Rise to the challenge of being peaceable
I recently met for coffee with a gentleman convinced I was a suitable Gideon to lead a charge against the modern Midianites who sponsored those conspicuous "There's Probably No God" advertisements on Calgary transit buses.
"It's an outright disgrace," he began, "a blasphemous act that needs to be publicly opposed. I figure that since you write for newspapers and stuff like that, you could confront this nonsense and put a stop to it."
For the next five minutes he sufficiently stroked my ego so that by the time he finished I found myself wondering how God ever survived the assaults of the Voltaires and the Bertrand Russells of history without my being around to defend His interests.
As my friend turned his attention to "rolling up the rim to win," I momentarily pictured him with one of the 35 Toyota Venzas up for grabs on which he might slap a bumper sticker declaring: "God helped me win this SUV. So there!"
The scowl that crossed his face upon surveying "Please Play Again/Reesayez S.V.P." indicated he wouldn't need the bumper sticker that day. After affirming his desire to see belief in God encouraged rather than attacked across our nation, I took a few moments to share some thoughts with him.
Over the years I've established several guidelines to govern my responses when invited by media to share a Christ-follower's perspective on a controversial matter. They've worked well for me, although I certainly don't pretend they're ex cathedra.
1) Try to affirm the positive with regard to what may appear an entirely negative development.
It's both easy and natural to go on the defensive when something we value is maligned. Yet Jesus calls us to more than what comes easily or naturally. Try asking: when was the last time the thoughts of at least some Canadians turned to God simply by virtue of a city bus entering their field of vision?
Celebrate and capitalize on the opportunities afforded by the negative. As opposed to waving a copy of Your Four Spiritual Flaws in the face of that obstinate colleague at work, the bus ads are a natural and comparatively benign conversation-starter regarding matters divine. Use them as such and be amazed where God takes such discussions.
2) Remember that Jesus says "Blessed are the peacemakers." Christ reserved his harshest words for the religious elite of his day, not for unbelievers.
When it comes to fighting the culture wars, some of us make far too much of the militaristic imagery that periodically surfaces in Scripture regarding spiritual warfare. With all due respect for the zeal of well-meaning believers, don't forget that Jesus directed His followers to be "as wise as serpents and as harmless as doves." Accordingly, I'm more interested in how I can defuse volatile situations than in how I can enflame them.
3) Demonstrate caution in assigning sinister motives to those whose perspectives challenge the Christian worldview.
The website www.atheistbus.ca states: "Through our ads we hope to spark conversations between believers and non-believers so that we may better understand each other and learn from one another."
In our increasingly multi-everything society, it's to be expected that traditional perspectives will be contested. When such occurs, don't automatically think the worst of people. Value dialogue and, in this brave new world, be open to drawing on the thinking of all who are sympathetic to faith. Don't be a know-it-all.
It's instructive that in Calgary, it's a young Muslim who launched the website www.godexists.ca.
Dear Readers:
ChristianWeek relies on your generous support. please take a minute and donate to help give voice to stories that inform, encourage and inspire.
Donations of $20 or more will receive a charitable receipt.Thank you, from Christianweek.
