A local service provider, operating out of a church, abruptly went out of business. The clients felt they weren’t given enough advance notice to adequately prepare for the change. One person reacted by saying, “They are a Christian organization. I’m not religious, but shouldn’t they be treating people better than this?”
Should Christians be held to a higher standard of behaviour than any one else?
Seems reasonable.
Christians are supposed to be like Jesus.
Jesus lived at the highest ethical and moral standard known.
Is that a bad thing?
In a society that is becoming increasingly rude, crude and lewd, couldn’t one measure of the reality of God’s grace through Jesus be the ethical distinctiveness of His followers?
When a culture perceives Christians as gullible, selfish, homophobic, and prejudiced, wouldn’t a higher standard of loving go a long way?
In a pandemic when Evangelical Christians are seen as proponents of theories that amplify fear, wouldn’t the sounds of grace and hope be a higher standard?
When Christians are front and centre in anti-regulations, anti-mask, and anti-vaccinations, wouldn’t a response of contrite intercession be welcomed by God?
What do you think?
Could the crisis around us be revealing the character within us? Could this be a moment when Jesus is speaking to his churches as he did in Revelation?
Please leave a comment at the bottom of this post. Thank you.
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We Christians should hold ourselves to a higher standard. Jesus set that standard in the Sermon on the Mount. Yet we cannot ever be ‘like’ Jesus, as in imitation, we can only approach that standard by letting Jesus live through us.
In a CBC show called “The Angel of Hong Kong”, Jackie Pullinger explained how she preached Jesus for years to the desperate people of the old walled city – with no results. Finally, she realized that she had to stop preaching Jesus and start ‘being’ Jesus. Soon she had a vibrant church in the middle of the worst slum in the world.
It is only when we let Jesus work through us and remove our ‘self’ from His way that we can approach His standard. When we fail to reach His standard it is a sign to us that there is still some ‘self’ that has to be dealt with.
I have recently come to realize that we are responsible for manifesting God’s character every single moment of the day, in every situation. That’s glorifying God! If we can do that 24/7 – no standard is too high!
Hi PB. I think it’s interesting that you frame Evangelical Christian’s standing up against the popular covid narrative as “proponents of theories that amplify fear” and “anti-regulations, anti-mask, and anti-vaccinations”. What we really are is anti-fear, pro-truth, pro-scientific debate and pro-freedom. That’s the same mislabelling pro-lifers get from the abortion/euthanasia death crowd and contributes to the fear and increasingly discriminatory culture we currently live in. While contrite intercession is always an appropriate response, sometimes it needs to be backed up by actually standing up for what you believe in.
Hey, Jill! You are ever faithful to engage and offer a thoughtful response. Thank you. As a pastor and now as a coach, I have endeavoured to be known by what I am for. Billy Graham stood outside of social debate so that he would be solely known for leading people to Jesus. I have not stayed as true to that course as Mr Graham. However, my north star is the long game… I, as I know you as well, want to focus my energies on helping Canadians see Jesus as Son of God, Saviour, risen from the dead, Healer, coming King. I believe the opinion of Christians in Canada has fallen during the pandemic, rather than risen. There is country wide perspective that Christians have fought for their own rights. I wonder if government leaders take into account the opinions of church goers when they make decisions about exceptions to mask-wearing. Do they fear losing votes or face defiance from pastors by not giving them exemptions? I was disappointed that the Alberta government exempted churches from masking. Could our focus be on using our freedom to protect the most vulnerable, including children, in our public places? How many parents with little children declined a friend’s invitation to be their guest at a church last Sunday because the congregation did not wear masks? I know, hypothetical question. But it is on my mind.
Your questions seem to assume that Covid is worthy of the label pandemic, that scientific method and discourse are being followed, that vaccines are the only viable answer to covid and that all incursions on personal freedoms are justified in the name of public health. That is the standard narrative. I would suggest that the vast majority of those in opposition of that narrative would be more than happy to comply with mask and vaccines mandates, lockdowns etc if they were actually proven effective and if the need for them were justified in the first place. They have not been. And any attempt at public discourse or debate is shut down, those in opposition are vilified and cancelled and in many cases have lost their livelihoods. This isn’t just about religious freedom. This is about freedom period. Fear has been the primary motivator over the last 18 months. We both know where fear comes from. Fear divides, promotes hatred and violence and ultimately kills. Those you have classified as anti-mask, anti-vax etc are trying to face that fear head on by not allowing fear to rob us, all of us, on either side of the narrative, of our freedoms.
Thank you pastor Bob for this , I have been feeling there has so much divisiveness in regards to masks, vaccinations, etc, and that openness to have differing opinions has been disappearing. Throughout much of this, I have been very grateful for your level headed, compassionate views that take out the highly emotional reactions there have been on both sides.
I believe as Christians we need to stop judging each other, and try to live with integrity, courage, compassion, and understanding .
Well said, Lillian. Gracious discussion is so welcomed. Judgment never serves the kingdom well. We’ll get through this. Together, works best.
I hear you, Jill. You have my attention by broadening the concern to freedom and rights in general. I have limited time to research most social media posts and assertions about the future but the ones I do research, usually turn up baseless or unsubstantiated supportive arguments. And it seems like we are on a tinder box globally. Case in point the Australian Health Minister who uttered “new world order” and Twitter exploded as though she had just given away the biggest secret in the world. Interesting as well the reference to the COVID-19 pandemic not being an actual pandemic. Oh for a coffee or tea with you. Starbucks or Tim’s? bob.pb.jones@gmail.com