So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God. He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. (II Timothy 1:8-10)
There’s something we tend to miss in our modern day. A few people notice this and point it out, but most don’t. From the Roman perspective, Jesus was executed as a traitor, a usurper, guilty of sedition. From the Pharisaical perspective, Jesus was executed as a heretic who claimed to be God. Paul was arrested twice. The first time, he took the matter to Caesar and was eventually released. The second time, we don’t know what crime he supposedly committed, but he eventually died for it.
So, imagine shopping and some smart-aleck asks you, “Wasn’t the first leader of your movement executed for treason?”
So, imagine shopping and some smart-aleck asks you, “Wasn’t the first leader of your movement executed for treason?”
“Well, yes, but –”
“And this Paul guy you’ve talked about, where’s he?”
“Um, in prison, but…”
“And you want me to join your movement, led by two criminals?”
It’s easy to understand why some folks were a little anxious about their reputations, and a little ashamed of associating themselves with Jesus or Paul.
You and I don’t really have it much better. As I said, people don’t tend to pull out Jesus’ or Paul’s supposed criminal records. Instead, they parade Crusaders, Inquisitors, Conquistadors, Witch-hunters, slavers, and even Nazis across the stage and ask, “You’re one of them?”
And my answer to those questioners is, “No, I’m not one of them. They may or may not have been Christian. Claiming to be a Christian doesn’t make one a Christian any more than claiming to be a pizza means that I’m likely to serve you for dinner. But at no point in history were any or all of those groups the sum and total of Christianity even in their day.” In fact, I see more similarities between each of those and modern Liberalism than I do with my own thinking.
This is one of the reasons I believe Christians should be much more aware of their past than they are. There is much in our heritage of which we should not only not be ashamed, but should be proud.
This afternoon, while typing up some notes form 2009, I came across a quote that I think appropriate. It speaks of an idea shared by some that “fascism is by definition anything not desirable.” I think there are some for whom Christianity is by definition anything that is not desirable. And we need to be prepared to present evidence that they are not correct – not only in our good behavior, but in our proclamation of truth, and to not be ashamed of either our history, or of a history that isn’t ours.
“And this Paul guy you’ve talked about, where’s he?”
“Um, in prison, but…”
“And you want me to join your movement, led by two criminals?”
It’s easy to understand why some folks were a little anxious about their reputations, and a little ashamed of associating themselves with Jesus or Paul.
You and I don’t really have it much better. As I said, people don’t tend to pull out Jesus’ or Paul’s supposed criminal records. Instead, they parade Crusaders, Inquisitors, Conquistadors, Witch-hunters, slavers, and even Nazis across the stage and ask, “You’re one of them?”
And my answer to those questioners is, “No, I’m not one of them. They may or may not have been Christian. Claiming to be a Christian doesn’t make one a Christian any more than claiming to be a pizza means that I’m likely to serve you for dinner. But at no point in history were any or all of those groups the sum and total of Christianity even in their day.” In fact, I see more similarities between each of those and modern Liberalism than I do with my own thinking.
This is one of the reasons I believe Christians should be much more aware of their past than they are. There is much in our heritage of which we should not only not be ashamed, but should be proud.
This afternoon, while typing up some notes form 2009, I came across a quote that I think appropriate. It speaks of an idea shared by some that “fascism is by definition anything not desirable.” I think there are some for whom Christianity is by definition anything that is not desirable. And we need to be prepared to present evidence that they are not correct – not only in our good behavior, but in our proclamation of truth, and to not be ashamed of either our history, or of a history that isn’t ours.
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