Too Much Tact
Due to my incredibly busy day, I missed the Ash Wednesday service, today, but managed to make it for the church's choir (which I was practicly tossed into from day one) rehersal afterwards. However, as events would have it, someting the pastor mentioned at the end of rehersal struck me.
The conversation was on 'what it means to be....' You see, he'd been involved at the local college today in a rather large assembly discussing the topic of war vs. peace. (Funny this, I missed that debate! Then again, it's probably a good place for a pacifist like me to get himself lynched!) He had been invited to accompany people who had been selected to speak on the 'Christian perceptive' of the growing threat of war in our country.
According to the pastor, though, what struck him greatly was how someone could speak on the 'Christian perspective' without mentioning Christ whatsoever! Sure, there were plenty of moral and philosophical questions thrown, and a lot of 'good intentions' expressed, but does that really envelope an attitude and perception that is truly 'Christian'?
Literally translated, Christian means 'Christ-like.' It's a mimicry, really. An ideal to strive to be as much like Christ as a human being can manage. With that in mind, it stands to reason that any motivation, choice, or focus on a debate should begin with Christ's teachings.
It's so easy, sometimes, to get wrapped up in what it means to be a lot of things. What it means to be a 'good person', what it means to be a 'good parent', what it means to be a 'pacifist', or what have you. All these things are nice and wonderful, but they're not what it means to be a Christian.
What really gets me, though, is the number of times I've done this. Many of my friends don't like Christians, but they like coming to me for advice. I'll wager part of this is because I don't slam a Bible over their heads and start going on about what is sinful and not, etc... Most of the time, I come up with what's probably good advice, but very neutrally delivered when it comes to a Christian aspect. I suppose it's me trying to be tactful, or moreso, because I think everyone already knows what I believe, and I don't have to remind them.
I think, though, that maybe I should, sometimes. I'm trying so hard to be considerate of others' beliefs, but I'm missing the reason why God put me in their lives. If someone is running down the path of destruction, am I to make that path seem less upsetting, or strive to help them get off the path?
Both are nice things, but only one counts in the end.
Due to my incredibly busy day, I missed the Ash Wednesday service, today, but managed to make it for the church's choir (which I was practicly tossed into from day one) rehersal afterwards. However, as events would have it, someting the pastor mentioned at the end of rehersal struck me.
The conversation was on 'what it means to be....' You see, he'd been involved at the local college today in a rather large assembly discussing the topic of war vs. peace. (Funny this, I missed that debate! Then again, it's probably a good place for a pacifist like me to get himself lynched!) He had been invited to accompany people who had been selected to speak on the 'Christian perceptive' of the growing threat of war in our country.
According to the pastor, though, what struck him greatly was how someone could speak on the 'Christian perspective' without mentioning Christ whatsoever! Sure, there were plenty of moral and philosophical questions thrown, and a lot of 'good intentions' expressed, but does that really envelope an attitude and perception that is truly 'Christian'?
Literally translated, Christian means 'Christ-like.' It's a mimicry, really. An ideal to strive to be as much like Christ as a human being can manage. With that in mind, it stands to reason that any motivation, choice, or focus on a debate should begin with Christ's teachings.
It's so easy, sometimes, to get wrapped up in what it means to be a lot of things. What it means to be a 'good person', what it means to be a 'good parent', what it means to be a 'pacifist', or what have you. All these things are nice and wonderful, but they're not what it means to be a Christian.
What really gets me, though, is the number of times I've done this. Many of my friends don't like Christians, but they like coming to me for advice. I'll wager part of this is because I don't slam a Bible over their heads and start going on about what is sinful and not, etc... Most of the time, I come up with what's probably good advice, but very neutrally delivered when it comes to a Christian aspect. I suppose it's me trying to be tactful, or moreso, because I think everyone already knows what I believe, and I don't have to remind them.
I think, though, that maybe I should, sometimes. I'm trying so hard to be considerate of others' beliefs, but I'm missing the reason why God put me in their lives. If someone is running down the path of destruction, am I to make that path seem less upsetting, or strive to help them get off the path?
Both are nice things, but only one counts in the end.
posted by Tom at
11:19 PM
