A Threat To Real Christianity?

I recently was given Chuck Colson's latest book: The Faith: What Christians Believe, Why They Believe It, and Why It Matters. This book's purpose is to outline what Christians should believe so they can better live out (and defend) their faith.

Early in the book Colson points out that Christianity and the message of Christ get misunderstood by our mainstream media. In an effort to clarify the hope of Christianity he writes that "love and forgiveness are hallmarks of Christianity, real Christianity" (p.17). Colson goes on to write: "real Christianity is no threat but a glorious proposal".

The "Good News" is good news for all people...a "glorious proposal" indeed: to leave a life of greed, selfishness, and death and pursue Christ's work in this world. Colson is spot on.

Yet only 5 pages later Colson's words give reason why other people groups (and the mainstream media) see Christianity not as a welcomed remedy, but as an oppressive tyrant when he writes: "The Christian West is under assault by the twin challenges of secularism and radical Islam" (p.22). When we articulate the issues we face in this manner does the world really see the Gospel as "a glorious proposal?"

These kind of statements do more harm in creating an "us vs. them" mentality, making some out to be the "good guys" and others the "bad guys". While secularism and Islam may be on the increase are these to be seen as threats or as opportunities for communicating our hope in Christ?

Unfortunately when we begin to rally people around the "issues" that threaten our way of thinking, we end up working people up in a frenzy of fear that often times leads them to respond in such a way that looks nothing like the real love that Jesus calls us to live by.

May the Gospel relieve us of our fear and show us that the very people we thought we were to fight against are the very people we are called to fight for.