Book has been fodder for some interesting debate. In truth there isn't a person out there that can say they know for a fact exactly what will happen after we die. We don't know how God would choose who will go where or for how long. I do know however that telling people they must repent to avoid the fires of hell does not seem to be a very effective witnessing tool.
Unfortunately that is the view that most non Christians have of us. It makes me sad to see that we as Christians have been all lumped into the same group. I feel that now, in order to tell someone about the love that God has for them we need to first fight against the stereotype that has been created of what it means to be Christian.
I believe we are also seen as blind followers of something that does not make logical sense. It is lamentable that there are quite a number of people that don't seem to have any knowledge of why it is they believe what they do. I have come across a few that are spouting rhetoric that seems offensive to a non believer but when they are challenge they are unable to defend their beliefs. At this point they tend to resort of a type of spiritual "attack" where they will just claim that their opponent is going to hell and retreat. I have heard quite a few accounts of discussion that followed this pattern. I know this has not been an effective method of witness and I have ended up doing damage control a few times.
In truth my response to friend I spoke with earlier verged on the "attack" method. I lament the language and the approach I took. I know that I was on the receiving end of a lot of aggression against what I believe but as soon as we decide to "lash back" it can go much worse for us. I think I needed to have a thicker skin. After all there was nothing said to me that I had never heard before. There was no point that he made that shattered my belief system. If I could go back I hope I would be able to keep my cool a little better and just agree to disagree.
Somewhere along the way it seems some people have forgotten the message of love that was the core of the bible. Hopefully when questions come out way we can share in a loving manner and show that we care about the person, not just about their afterlife.
I could really go on and on and take this in so many different directions but I had just been remembering my past failure today and wondering if it were still possible to turn things around.
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