Grace Church
257 Kendall Street
Burlington, WI 53105

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Christian Civility in a Really Rude World 1 Peter 2:17 Kingdom Principles in a Political World: Sermon #1 July 20th, 2008 It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost 20 years since the first Home Alone movie with Macaulay Culkin hit the big screen. Most of the people who saw it loved it, raving about how funny it was. But when I finally got around to seeing it, I was troubled by it. For quite some time we wouldn’t let our children watch it. I was literally grieved by the opening scenes of that movie. The family that the movie features was so mean, cruel and unkind to each other. Especially picked on and mistreated was the star of the movie, Kevin. His big brother, Buzz, appeared to take sadistic delight in tormenting and threatening him. His uncle called him names. His mother and father basically ignored him or punished him unfairly when they finally did notice him. And Kevin was far from innocent. He was a disrespectful little brat. To a large degree, the movie showed a dysfunctional family that couldn’t stand each other but yet were going on a very expensive European vacation. They’d have done better spending the money on some serious family counseling. Now some of you are thinking, “Scott, lighten up. It’s just a movie.” Others might say that Hollywood was giving us a slice of life; what went on with the family in “Home Alone” goes on with a lot of families. In too many homes words of kindness are rarely heard and what is taking place in the privacy of the home often runs out into the street, and is continually seen in the public square. What is missing is any sense of civility. Twenty years ago when the first George Bush accepted his party’s nomination for president, he said “I want a kinder, gentler nation.” It was a call back to civility. God’s Word also calls us to the ministry of civility or kindness. Kindness is one of the fruits of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22). The Greek word for kindness is crestos. Here’s something interesting that I learned this week; Crestos is one letter different from the Greek word, Cristos which is the word for “Christ.” When the early church began in the days of the Roman Empire, non-Christians often confused “crestos” with cristos, and assumed that the early Christians who made up this new “religion” were simply people who believed in kindness. That’s not too far from the truth. Anyone who follows Jesus Christ must learn to be a person of kindness. Genuine Christianity must be the “kinder religion” because as believers we are called to the ministry of kindness. Love in action, kindness, is the heart of Christianity. It’s an essential part of the process of becoming Godly. It’s a non-negotiable when it comes to being more and more like Jesus. My Bible is open to 1 Peter 2:17 (p. 858). In a culture much worse than ours, Peter wrote “Show proper respect to everyone…” The Greek word for respect means “value, honor or esteem.” Believers must be vividly conscious of the fact that every human being is uniquely created in God’s image and thus has intrinsic value. Our friend, James, picks up on this, James 3:9-10 (p. 855), “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be!” The cold hard facts are that we who are pro-life and value the unborn, often have little regard for those who are already alive, so much so that we’re often little better than soul murderers in our hatred, disdain and venom toward those who disagree with us, particularly in the public square. Sometimes we’re just hateful and mean. A recent Barna survey found that many young people think of evangelicals primarily as "judgmental" types, hostile toward folks in other religions and mean-spirited in their attitudes about homosexuality. Many young evangelicals share some of these assessments of an older generation. They’re repulsed and embarrassed by the harshness and negativity. This morning we’re starting a new series, Kingdom Principles in a Political World. No doubt some are wondering what I was thinking to launch this series with a message on kindness…or what we’ve dubbed, Christian Civility in a really rude world. Christian civility is foundational for everything we’re going to work through in the coming weeks. We’re wading into some issues that much of the world disagrees with us on. We’ll be sailing into some unchartered waters, talking about subjects where there’s strong disagreement even among believers. Christian civility is vital as we communicate with one another and also as we dialogue with a lost world about Biblical beliefs and principles in the public square. Scripture commands us to be civil even when we disagree. While we won’t solve all of our problems by learning to be civil, I can assure you that we’ll NEVER solve them if we’re not. And a lost world is crying out for this loss of kindness and civility because all of us have an inherent desire for a kinder, more civil world but because the racket is so loud, we frequently fight fire with fire. A lost world is uncivil so we return tit for tat. We “heroize” those who excel at verbal guerilla