Joe,

I hate to delay any further discussion on reading, as we were planning to get back to that, but your post has some things brewing in me that I want to share.  As for the previous discussion, I think you hit it exactly when you shared the verse that “to whom much is given, much is demanded.”  We are privileged to have access to resources that the vast majority of Christians around the world do not have, and we ought to be taking advantage of those resources!  Paul said, “Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature” (1 Cor. 14:20).  Our indifference to reading and growing in the knowledge of Jesus Christ with the tremendous advantages we have in this country reflects that something is wrong in our pursuit of God.  I don’t know if there’s any more that I need to say than that.

With regard to your previous post on Hebrews 11, I want to thank you for unpacking it as you did.  You said what was on my heart, but with greater clarity and conviction than I likely would have been able to say it with.  Glad it was a timely word for you.

But the thing that really got me thinking and I think demands some discussion on our part (and I believe you want these kinds of things shared publicly; if I am wrong you know how to edit this thing!) was your discussion of the church you visited.  You said that the air about it was that it seemed to be on cruise-control.  Though you realized it may sound judgmental, you believe that it was the truth.

Now what really has me thinking is that over the weekend I finally got a response from Jim Bucci.  The rest of our readers will not be familiar with the circumstances here, but they are not really relevant.  He shared with me his theological viewpoints, but more importantly he shared some very hard things about a negative, critical, self-righteous, joyless spirit on my part that he has observed since I moved away from State College. 

As I read your post, I thought to myself that it seems like we Seek-Himmers have a reputation of being impossible to please.  We are always pointing out the negative and very infrequently pointing out the positive, and when we do point out the positive it is to set up something negative that we really want to focus on.  I think that is the way Jim has found me to be recently (though I would say he has spent very little time with me to see very thoroughly). 

Since I got his letter I have given thought to how I can act differently and not reflect the kind of attitudes that Jim has observed, without losing my passion for the Savior and for His Church.  Our voices will likely not be heard by people who think we are critical, self-righteous and impossible to please.  I have come up with two significant things that I can do to stand firm in my convictions yet lose the reputation for judgmentalism (whether that reputation is deserved or undeserved). 

First, my affirming words must become far more frequent.  If the only time I raise my voice is to complain about what’s not being done right, and I do not give equal time to sharing the evidences of grace that I see, then I will be seen as critical.  Jim has heard me say much in opposition to the theology embraced at the church in question, but he was shocked when we talked on the phone Sunday afternoon and I told him there were things about this church that I missed and wished we had more of our present church.  So I must labor to be more positive and affirming in the areas in which I see evidence of grace.

Second, when I have humble, constructive criticism to share, I must share it with the people who can do something about.  I have made a lot of statements to Jim about things I disagree with, but have done relatively little talking with the pastor who can actually do something about it.  We have a tendency I think to get together and lament about things that are not going well, but do we share our concerns with the people who are in a place to do something about our concerns?

In your case, you visited a church and now you are sharing with Blog Nation how you perceived that church to be on “cruise-control”.  Maybe they are, maybe they aren’t,  I wasn’t there.  I think you have a pretty discerning eye so  you’re  probably right.  I would encourage you to speak to that pastor or another elder in the church, maybe write a letter if you must, to share what you observed as a first-time visitor to the church.  I would think that they would be concerned about the impression they give to their visitors.  So then if you share these things with the right people, along with sharing with him the ways in which you were encouraged and found evidence of grace, then I don’t think anyone can accuse you of being judgmental.  But if you walk away and say nothing to the people who can do something, but tell us about what was wrong with the church, then I think someone could accuse you of being critical/judgmental.  Maybe you have shared those things with the people that need to hear it, and for that I would commend you.  I know you are never shy to share what’s on your heart!

Don’t get me wrong, I am not accusing you of being judgmental in this.  Because of our closeness of friendship, I know your heart better than most.  But I am giving thought lately as to how I can present myself to others who don’t know me very well, and how I can reflect the heart and mind of Christ to them.  Paul said, “We aim at what is honorable not only in the Lord’s sight but also in the sight of man” (2 Cor. 8:21).  I know this is your desire too, and we certainly need to challenge one another in this area of giving correction in a way that honors God and striving to put to death every bit of negativity and judgmentalism that is in us. 

Sometimes a passion for truth will always be perceived as judgmental, no matter how hard we strive to proclaim it humbly and in a spirit of loving correction.  But let us strive for excellence in this area.  “Give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all” (Romans 12:17). 

Let’s urge one another to that, brother.  I know I have a lot of work to do, as Jim pointed out.  I am thankful that he did, even though I disagree with him at some points.  He shared what he did in love, and after talking with him for over an hour on Sunday we understand one another a lot better.  But I want to be very careful to not present myself as one who is impossible to please, one who always acts like I have the answers and no one else does.  So let’s strive to stand boldly for truth and exhort others to the same, but let’s do it with a humility that will not bring praise to us, but to Him. 

Probably not what you were expecting from that last post!  Again, if I have misunderstood the nature of this blog and should have simply talked to you in private, feel free to delete this stuff and let’s talk about it. 

Larry