Greeneyed Perspective

No,  I’m not here to argue whether or not God exists.  I know he does.

Today,  I’m here to make us think a little. Specifically about Christian Vs.  Non-Christian debates on social media.

I recently read a story about how the Great Ark Encounter (a full scale model of Noah’s Ark) has installed permanent rainbow lights to signify God’s promise to never destroy the whole earth via flood (Genesis 9:12-17).

Then as you can imagine, if you use social media, a whole horde of people hopped on their soap boxes and started to debate about the LGBT community using the rainbow to symbolize their cause,  and “taking back the rainbow” for the Christian cause.

I sat there skimming the comments and shaking my head.

Atheists, LGBT, and Christians alike were throwing barbs around like it was a war zone. Some comments were cringe-worthy, others were well written.

I use this topic as an example, as like so many other times, these are the thoughts I’ve had while reading the news or social media. I think most of them are aimed at the Christian side of this conflict due to the fact that I am one, and I understand the indignity they feel at being addressed the way they were even though they invited it.

Is God all powerful?

If you are a Christian, your answer should be a resounding “Yes!”

I’m appalled that you feel that an all powerful God needs your help to fight his battles.  He is the one who sets rulers up and takes them down. He created every color in the rainbow. It’s always been his.

People use his creations for evil all the time.  One example could be that countries use metals and other elements for weapons of mass destruction. I don’t see campaigns to “#takebackuraniumforchrist”. He certainly doesn’t need your help to take back his own creation, or to prove his existence.

Do you seriously expect people to change their minds about evolution vs. creation because of a snotty, misspelled, ignorant, illogical, and unreasonable rant spouting your opinion?

Have the opposing arguments ever changed YOUR opinion?  Normally actions are the deciding factor. Not words. How can you expect to change a mind when you need a change of heart yourself (that’s not love I hear in those comments). Also, you may want to finish the 4th grade, or brush up on your spelling, punctuation, and grammar after you have your daily devotions. Your opinion would be more respectable if written logically and is legible.

Why do we argue from a Christian point of view when we are not trying to argue with Christians?

We know from reading our Bibles that we don’t have the ability to have a Christlike mind until we are saved.  2 Corinthians 4:3&4 tells us that until the light of the gospel of Christ shines on the unsaved, the gospel is hid to them. Once we see the light, then our spiritual eyes are opened.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t share the gospel, how could the lost come to Christ unless we reach out to them?  Try to think like an outsider before you respond. Too often the arguments for our cause make sense to us, but not to a person who is not a Christian. We often assume that people have an innate understanding of Christian verbiage,  theology,  and history, when in fact,  our arguments sound like a dead language, impossible to understand without an interpreter.

Why are you even involving yourself in this conversation?

What’s your motive? Are you arguing to support your own opinion, or are you trying to lead people to Christ? You rip the opposing team up one side and down the other, without offering them a way out.

Like my dad always says (I’m paraphrasing): “If you’re going to take a dog’s bone,  you better give him a steak.” I’m sorry if you don’t understand this, I would need a whole new blog to explain it.

In theory, Christians are to be Christ like.  In attitude, and in conversation, right?

You heard me. Conversation. Yeah. In fact,  you didn’t hear me say it, I just repeated what someone else said.  You heard Paul say it to the Phillipians, chapter 1, verse 27 (KJV) :

“Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;”

There were some Christians apologizing for the comments and hatefulness of others. There were many cases where the Christian community was not only hating on the perceived enemy, it was hating on other Christians who had dared to voice a different opinion. There was no striving together.  It was every man and every woman for their own cause,  and it wasn’t Christ’s cause.

Wait, it gets better, verse 28 goes on to say:

“And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God.”

Let’s repeat that one:

“In nothing terrified by your adversaries”

So why do we freak out about the evil that is happening in our world? I would say we fear for ourselves and our lifestyle.  We fear losing what is precious to us. If you allow the rainbow to be used to symbolize pride in a sin, what next? Right?

Sadly, fear is used throughout our lives to keep us in line. Our parents used it, teaching us to fear the consequences of our actions.  Preachers use it to keep people in their local flock or to keep the money coming in. The justice system uses fear of jail and prison time to keep the peace. It’s pretty normal.

But in a fight against evil we were not given the spirit of fear. 2 Timothy 1:7 tells us:

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

How should we respond?

We are taught that the only thing a good man should do to let evil prosper,  is nothing.

Please don’t let me stop you from having an intelligent discussion on any topic. If we must argue an opinion, we should enter those discussions with love and a sound mind.  

If you want to make an impact on the world for Christ,  start by working on yourself.  Let our all powerful God, the Alpha and Omega take care of the rest.