by Mark Chatfield
One of the issues that Christians must put up with these days is propaganda. Although it is not new (Rabshakeh used it in Isa. 36 to try to deceive God's people), today we seem to encounter misleading information much more often that in times past. The "information age" surely is a contributing factor. Other reasons must include the "dumbing down" of America -- folks often do not know enough to refute a newscaster or politician who seems to have a grasp of their dialog.
For example, when we hear one day that three Marines have been killed in Iraq, we often hear the total number of military casualties. This may be because the Associated Press wants to emphasize the larger, more dramatic numbers. In another example of misleading information, CNN often reports items related to entertainment as regular news even though they have a special segment titled, "Entertainment News." Their agenda is not so much to give the world real news but to enhance the profits of the entertainment industry by giving it an elevated priority in their reporting.
So, what's the point? The point is that Christians are subjected to a particularly high dose of propaganda and if we do not understand what is going on, we will most certainly be deceived.
Anyone who has been associated with the Lord's church for long has heard various descriptions of Christians. Most of the descriptions are words and phrases that are not found in God's word -- and that should be our first clue. If someone calls you a "liberal," your ears should twitch. If someone refers to you as a "conservative," you should pay special attention. When you hear terms such as, "institutional," "non-institutional," or "anti," be aware that someone may be either ignorant or they may be trying to put you on the defensive, or both.
When Ferrell Jenkins was asked what he though about being called one of these terms, he said that he would prefer to be just called a Christian. Now there's a novel idea! Why not use a Bible term to refer to people who are doing all they can to be pleasing to God by following the Bible? Paul didn't have any problem referring to the Corinthians as saints and sanctified even though they had some major spiritual problems.
If we think "liberal" means something, perhaps we should take out a pencil and paper and write down just what we think it means. The same idea should be applied to other terms we use. We might just find out that we are simply invoking false semantics (invoking a meaning that may or may not be true) or name-calling (a propaganda technique used to discredit) in order to show disapproval or disdain for another person's point of view. That is hardly a loving, Christian thing to do.
On the other hand, when you are classified by someone who uses these kind of terms, just remember that many people do not have the love for you that they should have. You are not required to have a snappy reply, you just need to have a loving reply -- one that shows that your heart and your mind is in God's word.
If someone says to me, "Your church is liberal."
I would say, "God gives wisdom liberally, so maybe He is a "liberal." [Jas 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that gives to all men liberally, and upbraides not; and it shall be given him.]
If someone says to me, "your congregation is conservative."
I would say, "I'm not sure what 'conservative' means. However, if you mean that we try not to add to nor take away from the Bible, I would agree with you." [Re 22:18, 19 "I testify unto every man that hears the words of the prophecy of this book, if any man shall add unto them, God shall add unto him the plagues which are written in this book: and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the tree of life, and out of the holy city, which are written in this book."
If someone calls my congregation "a bunch of 'anti's;'"
I would say, "As far as I know, 'anti' is not a Bible word. However it's interesting that there is a Bible account of a faithful man who was killed for the cause of Christ was known as 'Antipas.' The name means 'against everything.' So, it may not be such a bad thing to have a reputation that shows a church to be against the sinful world and against doctrine that is not found in the Bible." [Re 2:13 I know thy works, and where thou dwell, even where Satan's seat is: and thou hold fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwells.]
Let's not get caught up in semantics. Rather, let's get caught up in the word of God.