Part 2<\/a>), Matthew Paul Turner has challenged the all-too-common rhetoric of evangelism which asserts that we merely need to share the \u201csimple\u201d \u201ctruth\u201d of the Gospel with strangers without actually making an effort to love them and speak to their specific needs. While Turner is right to criticize this style of evangelism that is offensive in all the wrong ways (the gospel will always be offensive, but we do not need to give additional offense to help it out), his language seems to suggest a fairly one-dimensional view of those who engage in this style of evangelism.<\/p>\nTurner tells the story of going to lunch with a couple who rather bluntly witness to their waiter while the poor kid tries to work his job and be polite to these overzealous Christians. Insofar as the story is representative of a type of evangelism which prioritizes the subject of the Good News without acknowledging the importance of the recipient of that news (thinking that says, \u201cmy job is to hand someone this tract, regardless of who they are\u201d), the story is a good starting place to discuss what it actually means to share the Gospel. And Turner is certainly right that this couple, Shawn and Katie, were inconsiderate and perhaps even arrogant in their witnessing. That said, I was disappointed to find that Turner\u2019s tone was often quite condescending towards this couple.<\/p>\n
For example, he describes how he made his \u201cbest attempts at pretending to be really interested in hearing more about Shawn\u2019s opinions of what he called the \u2018brilliant theology\u2019 of Ned Flanders.\u201d<\/p>\n
Why was it necessary to give us this information? What do we learn about Shawn that helps us understand why his witness was poor? From what I can tell, all that this quote contributes is the implication that Shawn is a bit of a cultural Philistine. He likes to think that he is hip and edgy because he applies theology and popular culture, but really all we can do is feign interest in his opinions.<\/p>\n
He writes: \u201cOur food arrived, and as they ate, Shawn and Katie plotted as to how they would seal Timothy\u2019s spiritual fate, and hopefully before he brought the dessert menus.\u201d Why this language? \u201cPlotted\u201d? \u201cSeal\u201d his \u201cfate\u201d? Is there no possibility that they genuinely were concerned for this kid?<\/p>\n
Or take this quote from Turner\u2019s second post in which he describes the angry email Shawn sent him after their lunch: \u201cApparently some of his questions were more important than others, because they were in all caps. Most of his questions involved his curiosity about what I believed were Christianity\u2019s absolutes. \u2018THE NON-NEGOTIABLES,\u2019 he called them, the list of beliefs that, according to him, added up to \u2018A TRUE CHRISTIAN.'\u201d What do we gain learning that Shawn used all-caps in an email? The knowledge that Shawn was arrogant and a tacky writer?<\/p>\n
Let me again stress that Turner is right to chastise Shawn and Katie for an approach to evangelism which was fundamentally insensitive and counterproductive. But I would like to humbly and lovingly suggest that there is a more gracious and biblical way to deal with situations like these, one which applies more broadly to all criticism within the church.<\/p>\n
In Philippians 1:15-18, Paul describes two groups who were sharing the Gospel after his imprisonment. The first group shares out of love, the second out of rivalry. But note what Paul concludes in verse 18: \u201cWhat then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice.\u201d Paul publicly rebukes those were preaching out of rivalry by describing their motives as \u201cpretense.\u201d He does not conclude, as some Christians today might have, that since they are proclaiming Christ then he will not speak out against them. No, he very clearly describes what they are doing as wrong<\/em>. However, he takes one more step, a step that is counterintuitive, and says that as long as they are proclaiming Christ, he will rejoice!<\/p>\nThis passage has troubled me for a long time. I would like to say that whenever someone shares the Gospel using a coercive, manipulative, selfish, un-doctrinal, shallow, unsensitve style then they must not be truly proclaiming Christ. But Paul challenges this natural notion in me. He seems to be saying that the better attitude is a complex one: rejoicing and being thankful while still strongly rebuking and condemning. Thankful that just as Christ works through my arrogant rhetoric and mistaken doctrines to bring Himself glory, He also uses people like Shawn and Katie.<\/p>\n
For all my revulsion over theologically vacuous and aesthetically inane Christian movies, music, and t-shirts, I believe that we have an obligation to rejoice in God\u2019s sovereignty and grace. And this rejoicing, if we let it take its natural effect, requires us to \u201chope all things\u201d about those who make such offensive \u201cChristian\u201d works; it forces us to acknowledge the loveliness, beauty, passion, selflessness, commitment, and love which often drives Christians to make really bad art, to proclaim the Gospel through corny bumper stickers, and to annoy waiters with untimely and insensitive questions. If the church in America is to mature out of ignorant, unloving, and unbiblical \u201cfundamentalism\u201d (in all its manifestations), it can only happen if we make the double movement of exhorting and rebuking those who cause offense while rejoicing that Christ is still proclaimed and loving them as recipients of the same grace which covers our own grievous failings.<\/p>\n
I want to thank Dianna and Jared for the Facebook discussion that sparked this post. It is always a blessing to be challenged by thoughtful friends.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"What do we do when our fellow Christians engage the world in all the wrong ways?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1219,"featured_media":11637,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,10,11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11623","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-general-culture","category-headline"],"yoast_head":"\n