warfare. Some conservative talk shows are little more than yelling matches with hosts and guests talking over one another…and we do the same. We don’t really listen to those who disagree with us and too often we talk over them. Folks, we will never win a lost world if we do not learn to be civil and kind. On top of that, we dishonor the Lord and hurt the cause of Christ when we are known for our belligerence and bombasticness. Sadly, theologian Martin Marty’s observations are all too accurate. Heobserved that one of the problems of contemporary life is that the people who are good at being civil often lack strong convictions and people who have strong convictions often lack civility. He’s right on target. As believers, we must be people of strong convictions yet we must also find ways of combining passionate intensity with Christlike civility. Our challenge is to be a people of convicted civility. We must know how to practice Christian Civility in a really rude world. If you’re taking notes, then… Jesus is the model of civility. 1 Corinthians 13 says, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. Love is not rude…” (vss. 4-5). In other words, "Love is polite." J.B. Phillips paraphrases this verse by saying, "Love practices good manners." When I was just starting out in the ministry, I was pretty cut and dry…almost bombastic toward people who were pro-choice until I counseled a broken hearted young woman who’d had an abortion. I’m embarrassed to admit that I used to tell Gay jokes until I had a dear friend who’d been saved out of a homosexual lifestyle attempt suicide because his passions were driving him nuts. Dealing with a former Vegas prostitute named Lori who had Herpes and then later, another stripper who was seeking the Lord and who’d been abused, sure made me a whole lot more compassionate toward those who’d tasted the dregs of our society. Gentle Jesus! There is no better label for our Lord as we see Him minister and interact with those who’ve been brutalized by sin…and maybe don’t even know it, like the woman at the well in John 4. Luke 7 has a wonderful story of Jesus’ kindness to a prostitute who wept at His feet. It was Jesus who reached out to the outcasts, Zaccheus and Matthew–both tax collectors, both despised in their culture by their own countrymen. Our Lord was consistently gentle, consistently polite to those who were disenfranchised, detested and treated as the scum of the earth. What an example to us? The ones we’d dodge or shun, Jesus welcomed – the lame, the blind, the leprous, the homeless…even the demon-possessed. Even those who disagreed with Him, Jesus was kind and civil too. Sometimes believers rationalize reacting in anger to contemporary social problems because the Gospels record a couple of occasions when Jesus responded with righteous anger to social issues. But that was unique and the exception for Jesus. Tragically, for far too many Christians today, anger at social problems and issues is the norm. So Jesus is our model of being polite, kind and civil in the most difficult of circumstances. Like our Lord, we must seek to put other people at ease around us…and not just the ones we agree with. That’s means depending on the Spirit to live in us and through us, and Jesus is our model. Every time someone stood in His presence - a sinful woman, a little child, a blind beggar - they always felt at ease and accepted. Jesus treated them with Christian civility. We’re to be civil to spiritual foreigners. I don’t think any Christians would deny that there are “niceness” themes in the Bible, the question is, “Who do we have to be nice to?” Remember the song, “they’ll know we are Christians by our love…” but love toward whom? How far does Christian civility go? In the Old Testament Israel was called to be a very special national community. This same call is applied to the Church in the New Testament. Peter says that we’re to act as a “holy nation” (1 Pet. 2:9). Christians have dual citizenships. While we may have citizenship in the United States or Nigeria or Thailand, we’re also bound together into a transnational, multiethnic community of people whose supreme allegiance is to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. This allegiance gives us our primary “national” identity. So when we think about how we’re to treat other Christians, then we’re addressing issues of “domestic” policy. Stay with me…so then how we relate to unbelievers becomes our “foreign” policy which is why I originally thought of titling this message, A Christian foreign policy. The Bible gives us some clear guidance on “foreign” policy issues. a) We’re to be kind to strangers. The people of Israel were commanded to go out of their way to show respect to strangers. The stranger or alien referred to was typically a person from a different ethnic or religious group. These strangers were to receive kind and considerate treatment. God commanded the Jews, “The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the LORD your God” (Leviticus 19:34). The principle here is that God wants you and I to offer a fundamental respect to others purely on the basis of their humanness, that they too are image bearers