Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Me v. ?
Justin Taylor recently quoted from a forthcoming book:
Let me give you an prime example - the debate over worship music. There are valid arguments for an against contemporary worship music and for and against older hymns. There are also self-serving, "I just like it better" arguments. And if I do like one better than the other, but make the reasonable and valid argument, is that argument to be discounted simply because my motivations may be mixed? And in your discounting of my valid arguments over mixed motivations - I would bet you are suffering from the same mixed motivations.
My point is this, the self-denial demanded of us as Christians is extraordinarily difficult. The source that Taylor is quoting is all about the power of words. As long as we exist in the "already, not yet" we will suffer from mixed motivations. I think we need to cut people a serious break about motivations, when their arguments are in the right tone.
And we need to endeavor to make valid arguments, and by that, I do not mean thinly veiled - "but I wanna" arguments that are essentially dismissive - we need to to the hard work of argument. Read, study, learn, quote.
We also need to learn how not to have an opinion if we are not going to do the hard work.
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I would ask you again to be humbly honest with yourself as you are reading. If I sat with you and I listened to recording of the last month of your words, whose kingdom, what kingdom, would I conclude those words are spoken to serve? Would it be the kingdom of self with its self-focused demandingness, expectancy, and entitlement? Would I hear a person who is quick to criticize, quick to judge, quick to slam, and quick to condemn, because people are always violating the laws of your kingdom? Is the greatest moral offense in your life an offense that someone makes against the laws of your kingdom? When this happens do you use words as a punishment or as a weapon? Do you use words to rein this person back into loyal service of the purposes of your kingdom of one?Boy do I agree with this, but it raises an incredibly important question. How can we rely on our own judgment about something like this? Entitlement is always a problem, it represents and inherent lack of humility - but criticism, judgment, condemnation, are all things we as Christians are supposed to do in some circumstance.
Let me give you an prime example - the debate over worship music. There are valid arguments for an against contemporary worship music and for and against older hymns. There are also self-serving, "I just like it better" arguments. And if I do like one better than the other, but make the reasonable and valid argument, is that argument to be discounted simply because my motivations may be mixed? And in your discounting of my valid arguments over mixed motivations - I would bet you are suffering from the same mixed motivations.
My point is this, the self-denial demanded of us as Christians is extraordinarily difficult. The source that Taylor is quoting is all about the power of words. As long as we exist in the "already, not yet" we will suffer from mixed motivations. I think we need to cut people a serious break about motivations, when their arguments are in the right tone.
And we need to endeavor to make valid arguments, and by that, I do not mean thinly veiled - "but I wanna" arguments that are essentially dismissive - we need to to the hard work of argument. Read, study, learn, quote.
We also need to learn how not to have an opinion if we are not going to do the hard work.
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