Faith to Speak Up

There’s a stigma among cultural Christianity that the Brewer heartily maintains is false. It is the doctrine of “nice.” It is the belief that being righteous or Christ-like, is being nice all the time.

Because of the doctrine of “nice,” Christians tend to fall in step with the crazy politically correct bologna that is being fed to us these days by, among others, the American media.

Where is the media when Christians are butchered by Islamic extremists, or a Christian pastor is imprisoned in Iran for his faith?

A few years back, 23 Christians from Korea were taken prisoner in Afghanistan while on a mission trip trying to bring comfort to the people there. Several were killed and many nearly starved to death. It was barely mentioned on the news, and the media left their faith completely out of the story.

News reports said “foreigners” or “Koreans” are being murdered by “terrorists.” It was never mentioned that these people were Christians being butchered by Islamic extremists, aka radical Muslims.

The doctrine of “nice” does not want to hurt the imagined feelings of “them,” whoever “they” are, by speaking truth. If we speak up, we’re not nice and, “they” tell us Jesus was always nice so we’re not very Christ-like.

Thus, many Christians tend to back down believing this lie. Let me tell you something you’ll never hear at a traditional church service: God has not called you to be nice. He commanded you to be full of life and full of the love of God.

We are called to be salt and light to a world in need. Sometimes, salt stings and light gives us a headache. We are still supposed to overcome darkness for those around us.

Don’t think that I came to bring peace to the earth! I came to bring trouble, not peace. – Matthew 10:34 Contemporary English Version

It’s OK to get hacked off in holy hatred of evil. Jesus didn’t back down when the chief priests and pharisees turned the temple from a house of prayer into the Walmart from hell. He upset the religious “nice” and chased out the crooks and moneychangers. Don’t play nice. Be real. Be salt, light and love to a dying world.