Tuesday 5 April 2016

What's the difference?

Yesterday I summarised the first chapter of Radical, by David Platt. He wrote about how ignoring Jesus' words can result in church becoming quite self-serving, and a Christian lifestyle that is barely distinguishable from the secular lifestyle.

I recently read the following pastor bio on a church website (name deleted):

"____’s heart has been captured by the love of Jesus, who was prepared to lay His own life down [..] ____ enjoys spending time with his wife and young son, sharing a meal with friends, watching a good movie and playing pretty much any sport."

I'm sure the pastor is a great guy, but this bio is the kind of thing David Platt was talking about. First part: Jesus does something amazing for me. Second part: I live a life of family, friends movies and sport - precisely the same as millions of people who couldn't care less about Jesus.

Yes, I understand that these bios are designed to make the pastor look relatable; a person 'just like me'. But I think there's a case for balancing that with showing some sign of a life that is not 'just like mine'. Otherwise, what's the point?

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