of God – whether they’re Christian or Muslim, Black or White, hetero or homosexual, pro-life or pro-choice, rich or poor – all are created in the divine likeness. When we affirm the stranger, we’re honoring the image of God. b) We’re to be a blessing to those around us, even if they’re pagans. Turn to Jeremiah 29:4-7 (p. 558). “Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” Believers, like the Jews, are not natives of this passing world. This world ain’t our home but we’re to seek the welfare and God’s blessing on those around us. c) We’re to be peaceful and gentle. An old hymn goes like this, “Be like Jesus, this my song. In the home and in the throng. Be like Jesus all day long. I would be like Jesus.” Jesus was the model of civility and the early church lived it out. They were peaceful and gentle like Jesus “in the throng.” The New Testament writers gave us instructions on how we’re to treat everyone, all people. Romans 12:18 “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” Titus 3:1-2 “do whatever is good...slander no one...be peaceable and considerate...show true humility toward all.” Let me boil it down. Do you want to know how we are to treat those outside the faith, even those who hold perverse beliefs? How did Jesus treat us before we came to the Cross? That’s how we’re to treat them – because we are Jesus to them. Christian civility is not… This kind of talk is going to scare some believers. Whether we want to admit it or not, many of us have swallowed Christian isolationism hook, line and sinker.   One of the most powerful movies that I’ve seen in recent years was The Village. In this thriller from M. Night Shyamalan, a group of adults have sought to isolate themselves and their families. The tale is a time-warp of sorts, transporting us to a quaint, puritanical community of quilters, candle makers and butter churners mysteriously cut off from human contact but they’re not really in the 19th century. They’re in today’s world but they live on a nature compound isolated from modern society. But they soon find that though they left the world, they also brought the world with them.  Being a Christian then means that we must live with a tension. We’re to be in the world but not of the world. Some don’t want to live with the tension and seek to isolate themselves from the world. The other extreme is just as spiritually deadly. Some Christians don’t want to live with the tension so they allow the world to infiltrate them. They become just like the world. Our Lord is the model. Jesus was in this world but was not of this world. So when we talk about Christian civility we are not talking about… a) We are not talking about relativism. Christian civility does not commit us to a relativistic perspective. Being civil doesn't mean we can’t criticize what goes on around us. It doesn't require us to approve of what other people believe and do. It’s one thing to insist that others have the right to express their basic convictions but it’s quite another thing to say that they are right in doing so. Civility requires us to live only by the first of these principles. It does not commit us to the second. To say that all beliefs and values deserve to be treated as if they were on equal footing is to endorse relativism -- a worldview that’s incompatible with the Christian faith and practice. Christian civility does not mean refusing to make judgments about what is good and true. For one thing, it really isn't possible to be completely nonjudgmental. Even telling someone else that she is being judgmental is a rather judgmental thing to do! b) We are not talking about liking everyone. While biblically we are to love everyone with the love of God flowing through us, that doesn’t mean we’re going to like everyone. Christian civility is not a plea for all of us to join hands and sing Kum-Ba-Ya. I don’t like child molesters. I don’t care for opportunists or those who take advantage of others. But I am to love them and let Christ’s love flow through me toward them.   c) We are not talking about nationalism. This is a bit like the adult child who says, “I have the best Dad and Mom in the world.” We know what they’re saying. There’s a problem though if they mean that in an absolute sense and actually believe their parents are superior to all other parents. There’s nothing wrong with loving America or being patriotic but one’s country does not deserve uncritical loyalty. In fact, nationalism and supernationalism are forms of idolatry. Our first loyalty must always be to King Jesus. d) We are not talking about an evangelistic strategy. Some Christians are nice and friendly like a used car salesman but they have a hidden agenda. They’re not really sincerely friendly. They’re looking for an opportunity to give their sales pitch. Should we be seeking to share the Gospel? Yes. But we’re not to be nice just so we can share the Gospel. We’re to be civil because it’s the right thing to do and honors the Lord. When we’re kind, we’re showing that we truly believe others are image bearers of God and ultimately we are honoring their Creator. Christian civility has its own value apart from any evangelistic or political results