Picking your battles (and how to fight them)

This post was inspired by a friend's question on my FB wall. Just wanted to go the full disclosure route... Anyway, let's jump in.

Learning to pick your battles is one that I have finally learned. After working at Walmart for four years, one would think that I would have figured it earlier, but, no one has ever said I was wise. Smart, yes, wise? Nope.

I was always a proponent of 1 Peter 3:15a, which says "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have."  Unfortunately, I never bothered to read the last part of the verse, as well as the next verse. I was ready to tear into ignorance and stupidity with righteous vengeance, wielding the Sword of the Spirit like a Viking berserker through a village of peasants.   

Picking up in the Bible, the last part of verse 15 and verse 16 tell us the approach to sharing God's  perspective, "But do this with gentleness and respect, 16keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander." Perhaps the greatest example of this is Jesus Himself. He was not afraid to tell people that what they were doing was wrong, but did it in a way that left the ball in their court. They could either acknowledge that what He said was wrong in their life was true,  correct themselves, and love Him, or they could ignore the fact and hate Him for bringing it up.  He didn't harangue or brow-beat anyone. Yet, He was charged on crimes that were fundamentally not true, convicted in several kangaroo courts, and tortured and killed in the still most inhuman way known to man. Talk about an example....

Some other verses that apply: 

Proverbs 25:11-12 " 11A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.12Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold is a wise man’s rebuke to a listening ear."

Proverbs 25:21-22 "21If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. 22In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you."

      Luke 6:27-31 "27“But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic.30Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31Do to others as you would have them do to you."

So, in the end, whether it is interpersonal relationships between individuals, or between Christianity and society, the question is not so much which battles one fights, but how they fight them.

Some thoughts on the role of Christianity in society and government

The basic point of this blog is to promote discussion on the role of Christianity in society and government. Debate, even if no one comments on posts (which I hope ya'll will do) will doubtless get...spirited (I mean, I have debates inside my own brain that would qualify as  good  knock-down, drag-out fights, and that is just one person....). Just so ya'll understand where I am going to go in this blog, I offer the following...planks to my platform, if you will.

1. Christianity, as the "cultural religion" (if there is such a thing...but that is another post) of the United States, has a responsibility to provide for the people of this nation a clear definition of what it is, and what it isn't. In this, it has, in the past, failed greatly.

2. Any forced blending of politics and religion is detrimental to both. In a free society, most things can be left to the personal conscience of each citizen. Parallel to this thought is the thought that religion, as a voluntary association, must have license to speak its truth, unfettered by outside governance. Freedom of speech must run both ways. The marketplace of ideas must be the freest market in existence, where if not all opinions are "correct", all serious ones are at least met with respect and consideration.

3. Christians today are in an awkward situation. One that they have been in since Jesus walked the Earth. How are we to be "in the world" but "not of the world"? What must we concede, and what can we not concede? Is it right to draw lines, and if so, where do we draw them?

Like I said in the opening post, this quandary has occupied the back of my mind for quite some time, and hopefully together we can forge a working framework from which to operate.

Welcome!

This blog is going to be a space where I pontificate on my views about the relationship between the Church and society, an issue I've been thinking about for some time now. Feel free to comment... :-)