Hyper-Condemners

Here's some interesting thoughts from the Journalicious blog. The author obviously has run into many religious people who fit the title of "hyper-condemner." He says that many people hear something that they disagree with and feel the need to make some comment or some display of condemnation. When religious people do this, we believe we are simply being salt and light and standing up for our convictions. However, the recipients of our comments and displays may see something different. In his opinion this shows a certain level of insecurity about our faith. Here are a couple of provocative paragraphs:

And when it is a question of faith, I wonder all the more. What sort of religion do these people practice who must rain on everybody's parade? Disagree. Argue. Believe what you believe. But don't be insecure about it. Do these people believe they are defending God? Can God not defend himself? Where is the faith that God is the one who ultimately weighs the scales? It's as though there's a great fear in all this insecurity, a fear that God will be unhappy with them if they do not speak up for him at every possible moment, shake their head at every minute detail.

But I don't see insecurity in the God of the Bible or in Christ. Did Jesus not hang out with prostitutes and thieves? Why would they have wanted to hang out with them if he were always telling them that prostitution or theivery was bad? Does anybody want to spend time with someone who always calls them a loser? I am sure that Jesus did not condone sin. But likewise he certainly didn't force his message down anybody's throat. Who would have listened? And what would have made him any different from those people that you and I run away from as soon as they open their mouths?

To me the money quote in this little diatribe is:

But how uncomfortable the insecurity that believes that not denouncing is the same thing as condoning.

When I say that is the money quote I am not agreeing with his position as much as arguing that this is a valid question for Christians, and one that is somewhat nuanced. For my take on it, read on.

Is a failure to denounce evil the same as condoning evil? Is our penchant for denouncing a sign of insecurity? Does God really need defending?

On the one hand we remember the famous quote that all it takes for evil to succeed is for good men to do (and say?) nothing. One could argue from that that we must raise a standard against all evils on every possible occasion, or it will prevail.

On the other hand, the Journalicious writer is correct, you see no denouncement from Jesus toward the prostitutes, the woman at the well, the woman caught in adultery, etc.. You do see Jesus denouncing the denouncers (Pharisees in particular) alot. It seems that in some situations Jesus was quick to denounce evil and in others He was slow.

The plot gets a little thicker when you consider indvidual situations. For example, as a pastor, how would you advise me to respond to someone who says "I hate God." If it is a Madelyn Murray O'hair type who is making a career out of trying to destroy the faith of believers, then I must respond and denounce such statements. If it is a young mother in my congregation who has just lost a baby, I will not denounce, but comfort.

We also have the issue of casting pearls before swine. I don't believe the swine metaphor is used here as a term of disdain toward people, Jesus is just saying that some people are not ready to receive what we have to say at a particular point in time. In such case our denunciation or condemnation serves no purpose other than making us feel good about ourselves for taking a stand.

Still, there are some things where we cannot remain silent.

As a Christian I am opposed to the practice of homosexuality (not homosexuals), but I agree with the Journalicious writer. If someone mentions in casual conversation that there hairdresser is gay, I don't think I need to share my convictions at the moment. The context here is not a discussion on the morality of homosexuality and to speak out will simply make me look like a pompous religious nut.

On the other hand, suppose someone uses my Lord's name as a curse word, I think that is an entirely different situation which in nearly every situation would warrant a response. In any context, taking the Lord's name in vain is wrong and deserves a response.

Another example is this - I am from the south and from time to time I would hear someone tell a "nigger" joke. I would always express condemnation in such a case and they would always say they were just kiddin', they really liked those black folks anyway. But, such a joke is so patently offensive that in any context.

Anyway, I think the issue is somewhat nuanced. We need to be aware of the context in which things are said. We also need to take our relationships into consideration. I feel a far greater sense of responsibility to correct my child or someone I am in authority over than I do someone I don't know or am only casually acquainted with, much less someone whose conversation I have accidentally overheard.

These are rambling thoughts at 11:00pm when I really should be in bed - I would be interested in getting some responses to this from anyone who reads this.

