Monday, April 30, 2007
Remembering Francis Schaeffer
Glenn Lucke links to a Christianity Today piece by John Fischer remebering Francis Schaeffer. Fischer writes one sentence in there that is absolute wisdom in a can:
Let's think about this for a minute - what's the difference between someone who merely judges, and someone who weeps for the judged? I would argue the essential difference is that the first believes themselves above judgement, while the latter knows that the judgement judges themselves as well.
But even tears is not enough response. Fischer's piece is also a political piece - it is striving to redefine Schaeffer's legacy from it's current association with the "religious right" to align it more moderately, or even liberally. But why do that? That defines the issue by political camps instead of where it belongs.
The tears should motivate us to engage the culture and the individuals therein, to share with them the good news that we hold - ON ALL LEVELS AND IN ALL THINGS.
When we divide into political camps, we fracture the body of Christ. We all have different gifts and different calls. If we divide ourselves along political lines we say all those called and gifted one way are the opponent of those called and gifted another. Thus we find ourselves in this conundrum where those that are called to feed the poor feel at odds with those called to enagage on other issues like abortion or marriage.
In point of fact these people should be on precisely the same page. The dispute comes because they are lining up at the government teets for the resources to fulfill their call. Firstly, the only teet any Christian should be lining up at is God's. But having said that the "feed the poor crowd" thinks the other crowd heartless when all they are is differently called. So they try to end around them. It is a sad state of affairs.
I think we need to start by learning to cry for each other. We are all fallen - the judgement we make falls on us as the other. Maybe, just maybe if we shed those tears not only for the world, but for the church, we could really start to make some impact.
Related Tags: Francis Schaeffer, church, world, culture, engagement, politics
Schaeffer was the first Christian leader who taught me to weep over the world instead of judging it.This is an interesting word choice, I honestly think it is possible to weep for the world because it must be judged, but the essential point remains the same - judgement marks the beginning not the ending when it comes to how we engage with the world around us.
Let's think about this for a minute - what's the difference between someone who merely judges, and someone who weeps for the judged? I would argue the essential difference is that the first believes themselves above judgement, while the latter knows that the judgement judges themselves as well.
But even tears is not enough response. Fischer's piece is also a political piece - it is striving to redefine Schaeffer's legacy from it's current association with the "religious right" to align it more moderately, or even liberally. But why do that? That defines the issue by political camps instead of where it belongs.
The tears should motivate us to engage the culture and the individuals therein, to share with them the good news that we hold - ON ALL LEVELS AND IN ALL THINGS.
When we divide into political camps, we fracture the body of Christ. We all have different gifts and different calls. If we divide ourselves along political lines we say all those called and gifted one way are the opponent of those called and gifted another. Thus we find ourselves in this conundrum where those that are called to feed the poor feel at odds with those called to enagage on other issues like abortion or marriage.
In point of fact these people should be on precisely the same page. The dispute comes because they are lining up at the government teets for the resources to fulfill their call. Firstly, the only teet any Christian should be lining up at is God's. But having said that the "feed the poor crowd" thinks the other crowd heartless when all they are is differently called. So they try to end around them. It is a sad state of affairs.
I think we need to start by learning to cry for each other. We are all fallen - the judgement we make falls on us as the other. Maybe, just maybe if we shed those tears not only for the world, but for the church, we could really start to make some impact.
Related Tags: Francis Schaeffer, church, world, culture, engagement, politics
