If you watch any christian television, listen to christian radio shows, go to a christian bookstore or surf the vast maze christian web sites, then you know that there are lots of people around who have the uncanny knack for convincing you that they are right. I come across this 'defense our our ideals' everyday. It seems we christians invest a lot of time and effort into proving to each other that we are right. I think that our investment has paid off, because we are by and large very good at it.
When I can listen for six or seven hours a day to a christian who is out to discredit everyone but himself, something is wrong. (Take a listen yourself especially 10 AM to 12 PM) How often do you hear their tirades? 'Watch out for that G12 junk, beware that seeker sensitive trash'. 'Bill Hybels is the antichrist and Rick Warren is his false prophet'. 'All denominations are full of homosexuals, foul mouths, abortion doctors and harry potter loving occultists'. And probably most amazing of all, 'That whole charismatic crowd is a bunch of greedy money grubbers who have never said a prayer in their lives and don't even believe in Jesus. 'Evil, evil, evil' is the cry of those who have built careers and ministries on the counting of cuss words in movies and political 'we're right!' campaigns. Not only are there a lot of people out there saying they are right, but they are downright nasty about it. It all hits home to me, when prayer practices that I have learned are attacked as being occultic. It's progressed to the place that some say if you don't pray using the same words and practices that we do, you pray not to God but to the devil.
I find that the majority of the people that are shouting 'I'm right!' do have some good points. But they come across so proud, so 'Jesus is the door, but the door is locked and I hold the only key." In fact, I would go so far as to say that I would agree with this type of person on what it takes to know Jesus and find salvation, but at times it seems to me that many have so fused the message of the gospel with their own personal bias that they cannot be viewed separately. Why is it common practice to want to scare people away from anything contrary? In the Apostle Paul's world, christians lived in the same mix of contrary religions and philosophies as we do. Do scare tactics show a lack of belief that one's idea is truly correct, or is it simply mad ambition to control people's lives? It may just be me, but sometimes these people just come off angry and combative.
So that should be the lesson here right? Don't live to destroy others. Don't criticize on the basis of newness, popularity or success. Don't spend all of your 'working for the kingdom' energy tearing down others. Don't add to message of the gospel. Don't lord your position over others. Maybe some are 'called' to this type of 'ministry' but I want to use the time and energies that I have to build the Kingdom not just guard it. Yes, all that and more should be learned, but maybe there is more.
There seems to be a big temptation for those who do have it right in some areas, to begin to live like they do. I have myself at times, learned a new thing and moved to a new model. Immediately, my first response is to build my case against the old way. Why is it that when God uses someone in a great way, we all want to copy it? I know in my own life this largely stems from laziness on my own part. In some way I feel that if I can be led by another who has been lead by God that I will be alright. It's that distant following of the follower that sometimes gets us off track. I have decided that I do not want the only interaction that I have with the voice of God to be tidbits I overheard him say to someone else.
Not to overly criticize the christian media industry. Books and materials have been used by God to bring truth into my life and have altered the path of my journey many times. But I have to remember that it is God bringing answers into my life, rather than people. I have talked to modern pastors who, at least perceivably, have all the answers. They have said to me, "When you finally find your purpose you will find joy and peace." At those moments I felt that their advice was 'Warren-ese' for "when you finally come around to seeing it our way and stop searching for more, you will have made it christian nirvana." To me a lot of times it seems to be a point of arrogance among those who are 'doing it right'. Sure Willow Creek, Saddle-back, and Mars Hill are smart and are accomplishing great things for the kingdom. It's all the 'mini-me's' that get me. Not that the copies aren't seeing salvations and growth but while the second and third generation copies have all of the contents of the originals, they seem to lack the clarity of the original's heart. A post on the blogs4god linker page has 10 or 15 sites talking about Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Life book and the accompanying materials bonanza. (Jen and I own a copy, and personally love the content). There are a number of positive posts but there are a few who have some problems with the arrogance of the Hyper-Modernists. They talk about how Rick Warren has marketed his ministry style and sold us all a smooth marketing package. In some ways I agree, not on Warren, his ministry or his content, but in how we all so quickly buy up his wares. In other ways I feel that these 'post-modern' info-age guru's who criticize Warren are just as arrogant as the next guy. Is this it? Is everyone in Christianity arrogant?
I guess this morning I have just been struck by the thought that we are all susceptible to the subtle trap of pride. Having a book or video published doesn't make you arrogant: simply thinking you are better than someone else does the job just fine. Conducting a radio show or building a website to expose the infidels doesn't necessarily make you an egomaniac, but feeling that your voice is most important does. In fact, building a blog post to identify pride in others doesn't make you an arrogant somebody...er...uh... or does it?
And that's the basic problem with being right. If we aren't careful being right gives way to being loud, and then being loud gives way to being proud. Not to say that those who are right and loud are all proud, I'm just saying that in my experience it's real easy to allow the right to speak and be heard to become a platform for our own arrogance. One of the desert fathers used to say, "Every labor, without humility is vain. For humility is the forerunner of love, as John was the forerunner of Jesus, drawing all men to Him: even so humility draws to love, that is to God Himself, for God is love."
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