Comments

[David]

As the husband of the author you cite, (yes, your He is a She), I wanted to say thanks for your response. We spend alot of time thinking about these issues, and I think it is the journey that is important. Will we ever be able to nail it down? No - motives are always different, as are contexts and importantly - the leading of the Spirit. What is key however is that the issue of fear be addressed. How often are our efforts to defend God in fact a defensive knee-jerk reaction to defend our belief-system and avoid the doubts that have plagued us? Moreover, what is our role as salt and light? How do we short-cut efforts at sharing that light by becoming God's moral enforcers? Do people find redemption through correct behaviour? If so, our efforts are warranted. But if, as I suspect the gospels were written to convey, we can not save ourselves, then we might find our silence the more loving response - a response that allows the individual the dignity that God Himself seems to allow in our choices.

The subject of justice is another issue, the one which was intended in the quote about good men saying nothing. Obviously silence is not always golden.

it seems Jesus asked us to be lights and not foghorns, and this is where the challenge of my life has been - to speak less, listen more, allow the Spirit - and not me - to convict of sin, righteousness and judgement as scripture promises. I suspect there are those who badly want the Spirit to use them for this process. I submit it might more readily happen if we were to speak words of love, and lead them to Jesus, not away from evil. A small distinction that makes the world of difference.

Anyways, thanks for the dialogue. I am praying the Church begins to rediscover the power of grace - it would still our tongues more often, move our hearts instead.

fearfullyhuman

[Shiz]

Well David Wayne, I don't know what to say. I don't think we're coming from too different a perspective. I was raised a believer, and still am, passionately. I haven't typically attended conservative churches but I have feeling we still aren't far apart.

I have friends and family who are hyper-condemners to varying degrees; some merely shake their heads, some all-out preach. What I find disconcerting is the attitude that seems to be behind it, an idea that the world will be thrown out of balance irrevocably if he or she passes over the opportunity to disapprove.

But I wonder what happens when no believers are around? There have been jokes of late as to how Dawn of the Dead trumped The Passion of the Christ last weekend at the box office, and for the most part I feel these jokes are harmless, and even - dare I say - funny. So what happens if a person makes a joke on this topic and no one so much as thinks a disapproval? Do any of us believe that God is in heaven wringing his hands over that? That this worries him? Pogroms and hunger ravage the earth, but what the Lord really cares about is someone cracking a joke?

That is not the God that I know or worship. Certainly sin saddens him, for it keeps us apart, but sinners are slaves to sin. How can we expect somebody who is honestly and truly enslaved to something to not serve it? It is not possible. So when unbelievers have abortions it is very sad for the child (and for the others involved in many ways), but how is their behaviour a surprise to Christ? It isn't.

My feeling is that we need to pick our battles. We are to be what? Wise as serpents? And what? Gentle as doves? How sad it is to see so many of our family doing it the other way around, being wise as doves and gentle as serpents. That isn't what we are called to.

So instead of good seed being sown by the condemner's boast, it is bad. It offends a would-be seeker and hurts people's feelings unnecessarily. How many have not entered our churches because someone came along and verbally vomited on them? Why would any of us go in for a second taste of that?

I "met" a woman online this week who told the story of losing her daughter last year. It was terribly sad, and then she added that people kept telling her that the baby had died because she lives with another woman, that the baby's death was God's judgement on them for their sin. This woman is hurting now and do any of us think she will ever seek out comfort in a church or in Christ? What if a believer had shut his or her mouth and grieved with the couple, offering kindness instead of hate (yes, it is hate. It is contempt for one's brother, and what did Jesus say about the man who doesn't love his brother?), where would they be now? At the very least, some good seed would have been scattered their way. Now these two are further from Christ than before. If this is not heartbreaking - not to mention shameful - to someone, then perhaps the Spirit of Christ is not in them, but that is for God to decide.

For my part, I told the woman that I was a believer who thought what they had been told was garbage. And I told them that I was sorry for their loss.

Rather than being upset when we don't speak out, perhaps Christ is more saddened when we do.

[David Wayne]

Thanks to David and Shiz for your comments. Shiz's comment about the folks who condemned the lady whose baby died hit hard. It reminds me of Jesus' comment in Matthew 12:20 - "a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench". I also think of the woman at the well and how Jesus offered her forgiveness first, then He addressed her sin. We don't ignore sin, but grace comes first it seems. Especially in a time when someone has gone through such an emotional tragedy as this woman.