Snyder Than You

mindylou213:

In sharp contrast to kingdom-of-the-world thinking…disciples of Jesus aren’t to act first and foremost on the basis of what seems practical or effective at securing a good outcome. We are to act on the basis of what is faithful to the character and reign of God, trusting that, however things may appear in the short term, in the long run God will redeem the world with such acts of faithfulness.

p. 43, The Myth of a Christian Nation, by Greg Boyd

I found this to be a very interesting concept. Boyd says that our aim as Christians is not to “make the world a better place,” so to speak. We are called to be faithful in being like Christ. When we think our job is to “do good,” it is easy to allow the good outcome we hope for become more important than the means by which we reach the outcome. When that happens, it becomes easy to justify un-Christlike means in order to achieve a “good” end—especially when that end truly is good, like protecting innocent people from a cruel dictator.

Do we have the faith to believe that if we are simply “faithful to the character and reign of God,” that good will be achieved? Or do we have to take matters into our own hands and behave like the world in order to bring about justice and peace?

This one’s actually a bit difficult to digest.