Unfeigned Christianity walks you through the process of reconciling current events with God and His Word. At the end of this article, I’ve provided a free guide to get you going.
What a year it has been!
Did you ever consider, as you celebrated New Year’s Eve last year, that the world would literally shut down for more than half the year?
Could you have imagined that face masks would cause so much controversy, or that the phrase “Black Lives Matter” could ignite so much emotion between folks?
Did you realize the Presidential election would spiral into a fiasco of name calling and ridiculing one’s opponent, or that either candidate would claim victory before all the votes had been counted?
Yet, here we stand. And it doesn’t really look like it’s going to calm down anytime soon.
Despite hundreds of thousands of people US having died in the US from COVID-19, we still have folks claiming the virus as a Left-wing concocted hoax created in an attempt to destroy Trump.
In the midst of the world facing economic collapse, we still have leaders threatening to lock things down again.
If you wear a mask, you’re viewed as submitting to the control of communist insurgents. If you don’t wear a mask, you’re viewed as heartless and uncaring of your neighbor.
We are so extremely polarized in this nation that it’s drastically affecting the church.
Some Christians believe that if you say “black lives matter” you’re aligning with witchcraft and endorsing violent protests. Other Christians believe that if you question the progressive narrative on racism, you’re a white supremacist lusting for power.
“If you voted Democrat, you’re a baby slaughterer.”
“If you voted Republican, you’re a narcissistic bigot.”
We’ve forgotten how to believe the best of each other. And, as Christians, we’ve apparently forgotten what it means to love one another.
Has it all driven you crazy yet?
Some might say the best thing is to just not talk about these issues. They’re so divisive and irrelevant to Christian life that it’s not worth arguing over. Others feel how we handle these events tells us something significant of the genuineness of our faith.
What if both are true?
What if parts of these issues truly aren’t worth fighting about? And what if other parts are inherently gospel issues disciples of Jesus need to take seriously?
For instance, could it be that whether or not you believe a mask will help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 isn’t worth losing relationships over? Yet, could being honorable to governing authorities, sensitive to brothers and sisters in the Lord, and loving to neighbors near and far tell the world something about the Messiah?
Or what if saying “black lives matter” has too many controversial connotations that it’s not worth demanding your church take a position on? Yet, what if understanding the history of racism, and the church’s complicity with it, is vital to the witness of Jesus Christ in America?
Part of the reason things have felt so crazy this year is that almost every issue has become partisan, and both parties believe they have the right perspective. Both insist the other is a lying cheat.
The truth is, life is too dynamic to fit neatly into two perspectives.
On one hand, our human experiences can overlap in similarity. On the other hand, every shared reality has individual nuances that call for different (and often quite unique) responses.
Today is mine and Teresa’s anniversary. Eight years ago our marriage began in the midst of chaos: my mom was killed in a car accident and we buried her the day before our wedding.
We are never guaranteed an easy–not even a peaceful–life. But we are guaranteed to be “guided in the way of peace” even amid chaos (Luke 1:78-79).
As I look back eight years ago, I’m grateful to know the One who guides us in that way of peace.
And just as my wife and I have managed to make it through early marital chaos, we can all make it through this year without entirely losing our minds
Even in the midst of chaos and controversy, we don’t have lose our way; clashing like wild beasts.
In fact, we can regain focus and engage issues that matter in ways that proclaim God’s Truth, uphold each other’s dignity, and shows the world compassion. We just need to put to practice a few small things our parents probably taught us before the first grade:
- Do to others what we would have them do to us.
- Listen to understand, not to respond.
- Study the Message of Jesus to know what God is doing.
Don’t call someone names if you wouldn’t want to be called names. Don’t leave an argumentative comment on someone’s post if you wouldn’t want an argumentative comment left on your post. If you must challenge someone, do it in a way you would want to be challenged.
Believe the best about others because you’d probably like them believing the best about you. Try to understand where they’re coming from because you’d like them to understand where you’re coming from.
And when they’re talking, and you find yourself developing a response in your head, quiet your mind and hone-in again on what they’re actually saying. Listen to their words, not to what you think they might mean. Ask clarifying questions, such as “What do you mean by that?” or “I hear you saying _____. Am I hearing you correctly?”
Then, when you’re alone and thinking about how crazy life is, remember God’s been through crazier things before. Through it all, He’s doing something marvelous, something miraculous and unique:
He is taking all the broken experiences in life and using them to heal you from the inside out.
The Jesus and his Message is the only message of hope for a world bound in cycles of chaos. And the only way you and I can reclaim sanity and focus in the midst of it all is if we get know to him and his Message well.
This year has certainly been crazy, but I think the craziest part of it all is discovering how many of us have simply lost sight of the Story. It’s not that we’re heretics or bigots as much as that we’ve been discipled more by our earthly allegiances than we’ve been by our heavenly one.
There will always be problems in life.
There will always be controversial issues to sort through.
And you know, the fact that Christians don’t always find them easy to navigate is probably a good thing: we need to rely on the Divine.
But the more we grow together, learning God’s Story and finding our place in it, the clearer we can see our way through the chaos and build a better future together.
Dear Christian, I’m not letting 2020 take me down. Are you?
A Path for Knowing How to Reclaim Your Sanity
Hey, thanks for reading!
There are so many different perspectives on the issues facing Christians today that it’s hard to know what is right or wrong.
Most of us genuinely want to love God and others well but often feel alienated from each other because of how divided the Church is concerning issues we face.
Making matters worse, if someone doesn’t feel safe processing issues with people in their church or their family, it leads them to feel even more alienated and isolated.
This can eventually spiral into depression and disengaging altogether, if not dealt with properly.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
Christians should be able to sort through issues in a way that doesn’t alienate them from each other and helps them love God and others with genuine love.
At Unfeigned Christianity, we help you understand the issues and sort through them from a biblical perspective so you can live with a love for God and others that comes from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith (1Tim. 1:5).
This program does not take the place of the local church or in-person mentors. It’s simply a place to find words for what you’re dealing with, answers to difficult questions, and a safe community to figure out how to graciously engage those around you who disagree.
Unfeigned Christianity is an online program designed to help you better see the full scope of particular issues facing Christians and how you can navigate them in a way consistent with the Message of Jesus. Through the Unfeigned Christianity platform, you will join a safe community of people wrestling through similar questions and experiences as yourself.
To learn more about the program and see if it’s a good fit for you, click here.
To get you started, I’ve provided a free guide for navigating through the crazy events of this life.
Click here to download your free copy of 9 Questions Christians Need to Ask When Current Events Make Life Feel Crazy
Join Unfeigned Christianity and access the following resources:
- 5 Year’s Worth of Archived Material
- Personal Support
- Ask Me Anything Responses and Livestreams
- In-depth Cultural Analysis Articles
- Finding My Place in God’s Story
How has this crazy year impacted you? What will change about how you think about issues going into 2021? Share in the comments.
