Monday, November 12

Something to get you thinking on a Monday morning

I've started reading Frequently Avoided Questions by Chuck Smith, Jr. and Matt Whitlock. The authors point out that one of the problems today is that "[t]he worldview that is emerging is the West is radically different from that of previous generations, leaving evangelicals well equipped to answer questions no one is asking." (p. 8) The book takes a look at a number of questions that are being asked about the Church and Christianity today but are typically not being answered. It has lots of interesting ideas, as well as thoughts on how we can answer the questions being asked by people with this new worldview.

I'm not sure that I agree with everything in the book. But that's okay. Because even the things that I disagree with have the value of making me think about what I do believe and thinking through the reasons why I disagree.

Recently, I've been involved on the fringes of a couple of discussions about the proper role of Christians in the military and whether it is ever okay for a follower of Christ to be involved in violence of any kind. Although I'm not looking to open that entire can of worms, I came across a statement in a section of the book written by Matt Whitlock that got me thinking. "As a friend of [Matt Whitlock's] says, 'Sometimes it's not about you. If you are attacked, you have the prerogative to turn the other cheek, but if someone else is being attacked, say, a thirteen-year-old girl by a rapist, then you are bound by the love of Christ to risk your own safety and do something.'"

Just something to ponder on a Monday morning.

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