Reclaiming Christian Integrity
written by Rev. Dr. Scott Paczkowski
“Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believed.””
The meaningful Christian Church is chipped away into oblivion by the fundamentalists who bask in their judgmental superiority. From the opposite side, the church with integrity is being destructively dismantled by the equally judgmental secularists who claim that anything they cannot prove and hence deemed non-scientific is, therefore, not factual or viable. I’ve been outspoken in my derision of the judgmental religious right, but I want to speak with concern for the secularist ideology that makes no room for religious observance.
In his book Intellectuals Don’t Need God and Other Modern Myths, the British theologian Alister McGrath provides examples of secular society’s emptiness. McGrath gives the example of Boris Becker, the prolific tennis player who won every major title and achieved, by his own admission, every worldly benefit, from riches to women. Becker would come close to ending his own life due to an unending “sense of hopelessness and emptiness.” McGrath next shares the emotional barrenness of the wildly popular novelist Jack Higgins. McGrath retells a story of a reporter who asked Higgins what it is: “he now knew that he would like to have known when he was a boy.” His reply: “That when you get to the top, there is nothing there.”
The Christian gospel is a story of longing and the promise of the grace and mercy of a loving God. I’ve heard people say evangelism is a disagreeable term that is no longer relevant. You can be respectful while sharing your distinctiveness. It is vital for the Christians who live with humble, loving-kindness to share the grace-filled hope of our Triune God. Evangelism isn’t about growing membership but bringing meaning to those who feel lost and alone. If Boris Becker and Jack Higgins had everything they ever wished for yet were left feeling lost, how would others overcome their emptiness?
Today, consider how your faith speaks to your daily life and your ideals. How does your belief in God motivate and inspire you? Evangelism is not about saving the soul from damnation but about bringing life meaning. The more you know about how God brings meaning to life, the more meaningfully you can share God’s blessing with others. Often, you find God’s revelation in kind, generous, and loving people acting in God’s name. As you remember those who inspired you, seek to inspire others with the gift of God’s motivating love.
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