it might produce. To become a gentler, kinder and more civil person is in and of itself a way of being more like what God has called us to be. 4. Christian civility means that we pay attention to our behavior. Whether we like it or not, people are watching us. In his book Dare to Care Like Jesus, Pastor Leslie Flynn shares the following story: "A Christian baroness, living in the highlands of Nairobi, Kenya, told of a young national who was employed as her houseboy. After three months he asked the baroness to give him a letter of reference to a friendly Muslim sheik some miles away. The baroness, not wishing the houseboy to leave just when he had learned the routine of the household, offered to increase his pay. The lad replied that he was not leaving for higher pay. Rather, he had decided he would become either a Christian or a Muslim. This was why he had come to work for the baroness for three months. He had wished to see how Christians acted. Now he wanted to work for three months for the sheik to observe the ways of the Muslims. Then he would decide which way of life he would follow. The baroness was stunned as she recalled her many blemishes in her dealings with the houseboy. She could only exclaim, ‘Why didn't you tell me at the beginning!’” What do others see in our lives? Do they see Jesus? Our Native American friends have a wonderful saying, “When you were born, you cried, and the world rejoiced. Live your life in such a manner that when you die, the world cries, and you rejoice.” And that will happen if we let Jesus live through us. Hebrews 12:14 says, “Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy…” Did you catch that? “Make every effort…” This means that there is hard work, real effort. We’re, as some translations have it, to “strive for being peaceful.” That means then that… a) Civil Christians watch their speech. Civil people watch their language. We must hold ourselves responsible for what we say. Parents will tell their children some words are not to be used in polite company. As Christians, we know we’re always in polite company. We’re always in the divine presence. Not a single word escapes God’s notice. He’s always listening. This doesn’t mean we’re to be anxiety filled about our words but we are to be careful. Civil language should be our habit, not something we put on. b) Civil Christians watch their attitude. Hebrews 4:15 says, “For we do not have a High Priest Who is unable to understand and sympathize and have a shared feeling with our weaknesses and infirmities and liability to the assaults of temptation, but One Who has been tempted in every respect as we are, yet without sinning.” Jesus empathizes with us in our struggles and we’re to empathize with those around us. This is a powerful and challenging call! Abortion is wrong and while I believe it’s wrong, I can still empathize with a girl who discovers she’s pregnant. Her parents want her to get rid of the child. Her boyfriend puts pressure on her to abort the baby…and she does. But who am I to look down a judgmental nose at her? While I disagree with her choice, I can surely empathize with her predicament. It means that we need to be curious and put ourselves in other’s shoes. It means that we need to be teachable. It doesn’t always mean that I learn from them but I can learn of them. Any encounter with an unbeliever can leave me with a better grasp of truth. Remember God loves to instruct us from the most unusual sources. Don’t believe me? Balaam learned from a donkey and Jonah graduated from fish school. c) Civil Christians are not Crusaders. If you talk to an atheist about Christianity, they’ll nearly always bring up the masses of people killed in the name of religion, particularly in the Crusades of the Middle Ages. Some years ago a well-known evangelist said in a sermon televised to millions of people that if a gay man ever looked at him romantically, “I’m going to kill him and tell God he died.” Only after many complaints to the network did the preacher apologize for his remark, and then only half-heartedly. David Batstone, a writer for a Christian magazine named Sojourners, writes that he recently he received an e-mail filled with profanity and insults from a reader who took issue with his political views. When Batstone asked in a return e-mail how a Christian could use such profane, violent words toward another human being, the reader responded with, “I can write to you as I like, for you are not a human being. You have forfeited that right; you are nothing but pond scum.” It is wrong for a Christian to be unmoved by a plea for honest understanding and uncaring that they’re unfair in the characterization of their opponents. Like the Crusaders of old, they rationalize that the cause is so great that they must use all means necessary to win. As believers, our first cause must be the glory of God. For a Crusader the cause is the cause and they have to win…even if they leave a wake of bodies behind them. And tragically, a lost world always seems to find a Crusader to post in the media. Crusaders are one of the biggest obstacles we have for the cause of Christ. But we must be cautious here, because when we feel passionately about something, all of us are tempted to be Crusaders. Friend, don’t give in! If that’s your temperament, please find some godly friends who will be honest with you and hold you accountable. They’ll tell you when you are going over the line and seeking to win for a cause rather than Jesus Christ. 