After being in Colorado Springs for a while, a major dividing line has become pretty clear… there are those that fully subscribe to the Focus on the Family conservative evangelical teachings and lifestyle… and those that are sick of hearing about it. In reality, there is a huge middle ground, but the anti-Focus on the Family backlash is here. As stated by a bumper sticker in the local area… “Focus on Your Own Damn Family!”
So…. Why does this matter? Well… this is an interesting commentary on the fine line that most churches walk these days. It is one thing to be unapologetic about your actions when it comes to spreading the Gospel. But if those actions cause people to totally shut down to your entire message (the Gospel), then those actions are not building the kingdom. In fact, actions like this (not just by Focus) make it harder for mainline churches to grow and reached the un-churched; or reconnect with those that once attended church but have since fallen away. With such a large emphasis on the ‘in your face’ evangelical push of ‘accept Jesus right now, or your going to hell’ Protestant mainliners find that they must not just talk to new believers about Jesus and His life, but they have to set themselves apart from the kind of evangelical push that has caused many people to be totally turned off from a Christian lifestyle.
In the early years of the Church, spreading the Gospel message was a pretty simple idea. It was a matter of telling people about a Savior and a God that they had not yet heard of. Now, most folks in western civilization have heard of God and Jesus… and have often developed an opinion about ‘those crazy Christians.’
…and yet God’s mission for His Church remains the same. We’ll just have to be smarter about how we respond to God’s call to grow His Church.
Focus on the Family has a number of fantastic resources. Over the years, they have helped countless families across the globe to build a better, Christ-centered, family life. It is unfortunate that the recent 'outspoken' nature of FOTF causes people to be so turned off to FOTF. These people may never take the time to actually see what FOTF has to offer.
DISCLAIMER: This post was meant to reflect my commentary of 'in your face - accept my way right now or you'll go to hell' forms of attempting to spread the Gospel.
Comments