Jesus Christ was a radical teacher Who astonished even His own disciples Mat 19:25.

Yet crowds of people heard Him gladly Mk 12:37.

He appealed over the heads of Jewish officialdom to teach the people publicly.

He contradicted Jewish officialdom and called them hypocrits Mat 23.

Yet there are those who want Christians to be non-confrontational.

Rather, truth confronts error.

The half-brother of Jesus tells us to contend earnestly for the Christian faith Jude 1:3.

The effect of non-confrontational teaching

Complaining about confrontation is a method of controlling conversation and keeping people ignorant of other opinions that confront the prevailing narrative.

It is in effect controlling the narrative by disallowing challenging views. It is part of cancel culture.

Christianity challenges the prevailing worldly narrative. It is counter-cultural as long as that culture is ungodly.

Christian ability to discriminate truth from error

Some Christians want to have a minimalist creed, and they claim that to discuss anything more than this is confrontational. The apostle Paul came across such minimalist Christians whom he addressed in Heb 5:11-14. Rather than accept this minimalist attitude, Paul encouraged them to go beyond foundational teaching Heb 6:1-3 and to develop their theology further.

Jesus says that all justified believers Jn 3:18, Rom 5:1, Eph 2:8 keep on coming to Him for Light Jn 3:21.  They do not confine itself to a few biblical truths about Jesus but they want to learn more. This means coming to Jesus Christ for more knowledge.   Jesus has “come into the world” Jn 3:19 as the Light of the world Jn 3:21, Jn 8:12 to enlighten our darkness in fellowship with Him, that He might give us more light.

The godly want to have more light on Christ, His mission and His will for their lives. So the godly study the Bible daily. As they learn more, they themselves become lights to their fellow believers and to the world lying in darkness, to their own generation and possibly to following generations through their written publications or other media. So Jesus said: “You are the light of the world” Mat 5:14-16. Light confronts darkness and dispels it.

Academics in our day illustrate how little they know about the Bible and Jesus’ teaching in particular, so Christians need to enlighten them.

One may look upon this post as a continuation of my post on the usefulness of Christian fellowship.

Non-effective Christians

In Scotland, there is only 1.6% of the voting public who are biblical Christians. As not everyone votes, although Christians disproportionately do so, the national percentage is probably less.

A local Christian activist told me recently of his efforts to have the Christian Medical Fellowship engage in the coronavirus debate, but it has not responded, far less engaged.

Similarly, Christian non-involvement in the sexual revolution since the 1960s has handed the field to the secular world and landed the western world in the morass of sexual confusion that has risen to the top of its agenda. Never have corporations and international bodies in the UK been so supportive of any issue as this year’s Pride Month promoted by homosexual activists. Corporations have hung pseudo-rainbow flags from their premises, with banners inside their premises, which has never been equalled by the climate panic activitists such as Extinction Rebellion nor the host of other international activists. Meanwhile “holy” Christians will not exegete SoS 4:12 with its proper teaching (link at 31’22) but they will spiritualise its meaning without first mentioning the plain meaning with which proper biblical exegesis begins, and upon which the spiritual teaching is based. The meaning is so plain that I am told that the Jews will not allow young boys to read the Song of Solomon until they reach an age of maturity. Christian non-confrontation of human sexuality in the public sphere has allowed secularism to control the narrative. Non-confrontation has produced ineffective Christians.

Similarly in the business environment. Where were the Christians when businesses failed? Where was “the due diligence”? Did it disappear when the last Christian retired from the boardroom, or were the Christians ineffective? Did they not want to be confrontational?

Christian confrontational behaviour

We must not mistake Christian confrontation with the modern practice of public protest, whereby Just Stop Oil disrupts traffic, Animal Rising disrupts horse racing and other activist groups make a nuisance of themselves. The secular “woke” culture – a poor imitation of the Christian call that “it is now high time to awake out of sleep” Rom 13:11 – attempts to force its will upon an unwilling public, to call attention to itself and its grievance, and results in creating division and resentment in public life. Some campaigning groups interfere with private life also.

Christian confrontation involves education as and when the opportunity arises. Believing in the God of Providence, we do not need to challenge everybody. Indeed, Jesus tells us not to cast our pearls before swine, whom He defines as those who violently oppose one’s help Mat 7:6.

Modern protestors want to create a reaction, and if it is a violent reaction they think that this justifies themselves because of the behaviour of their opponents. Jesus teaches the opposite. Generally, we are not to muscle in on other people’s prerogatives Pro 26:17 but we are to take our opportunities as and when they arise in God’s Providence.

The apostle Paul corrected the apostle Peter “when he was to be blamed” Gal 2:11. Christian fellowship would be the better for learning to give and take correction, learning to correct each other in a biblical manner. We can take a horse to the water but we cannot make it drink. “He who complies against his will is of the same opinion still.” One may change behaviour but not hearts. Jesus Christ is in the business of changing hearts.

Links:

20 May 2021: Christian Behaviour

28 Jan 2012: the 5005 points of Christian Behaviour.

5 Apr 2023: the nature of Christian fellowship.

24 May 2023: the content of Christian fellowship.

21 Jun 2023: the utility of Christian fellowship.

24 Jun 2023: claims that Christian resistance to unchristian positions are aggressive voices [at 19:00 hours].