5. Christian civility is essential if we are going to honor a slow God. In West Palm Beach, Florida one woman allegedly punched another driver and pushed her out into traffic because this driver stopped instead of trying to beat the traffic light. Too many of us have a “fast God.” Do you have a short fuse? Quick to blow your stack? Then, you’re not like God. Our God is a “slow God.” He’s known for His patience. Numbers 14:18 says, “The Lord is long-suffering and slow to anger, and abundant in mercy and loving-kindness, forgiving iniquity and transgression…” This phrase “slow to anger” is used a dozen times in Scripture. God’s justice and judgment ultimately will come but for now He is longsuffering with mankind. Our Mennonite friends have a wonderful phrase that’s helpful here. They say that we are living “in the time of God’s patience.” For God’s own good reasons He’s not yet ushered in His eternal Kingdom. He is presently showing patience toward the human race, providing the unsaved with the opportunity to repent and the saved with the opportunity to learn the ways of obedience and to grow in His grace. I don’t know about you but I am truly thankful that we have a “slow God.” Conclusion: One day a student asked anthropologist, Margaret Mead, for the earliest sign of civilization in a given culture. The student expected the answer to be a clay pot or perhaps a fish hook or grinding stone. Her answer was, “a healed femur.” Then, Margaret Mead explained that no healed femurs are found where the law of the jungle, survival of the fittest reigns. A healed femur shows that someone cared. Someone had to do that injured person’s hunting and gathering until the leg healed. The evidence of compassion is the first sign of civilization. Evolutionists believe in the survival of the fittest. For them, it’s a dog eat dog world. For us it must be an image-bearers caring about other image-bearers world. We must be committed to kindness and civility. So how do we maintain civility when times are tense, the stakes are high, and our convictions are so strong? Let me end with some practical insights. 1) We must accept the fact that disagreement between American citizens, and even between American Christians, is inevitable. We need to stop thinking of the people who agree with us as the “good guys,” and the people who disagree with us as “the bad guys.” We’re all sinner for whom Jesus died. 2) We must remain civil in our politics and show respect to those who disagree with us. To quote Peter again, Show proper respect to everyone. So how inclusive is “everyone?” In politics everyone includes Democrats and Republicans, political allies and political opponents, those who support the war in Iraq, and those who don’t. Everyone includes the pro-lifer and the pro-choicer, the hetero and the homosexual. Why is respect mandatory? Because every person is made in the image of God. No person, no not one is “pond scum.” Every person, even that man or woman diametrically opposed to you on every moral and political issue, is someone God loves, and someone for whom Christ died. 3) We must promote civility by avoiding judging others in inappropriate ways. Jesus said, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” This particular verse is often misunderstood. Jesus is not saying that we should not discern between good and evil people, and evaluate different political philosophies and approaches. In fact, Jesus judges the scribes and Pharisees later in this same chapter to be “false prophets.” Nor is Jesus saying that we should not be direct and firm in responding to evil, because He certainly did. But what we must never forget is that unlike Jesus, we’re sinners saved by grace. Before we start removing specks from the eyes of others, we’d better get our own eyes examined to be sure all of the two-by-fours are removed. Case in point—that same television evangelist who declared he would kill gay people was arrested several years ago for prostitution. If Jesus had a moment with that preacher, He’d likely be saying, “Brother, before you start sweeping the sawdust out of the eyes of others, you better get rid of the pile of two-by-fours in your own eye!” Given our own foibles and flaws, we need to always practice our politics “in the shadow of the cross.” That means before I launch into some political diatribe, I need to remind myself I too am a fallen sinner saved by grace and that I too see through a glass darkly. From Jesus I learn that whatever activism I get involved in, it must not drive out love, kindness, humility and civility. Otherwise, I betray the kingdom of God. If we promote the kingdom of God with all our might but lose our love and humility along the way, if we make the right point the wrong way, we betray the kingdom of God and are not living like Jesus. We are to act with Christian Civility even in a really rude world.