In my 14 years of being a born again Christian, I am finally coming
to terms with certain “evangelicalisms” that have been pounded into
me sermon after sermon, youth group event after youth group event, and
spiritual growth conference after spiritual growth conference.
In the hope of freeing others from the grasp of these often
passionately but wrongly appropriated adages, I have listed a few here, with my
conclusions.
Again, this isn’t to “bash the church” but to free people from
unnecessary bondage to an often extroverted, clichéd paradigm of what it means
to be a Christian, imposed by other Christians. It is a paradigm that often
puts man’s ideas at the center, even Christian man’s, and not God’s.
By breaking away from these stereotypes, I believe we free the true Body of
Christ to flourish in its God-given diversity of personalities and talents.
Here they are:
“I challenge you!”
When we hear this, we need to be reminded that it is a human
who is challenging us, not God. Yes, I know that God speaks to us through other
people. But “I challenge you” has become such a bleeding heart tactic of
leaders in evangelicalism that I believe it cannot be trusted.
What are the motives behind the person’s challenge? Are they
mimicking something they read in a church growth article? Is the challenge
in line with Scripture? How can one youth pastor claim to know how to challenge
750 kids in the exact same way?
If the challenge is to “Get out of your comfort zone” (which
it so often is), how can that challenge be customized for every individual
student listening in a one-hour rally-for-Christ? It can’t, because it’s almost
always framed within an emotional paradigm of charisma and choking-back-tears
passion. Many youth, not to mention adults, don’t even know where to begin with
that appeal once they leave the auditorium.
These types of challenges ring loudly yet with very little,
if any, accompanying discipling or equipping of individuals in Christ’s diverse
Body.
My recommendation is to go home, take out the Bible, sit
with God and listen to what He is telling us, which will often over-rule
(and yes, perhaps at times even confirm) an emotional speaker’s challenge. But
at least we are taking God’s Word for it under right
motivation, and not under manipulation or emotional coercion.
“Get out of Your Comfort Zone!”
I refer to this in the above
paragraphs. So much could be said on this one. Suffice it to say, again, that
when a speaker admonishes people that they are too comfortable and need to become
“uncomfortable for God,” watch out! What they are really saying is, “You need
to do Christianity my way,” and that usually implies an extroverted, highly
social model.
Again, someone who loves public speaking and taking groups
on mission trips is going to promote this way of life to others. When “Get out
of your comfort zone” always means “public speaking and hanging out in large
groups and talking to strangers,” then where is the getting out of one’s comfort
zone for those who are already comfortable with public speaking, hanging out in
large groups and talking to strangers?”
Sadly, Scripture is often cherry-picked to guilt people into
this one, with the incessant push to make every Christian an uncomfortable
extrovert.
“Be missional.”
I have yet to have it explained to me what, exactly, this
means and why it is the sweetheart of contemporary corporate church. It’s a
recent bandwagon, but how is it any different than what Scripture already calls
for?
A pastor’s attempt to illustrate this term occurred once while I
was in a contemporary evangelical church service. The entire congregation was asked
to reach over and pull out the label sewn into the back of the shirt worn by
the person sitting next to us. All of my personal-space-invasion red-light
alarms were going off, but I obliged, “got out of my comfort zone” and touched
the shirt of the person next to me. “Made in Thailand,” I believe the tag said.
So...what now? We all waited in expectancy. Nothing. We were simply meant to
ponder, with the pastor lamenting, “I don’t know what the answer is.” But
praise God we all now knew where our neighbor’s shirt was made!
Incorporating the word “missional” into a teaching usually
amounts to a lot of hand wringing, angst and questioning of our faith and
humanity, but offers up very little in the way of Scriptural answers to the
questions being posed (see 2 Timothy 3:7). In my experience, therefore, to be missional means to
desire to be on a perpetual mission of never arriving at answers, and made to
feel bad about it.
“Be authentic.”
The same can be said for this statement as for “Get out of
your comfort zone.”
When I hear this, I hear, “Be like me.” I also hear, “Lay it
all out. No hold-outs. Take off your mask.”
True authenticity cannot be forced in the name of “being
real with one another.” The times I’ve
capitulated to this, and I know others say the same thing, I’ve later resented
it and felt taken advantage of. The Holy Spirit wasn’t leading me, the person
of “authentic” dominance was.
What the push for authenticity seems to lose sight of is the
fact that being authentic starts with investing time in a relationship, and results
in discipleship, which keeps God’s Word at the center. Cutting to the chase too
quickly can end a relationship before it even starts. The Bible is clear that we
are to be patient with one another, so why this aggressive strong-arming to
immediately and always be “authentic?”
I believe it is better to encourage people to be who they
are in Christ, and focus on how to become authentically other-centered, not
self-centered. And that begins patiently, with the God-led building of
relationships, His way and in His timing.
“Let Go and Let God.”
The problem with this one is that it
becomes a pat answer to people in real pain. This is the antithesis to the
problem I list with authenticity. While authenticity comes on too strong, “Let
go and let God” comes on too weak.
Pat evangelisms (such as “God never gives us
more than we can handle”) are common in Christendom. And unless we know the
person we are using them with very well, and in a light manner, we ought to
stay away from them. I believe these pat responses also stunt our growth when
they take on a life of their own and risk becoming our theology.
Calling God “Daddy.” Ouch!
“Do Big Things for God”
Again, this usually means “Do the things I think you should
be doing in order to be a real Christian.”
It is so easy to be manipulated by this one. But be careful!
The “big” thing the leader is imploring us to do may be just the thing that
takes us away from the “small” thing God already has us doing or would like to
see us do.
Faith is not “one size fits all.” Faith and service is not
only what the well-meaning but overly enthusiastic pastor or leader describes
it as.
We need to be humble before God, not man, in discerning God’s will in
our decisions. A truly humble leader will direct us to do just that. It is so
important to have the courage of our Holy Spirit convictions to say “No” to
people who are trying to force us into their definition of service. Don’t
let anyone dictate or measure your spirituality by how and where you serve.
“Living in Brokenness.”
The context of this phrase is that we
are always in a state of brokenness and the part about new life and victory in
Christ gets left out.
I once attended a service where a poster announcing “No Perfect People Allowed” adorned the front of the sanctuary. I do think Jesus, who is perfect, was allowed, but with all this imperfection being celebrated, He was pretty difficult to see.
Yes, we are broken. But we are not to wallow or revel in brokenness.
We are to repent of our sin and forgive those who have hurt us. It’s not easy
but at some point, it has to be done.
We will never be free of sin entirely,
but a constant appeal to luxuriate in our brokenness keeps us in a state of
either victimhood or failure to overcome. We must be patient with everyone. But
a one-sided message of brokenness is not the message of Jesus Christ, who
speaks of new life and relief as well.
The reason I single these platitudes out is because they are phrases I
once fell for and was manipulated by because I was new in the faith. To be honest, I didn't know any better.
I’m sure that for the most part those who
say them do it without even thinking, and in albeit misguided sincerity. But
anything outside of Scripture that gets repeated to the point of becoming a
buzzword, mantra or cliché ought to be questioned and then retired from daily
use.
Again, Scripture is our best way to test everything we hear, and we are
wise to hold everything we hear accountable to it.
copyright Barb Harwood
“Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them,
because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.” 1 Timothy
4:16
“Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by
the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching...Instead,
speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature
body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined
and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in
love, as each part does its work.” Ephesians 4:14a, 15-16
