Anger, Accountability, and Authenticity

by Ben

I read Psalm 135-137.

Every so often, as I read through the Psalms, I find myself astonished at the range of emotions that the Psalmists go through. "These, our spiritual mentors, had that strong of anger?!" I suppose that this is true for all people, even the closest of God followers. Even Jesus got angry (see Matthew 21:12, Mark 11:15, and John 2:15). Our society (and largely due to the church) has developed the image of a Christian as being quiet, meek, and even timid. We have painted Jesus this way in our minds, so why shouldn't we follow this image in our own lives.

I know that I have felt guilty for my anger. Although, I wonder if sometimes this anger is justified (wc?). Part of me is angry that even though some people hear the gospel and attend church regularly, they don't live Christian lives. Divorce is just as prevelent in churches as it is in the secular world. The same is true of pornography. That's just incredible! We have gotten so comfortable with our "what's works for you might not work for me" mentality, that we are not comfortable with holding people accountable. We don't want to offend by sharing our faith because we wouldn't want someone forcing their faith on us.

If that is our best excuse for a lack of evangelism (not to mention a life lived following Christ), then we are kidding ourselves. It is no wonder that many churches are going back to the ancient practices (the disciplines) and Taize worship is becoming more popular; people want an authentic faith. They want to really connect to God - not just have a superficial connection or a "Just-in-case" religion.

I pray that my work through the church reaches people who haven't connected to God in an authentic way. I pray that I can help show them who God really is. I pray for an authentic Christian life.