Positive And Negative: Kevin H

Many times I am told I’m too negative with what I write and post, both here and on social media.  I am told that I am hateful, divisive, and offensive.  I am told I’m ignorant, deceived, and have an agenda.  I am told that I’m hurting the church and the gospel and am driving people away from the love of Christ.

And yet, there is a very different perspective to my posting and writings that many others have expressed to me.  Others tell me that the love of Christ shines through me and that my constant pointing to Jesus is much appreciated.  I am applauded for speaking out against abusive and bullying behavior and standing up for the poor and marginalized and those who have been hurt by the church.  I am told that what I am doing is much needed and that I need to continue doing it.

So the question is, why do people see two totally different things when looking at the same work?

When Jesus walked this earth, there were two very common yet very different reactions to Him. Some people saw Him as an arrogant, divisive troublemaker who was deceiving people and drawing them away from God.  Others saw Him as incredibly loving and caring and worth devoting their lives to following.

Now, in no way whatsoever am I positioning myself to be anywhere near the same as Jesus – I am but a very poor imitation.  Yet in my postings and writings, I strive to honor Jesus and emulate how He dealt with the religious and political cultures of His day and how He dealt with both the powerful and the vulnerable.  Again, I do this far from matching Jesus’ perfection, but I still aim to do this the best I can, and trust with God’s providence and guidance, that I at least sometimes succeed.  I am sure that both Michael and Duane also seek to honor Jesus above all in their writings here, and I believe they often succeed.

Those who most opposed Jesus and saw Him as “negative” and as turning people away from God were the exceedingly religious leaders and their devout followers, whose attitudes and behaviors Jesus criticized and condemned.  Many of those who saw Jesus as “positive”, loving and caring were the poor and lowly, and those who had been outcast or beaten up by the religious and cultural systems of their day.

So when people think I’m being too negative by pointing towards unrepentant sinful actions and attitudes that are carried out by other Christians, especially by prominent Christian leaders, and especially done in either boldly public or shrewdly covered-up fashions, I take heart that many others who are disgusted by these widespread behaviors committed by those who claim to be following Christ, see my actions as not negative but actually poignantly positive.  Some of these others even being those who have been personally harmed by these attitudes and behaviors of so-called Christians.

When people say that I’m hurting the church or the gospel and turning people away from Jesus, I take heart that others tell me that they see the love and truth and genuineness of Christ in me, sometimes even by those who don’t follow Jesus or are unsure exactly where they stand in regards to faith.

When people say I’m monotonous and tiresome, I take heart that others tell me that they are heartened by what I do and encourage me to keep doing it.

When people say I shouldn’t be publicly criticizing Christian leaders, or politicians deemed to be “of God”, or wrongful words and actions committed by other Christians in a public fashion, I take heart that Jesus also publicly criticized people at times, especially the religious leaders, and was not very well liked by many for doing it.

When people say I have gone “woke” and/or am being unbiblical by speaking up for the welfare of the immigrant, the poor, the disadvantaged, or the abused, I take heart that Jesus once said, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.”

Whenever people accuse me of having an agenda, I take heart that even as I will inevitably get distracted at times, my agenda is truly focused on living in faithfulness to God.

I invite my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ to spurn excessive and imprudent devotion to partisan politics, spurious and problematic Christian leaders and movements, and religious pretense and condescension, and join me in adopting an agenda focused just on Jesus and His ways.