Standing out or blending in?

Christians are supposed to be counter cultural?  We are supposed to stand out not blend in.  No Christian should be a chameleon.  One of the ways that we should stand out is in our concern for righteousness and justice even when it is not in our own self interest.  The prophets repeatedly call Israel out of their lethargy and self interested stupor when it comes to the injustices being carried out in their society, in front of their very eyes.  Jesus calls his disciples and everyone else to be like the good Samaritan rather than the rigid religious minimalist.  Yet as I look at my own heart and the Christian landscape in the UK too often we mimic society in only protesting the issues that directly affect us.  We are effectively an interest group rather than a group that seeks the good of all.

As Christians we are to seek the good of our society and communities.  We are to fight injustice where we find it not instead of but as we proclaim the gospel of hope in Christ.  Yet too often we only campaign about things that directly affect us.  That is wrong!  It is not even being neighbourly let alone going out of our way to bind up, care for, and support the wounded and beaten.

Here's one such current issue to stop think through and ponder am I simply being self interested or am I seeking the good of the community and of people?

Education.  Teachers, governors, and children are under pressure like never before.  Changes to the curriculum, huge rises in expectations expected to be achieved in short spaces of time, and Multi-Academy Trust imposition which will, in some cases, remove local involvement in schools and affect teacher welfare are all putting pressure on those in education.  Headteachers and teachers unions are discussing strikes over such things, some are resigning because they feel so strongly that these things are wrong not just for themselves but more importantly for our children.  An 11 year old child shouldn't be placed under stress in order to be tested, and a 7 year old even less so.  Teaching to test should be anathema in education, yet is becoming a must.

So here's the question how do I respond to that?  Am I self interested; it doesn't affect me so I'm not going to do anything about it, or my child is able and unconcerned so I'm not going to do anything.  Or am I reacting to the injustice and stress being foisted on others?  As Christians we must think carefully about our response to such things.  We need to weigh up whether it is right to obey the God given rulers we have or to make use of the democracy we live in and make our voice heard.  Maybe by writing to express our concerns about the changes an their impact to our MP (www.writetothem.com) and/or the Education department.  We may even want to take part in the pupil strike being organised by Let the kids be kids (https://letthekidsbekids.wordpress.com).  If you find yourself saying but my children aren't in education, or aren't in a state school, or are grown up. We need to ask ourselves why?  Why am I only concerned for the issues that affect me?

You may weigh these issues and decide to do nothing because having looked at them in depth you support the testing and the curriculum changes.  You may decide that you don't know enough yet and you will go and find out more, talk to teachers or children or parents in your church family, ask how you can support them.  You may want to do as I suggest above.

As Christians apathy is not an option.  As Christians a dismissive shrug rather than compassionate consideration and action is not enough.  And this is just one issue, there are lots of others (don't let that put you off or overwhelm you).  But it's a good place to begin.  Imagine the difference it would make in our community if our churches were know as places that loved and campaigned for their well being rather than just our own.

Why our little gospel gap becomes a yawning chasm

Most of us as Christians live with a yawning chasm in our thinking which show itself in small fractures and gaps.  We know how the gospel has changed our past as we look back to our conversion, we know that it secures our future and we look forward (more or less) to Christ's return.  But we are a bit unsure how it affects the here and now, we are unsure what it looks like for the kingdom to be now and not yet.  We know it means we gather as believers and that gives us a small picture of what the realised kingdom will be like, but how else is it to affect the here and now?  What does or should the gospel mean for my approach to work, study, love, marriage, sex, shopping habits, self esteem?  How does the gospel shape and drive how I feel about societies issues; poverty, sexualisation, illiteracy, corruption, abuse, violence, rape, or crime?

One of the biggest causes of that gap is the pressure we are constantly under to divide our life into private and public.  We are pressurised and moulded by our society to keep our faith private.  And that pressure has caused us to reshape our thinking to avoid breaking that unwritten cultural rule, to avoid making people feel awkward by being opening Christian.  When was the last time we spoke during such a discussion in such a way that we winsomely, lovingly, relevantly but honestly answered in such a way that declared Jesus to be Lord.  In fact when did we last preach that way, sometimes we find ourselves almost hesitant to preach it in church, or say it to our brothers and sisters in Christ let alone outside the church.

Pietism has set in, not a good pietism, which is rightly about devoting time to getting to know good personally, but a twisted, evil, joy sucking life robbing pietism, that refuses to let the gospel be spoken in public.  But if the gospel doesn't connect with life then it is not the gospel of the risen reigning Lord of all Jesus Christ.  We shouldn't be surprised that as we have privatised our faith it is seen as being less and less relevant because that is exactly what we are making it.

How do we reverse this trend?  We need to begin discussing these things, we need to expose how this pressure has moulded our thinking, help one another see how that pressure has moulded and shaped and silenced our words and actions.  We need leaders to start speaking boldly inside the church the implications of the gospel for the now issues in our society, to help us see that there is no gap only the gospel, so that we know how to articulate them outside.  And we need to be people of action, in the past the church didn't just preach about the social ills but remedied them with compassionate action as it served the poor, abolished slavery, provided education, and lived out the grace, love and compassion of its head, Jesus Christ.