Blog #25: The Two Sides of Christians

Every war needs men on the frontlines

When it comes to the desires and intent of Christians when engaging non Christians, there are two sides and two competing ideas going on in our heads simultaneously.

This battle going on within us is usually the reason people misunderstand us or flat out hate us. It is the desire between wanting to share what we know with others and wanting to protect ourselves from being pulled into something that will comprise our faith.

The first is easy to understand. We as Christians know God is real. It's not something we believe, we know it. I'm sorry if that certainty makes us sound arrogant. That's not our intent but until you know.... you just don't know. It's easy to understand why we want to share that with the people around us. Some of us may not be great at it but we're trying.

The second is a real problem. The Bible teaches us as Christians to protect ourselves against things of this world that are evil, sinful or even just a distraction from our relationship with God. Unfortunately, this causes many Christians to avoid non Christians because they don't want to be tempted by things that are wrong. It makes them seem like snobs or like they don't like anyone who is not a Christian.

This is a failure of the church and as a Christian that has grown up in that environment, on behalf of all of us, I'm sorry. Being a Christian doesn't make life easy and we definitely make mistakes. This is one that we are making and are trying to correct... some of us, anyway.

When it comes to telling you about our beliefs, we may often sound like we are trying to debate you. It may seem like we're trying to "convert you". It may seem like we're trying to change you. The truth is, we are! Not because we want to be right. Not because we want to throw your life into chaos. Not because we think you're a terrible person. We're doing it because we love you.

When you begin to see people the way God sees people, you realize how important each person is. God chose you for existence before he ever called the world into existence. You are so endlessly valuable and we want you to know it. We don't always do it well but our intention is to help you and it is a beautiful compliment when a Christian takes the time to talk to you about God. Another thing is prayer. When we tell you we're praying for you, we know that it is the most powerful thing that can be done for another person and we do it because you are God's child, just like us.

When a person chooses to follow God, they're at the beginning. They're absorbing information and are excited to share it but they also want to protect themselves because they don't want to be deceived. This often causes Christians (especially newer Christians) to retreat from the world and stick close to other Christians in an effort to stay focused on God.

When I started playing in punk rock bands my dad (who is a pastor) was firmly against it because I spent a lot of years in rough, punk rock clubs. It is easy in that environment to lose your focus on God. My response was always 'Every war needs men on the frontlines'. It was partly youthful arrogance that made me believe that I was qualified for that task but I survived and so did my faith. Barely.

The truth is, the salvation of your soul is the most important thing in your life. Even the most stubborn of Christians want you with them in heaven. Christians are no more qualified for that honor than anyone else. Just like us, you were created in the image of God. The odds are, He has sent us Christians, with all of our flaws, into your life for a purpose. And even if we aren't up to the task, we genuinely love you all and are just trying to share what we know.

I know for a fact that the Bible is perfect truth. I am 100% confident that God is real. It doesn't make my life any easier to say that. I just want others to know what I know.