Loving Punching

I've done a fair bit of Bible-beating in my time. I'm sure this is shocking, but I took on high school teachers, friends, college classmates, co-workers, pagans, Christians (I use that term very loosely), college professors, etc. Most friends groaned when they learned I was taking a "Structure of Argument" class in college. One co-worker told me he hated me and would never speak to me again, which held true for the three or four months I remained at that job.

I have often prided myself in a pugnacious defense of my beliefs, but I must admit I have rarely fought with righteousness AND love. I more often volleyed off some witty sarcasm or scathing reply with an interest towards my own intelligence and understanding instead of a humble and passionate concern for that individual's soul. That realization has made me wary of discord - or perhaps it has made me more discerning of pigs and pearls, but regardless, I find myself fluctuating between irrate pitbull and human doormat.

And so, I absoltuely loved the conclusion of Piper's Contending for Our All, the fourth book in his Swans Are Not Silent series. In the book he discusses Athanasius (seriously cool old guy), Jon Owen, and J. Gresham Machen (fascinating if you've studied modernism), but he pulls them together with some quoting from Francis Schaeffer, one of my favorite people. I love the way Schaeffer views controversy, especially among Christians:

Before a watching world, an observable love in the midst of difference will show a difference between Christians' differences and other people's differences...when everything is going well and we are standing around in a nice little circle, there is not much to be seen by the world. But when we come to the place where there is real difference, and we exhibit uncompromised principles but at the same time observable love, then there is something that the world can see.

Schaeffer called controversy among Christians "our golden opportunity." Much like our God-given ability to respond to trials and suffering with rejoicing, a mark of our love of Christ is not bullying others nor holding hands and humming. Instead, we must tear down every human institution and folly that is contrary to God - *but our tearing down must look different than the world's.* Our debates shouldn't look like pagan debates. Our refuting should not be snide, proud, or boastful. True unity flows from truth (James 3:17) - unity is not achieved by displacing truth. Accordingly, may we fight in a shockingly different way from the world. I pray that I will learn to throw hard, solid, pure, loving punches. I pray we will achieve that balance so difficult to find in this present darkness, because it's growing darker, and we need some valiant soldiers.