The Whiskey Chronicles 6 – the Distance Between Us

    It is hard to imagine that over 2,000 years Christians have perfected the art of avoiding other people, normal people, “non-Christians,” like the plague. During the early phases of our faith we were actually at war with other people; Christians killing Jews, Jews killing Christians, Christians killing Romans. Romans definitely killing Christians. What a great beginning.

       Then came the Muslims and our Crusades to reclaim the Holy Land. Again, not the best witness in our history.

       Then followed the 15th century Inquisition, and 17th and 18th century denominational wars; Christians killing each other. No comment.

       Today, in 2022, the evangelical fear of other people is excessive. We don’t even know how to talk to normal people except for trying to convert them This is NOT how Jesus taught us to relate.

       When we do talk about our faith it is with words that are foreign to both their vocabulary and their thinking. Words have referents. The words we presently use to communicate our faith are out of sync with the increasing biblical illiteracy of this generation; not just those under 30, but even with those over 50.

       “Houston, we have a problem.” Serious problems.

       The distance between us is not that great. But we further separate from one another other by “cocooning” (Faith Popcorn) within our own circles of safety, our communities of faith, and constructing strawmen of what each other are like. This is nuts.

       Find common ground with other people, whether it be at our kids baseball games, our graduate schools, our work, or neighborhood gatherings. Isolation is no longer an option.

       Sadly, I have too often found that I enjoy being with my normal friends and neighbors more than I enjoy being with my fellow Christ followers. It should not be this way.

       In John 17:15 our Lord asks the Father, My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.  We walk through evil days, as throughout all history. Yet we are still called to walk among wonderful, angry, broken, lost, vicious people as images of Christ.

       Why? Jesus did.
 
Loving God; loving people…, and bringing the two together!

Gary

NEXT— The Christian Gospel Re-Imagined: Resident Aliens