Can We Have Both Convictions and Compassion?

The other day I saw the following cartoon:

I had two different, conflicting reactions. The first was to wholeheartedly agree with the sentiment it espoused as it is essentially something that I have long maintained. I can disagree with some aspect of your life (be it found your in your beliefs, words, thoughts or actions) and not be anti-you. All the people I love most at times say, think and do things with which I disagree. Heck, I sometimes even do things with which I disagree!

My second reaction though was to ask the following question: Why is it that so often when we say, "I disagree" some people hear "I hate you" instead? Some would contend that it is because none of us likes to be told we are wrong (especially when it comes to overarching things like lifestyles), and if we can recast valid moral criticism as hateful rhetoric, it frees us from feeling guilty. This likely is part of the problem for all of us in facing criticism, but I fear that often when social liberals write off conservative critiques as self-righteous, hateful and judgmental, it is in large part precisely because conservative critiques (regardless of their level of validity) are often self-righteous, hateful and judgmental.

On both sides of the equation, compassion and conviction are often set against each other. As Christians, we must do all we can to work against this. While we must stand firm in our biblical convictions, if we are to call ourselves followers of Christ we must stand firm in a Christ-like manner, more concerned about GOD'S glory than about either OUR rights or our BEING right.

In a blog post today, David Crabb makes the following helpful observations:

Christians follow a Savior who looked out upon a sinful, hard-hearted multitude and had compassion on them, because he saw them for what they were–sheep without a shepherd (Matthew 9:36). This is hard for us. Holding compassion and conviction together in healthy tension is not something that comes naturally. We tend to either be compassionate and sinfully permissive, or conscientiously upholding Biblical standards of holiness but self-righteous.

And yet the same Jesus who threw the money-changers out of the temple, wept over the city of Jerusalem. In both our public discourse and in our personal relationships, may we have more of the spirit of Jesus.

Compassion and conviction is not an either-or scenario.

After all, if I am a Christian, my Savior commands me, "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you," (Matthew 5:44). And in humility, I must always remember, "The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost" (1 Timothy 1:15).

A Word for Preachers...Stott on Cultural Relevance

"I recognize that there are perils in the clamant demand for relevance. If we become exclusively preoccupied with answering the questions people are asking, we may overlook the fact that they often ask the wrong questions and need to be helped to ask the right ones. If we acquiesce uncritically in the world's own self-understanding, we may find ourselves the servants rather of fashion than of God. So, in order to avoid the snare of being a 'populist' or a modern false prophet, the type of bridge to be built must be determined more by the biblical revelation than by the zeitgeist or spirit of the age. The Church's calling is to challenge secularism, not to surrender to it. Nevertheless, there is a great need for more understanding of, and sensitivity to, the modern world around us."

John Stott
Between Two Worlds: The Challenge of Preaching Today

The Cross and the Jukebox

"I think lyrical music can often get to the bone of what's really going on in hearts, minds, and culture than abstract discourse can. Our neighbors are often more honest about what they really think and feel when they're singing than when they're talking. And so are we."

With these words, Russell Moore introduces The Cross and the Jukebox, a weekly podcast on roots, music and religion.  The podcast launched today, and in it Dr. Moore will examine how we can see the gospel, or the "almost-gospel" in the lyrics of our music.

I have on more than one occasion  mentioned Dr. Moore, passing along the breathtakingly sage perspective that he so often applies to the ethical quandaries he often examines in his excellent blog, Moore to the Point.  I have already subscribed to this podcast and look forward to gleaning his wisdom on a weekly basis. I recommend that you click here and do the same.

Random Act of Culture

"Heavenly" is not an adjective I would normally use to describe Christmas shopping.  Today I saw something which proved to be an exception to that general rule.

A few months ago, I shared a post about Improv Everywhere, the improvisational comedy troupe that conducts seemingly random "missions" in public places.  Much in the same vein, the Knight Foundation and the Opera Company of Philadelphia organized a "Random Act of Culture" at Macy's in Philadelphia on October 30.  Over 650 singers from 28 different organizations dispersed throughout the department store, indistinguishable from other shoppers.  Indistinguishable that is, until they, accompanied by the world's largest pipe organ, spontaneously burst into Hallelujah from Handel's Messiah.



(HT: Vitamin Z)