Fanatics and Faithfulness

September 29, 2011 By 1 Comment

I had the chance to hear Tim Keller speak last weekend on “The Gospel in a Pluralist Society.” It was a great talk, in which he referenced theologian Lesslie Newbigen’s book by the same name. At the end of his talk, someone asked whether Christians must be fanatics. He replied by saying that the people we think of as “fanatics” tend to be fanatical only about one part of the gospel. They might be fanatical about the cross, for instance, without being fanatical about loving their neighbor. Or they might be fanatical about the proclamation of the gospel without being fanatically humble and devoted to serving others. For any Christian who is committed to the whole gospel–to everything that Jesus taught through his words, way of life, and through his death and resurrection–fanaticism isn’t really an option. Or perhaps there’s just a particularly Christian way of being a fanatic. If so it means radical commitment to the truth-telling, grace-filled, humble, loving way of Jesus. It means Faithfulness.

What is your experience of Christianity? Fanatical or faithful? Arrogant or humble?

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About Amy Julia Becker

Amy Julia Becker writes and speaks about family, faith, disability, and culture. A graduate of Princeton University and Princeton Theological Seminary, she is the author of Penelope Ayers: A Memoir, A Good and Perfect Gift (Bethany House), and Why I Am Both Spiritual and Religious (Patheos Press).

  • http://www.facebook.com/deusami Patricia Crews Tice

    I have seen Fanatical and Faithful, I have been arrogant and humble.

    I judge my own Christianity by how Christ-like I’m becoming (and it’s a hard assessment at times). I believe it was Luther who said that he who preaches all of the gospel except that which is the pressing need of the time has preached nothing at all. There are times when we must be fanatical because we are called to be salt and light in decaying and dark places. That doesn’t mean we need to be ugly about it–just shine. A dear friend, Steve Brown, is known for saying, “I believe that every time a pagan gets cancer, a Christian gets cancer so the world can see the difference.” I don’t know that it’s a one-to-one correspondence, but he makes a good point. Part of our faithfulness is living through the issues of our time in a Godly and understanding way.

    On my right sidebar is an ad for the movie, Courageous. I’m sure there are many who will say that it was made by that fanatic Christian group down in Georgia. I haven’t seen it yet, but I know that the group unashamedly proclaims the gospel as the only way to truly succeed at real life with all its struggle and grief. To me that’s faithful and true.