Living Like An Alien
The other day my wife and I were talking about all the churches we’ve known that have gone through major transitions or splits, and I realized that almost every one of the problems these churches faced relates back to the age-old conflict of how Christians handle being in the world but not of the world.
So many disagreements among believers come down to this issue. The Bible clearly tells us that as redeemed children of God, we will be different from the rest of humanity—“aliens and strangers in this world,” as 1 Peter 2:11 says. But the question of just how different we become is a gray area for Christians, and gives rise to many disagreements.
Look at church services. Obviously all churches want to draw people to Christ, but the varying answers to the question of how much we want our services to look like our culture has given rise to the huge variety you can now find on Sunday mornings, from extreme fundamentalist churches that resemble a foreign culture to extreme seeker-friendly churches that resemble self-help seminars.
Or take a look at raising children. Christians’ views on being an alien, as Peter describes, will affect what type of school they send their children to, what type of clothes they will allow them to wear, and at what age they will let them watch or listen to certain media. Even the media that we allow for ourselves as adults—whether TV, movies or books—comes down to our views on this issue.
Like a lot of things in our Christian walk, a certain balance is needed. We need to be in touch with our culture on some level to function in this life and to relate to our non-Christian friends. On the other hand, if we are not different at all from our neighbors, then why would anyone be attracted to the gospel? That balance is a tough one to find and will be different for every believer.
The key, I believe, is to show more grace and less legalism to those who deal with being an “alien” differently from the way you or I do. That’s a really hard thing because each of us holds our views and convictions for a reason. We believe the way we are doing it is the right way, especially when we believe the Holy Spirit has guided us to a particular decision. It’s OK to discuss these things and try to persuade others of our view as long as we can walk away from a disagreement as loving Christian brothers.
Of course, when dealing with these gray areas, it’s never that easy. We disagree on which of these “alien” areas are gray to begin with, and there’s always the influence of sin on our decisions. But I feel that a lot of Christian disunity could be dealt with better if we started our conversations in a tone of love and grace, rather than criticism and accusation.
So many disagreements among believers come down to this issue. The Bible clearly tells us that as redeemed children of God, we will be different from the rest of humanity—“aliens and strangers in this world,” as 1 Peter 2:11 says. But the question of just how different we become is a gray area for Christians, and gives rise to many disagreements.
Look at church services. Obviously all churches want to draw people to Christ, but the varying answers to the question of how much we want our services to look like our culture has given rise to the huge variety you can now find on Sunday mornings, from extreme fundamentalist churches that resemble a foreign culture to extreme seeker-friendly churches that resemble self-help seminars.
Or take a look at raising children. Christians’ views on being an alien, as Peter describes, will affect what type of school they send their children to, what type of clothes they will allow them to wear, and at what age they will let them watch or listen to certain media. Even the media that we allow for ourselves as adults—whether TV, movies or books—comes down to our views on this issue.
Like a lot of things in our Christian walk, a certain balance is needed. We need to be in touch with our culture on some level to function in this life and to relate to our non-Christian friends. On the other hand, if we are not different at all from our neighbors, then why would anyone be attracted to the gospel? That balance is a tough one to find and will be different for every believer.
The key, I believe, is to show more grace and less legalism to those who deal with being an “alien” differently from the way you or I do. That’s a really hard thing because each of us holds our views and convictions for a reason. We believe the way we are doing it is the right way, especially when we believe the Holy Spirit has guided us to a particular decision. It’s OK to discuss these things and try to persuade others of our view as long as we can walk away from a disagreement as loving Christian brothers.
Of course, when dealing with these gray areas, it’s never that easy. We disagree on which of these “alien” areas are gray to begin with, and there’s always the influence of sin on our decisions. But I feel that a lot of Christian disunity could be dealt with better if we started our conversations in a tone of love and grace, rather than criticism and accusation.
posted by Editor at 2:48 PM
3 Comments:
I agree: striking a balance is important. We need to be relevant enough to the culture that they hear our message, but not so similar that our message is no longer distinctive. Like R. Hemphill always says, "culture is a vulture."
COTF
There are some splits that were probabaly ordained of God. Look at Paul and Barnabas. They split an evanglistic team and what happened...there were two teams.
Go in Grace,
Harry
Just because Paul and Barnabas split into two teams does not mean it was His will. He is good at taking what the enemy meant for evil and turn it into something for our good. He IS the great Redeemer. God desires unity. That is where the blessing takes place (Ps 133). People are too quick to excuse their attitudes and God's mercy as His proof of His will, when it only proves that He is a merciful and patient God. I have rarely seen a church split as a good thing. It is filled with sinful behavior, gossip and rebellion, unless it is a church plant. Let's not be decieved. I am a firm believer in God's grace, but let us not use His grace as a means to justify our (or others) sinful and willful behavior.
Growing in His grace and knowledge,
Brenda
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