Mocking the Misguided: Matthew Paul Turner and Our Brothers and Sisters in Christ<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What do we do when our fellow Christians engage the world in all the wrong ways?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christandpopculture\/2011\/06\/mocking-the-misguided-matthew-paul-turner-and-our-brothers-and-sisters-in-christ\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mocking the Misguided: Matthew Paul Turner and Our Brothers and Sisters in Christ\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"What do we do when our fellow Christians engage the world in all the wrong ways?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christandpopculture\/2011\/06\/mocking-the-misguided-matthew-paul-turner-and-our-brothers-and-sisters-in-christ\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Christ and Pop Culture\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2011-06-09T11:47:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Alan Noble\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Alan Noble\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christandpopculture\/2011\/06\/mocking-the-misguided-matthew-paul-turner-and-our-brothers-and-sisters-in-christ\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christandpopculture\/2011\/06\/mocking-the-misguided-matthew-paul-turner-and-our-brothers-and-sisters-in-christ\/\",\"name\":\"Mocking the Misguided: Matthew Paul Turner and Our Brothers and Sisters in Christ\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christandpopculture\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2011-06-09T11:47:47+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2011-06-09T11:47:47+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christandpopculture\/#\/schema\/person\/08868a891b6ea4b842db4fce67dc4e5d\"},\"description\":\"What do we do when our fellow Christians engage the world in all the wrong ways?\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christandpopculture\/2011\/06\/mocking-the-misguided-matthew-paul-turner-and-our-brothers-and-sisters-in-christ\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christandpopculture\/2011\/06\/mocking-the-misguided-matthew-paul-turner-and-our-brothers-and-sisters-in-christ\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christandpopculture\/2011\/06\/mocking-the-misguided-matthew-paul-turner-and-our-brothers-and-sisters-in-christ\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christandpopculture\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Mocking the Misguided: Matthew Paul Turner and Our Brothers and Sisters in Christ\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christandpopculture\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christandpopculture\/\",\"name\":\"Christ and Pop Culture\",\"description\":\"Where the Christian faith meets the common knowledge of our age\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christandpopculture\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christandpopculture\/#\/schema\/person\/08868a891b6ea4b842db4fce67dc4e5d\",\"name\":\"Alan Noble\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christandpopculture\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b3d4149adb62d3be491438cd7b1abb4e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b3d4149adb62d3be491438cd7b1abb4e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Alan Noble\"},\"description\":\"(Co-Founder\/Editor\/Columnist) is a part-time lecturer at Baylor University. He received his PhD in Contemporary American Literature from Baylor, writing on manifestations of transcendence in 20th Century American Lit. He and his family attend Redeemer Waco, a PCA church. Alan's passion is studying how believers can be a faithful presence in culture to the glory of God and the edification of others. In addition to editing, Alan writes his column, Citizenship Confusion for CaPC. ---Follow Alan on Twitter\u00a0@TheAlanNoble and on Facebook. ---For questions, comments, or interest in speaking engagements please email me at noble.noneuclidean [at] gmail [dot] com.\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/thealannoble\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christandpopculture\/author\/anoble\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Mocking the Misguided: Matthew Paul Turner and Our Brothers and Sisters in Christ","description":"What do we do when our fellow Christians engage the world in all the wrong ways?","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christandpopculture\/2011\/06\/mocking-the-misguided-matthew-paul-turner-and-our-brothers-and-sisters-in-christ\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Mocking the Misguided: Matthew Paul Turner and Our Brothers and Sisters in Christ","og_description":"What do we do when our fellow Christians engage the world in all the wrong ways?","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christandpopculture\/2011\/06\/mocking-the-misguided-matthew-paul-turner-and-our-brothers-and-sisters-in-christ\/","og_site_name":"Christ and Pop Culture","article_published_time":"2011-06-09T11:47:47+00:00","author":"Alan Noble","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Alan Noble","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christandpopculture\/2011\/06\/mocking-the-misguided-matthew-paul-turner-and-our-brothers-and-sisters-in-christ\/","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christandpopculture\/2011\/06\/mocking-the-misguided-matthew-paul-turner-and-our-brothers-and-sisters-in-christ\/","name":"Mocking the Misguided: Matthew Paul Turner and Our Brothers and Sisters in Christ","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christandpopculture\/#website"},"datePublished":"2011-06-09T11:47:47+00:00","dateModified":"2011-06-09T11:47:47+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christandpopculture\/#\/schema\/person\/08868a891b6ea4b842db4fce67dc4e5d"},"description":"What do we do when our fellow Christians engage the world in all the wrong ways?","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christandpopculture\/2011\/06\/mocking-the-misguided-matthew-paul-turner-and-our-brothers-and-sisters-in-christ\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christandpopculture\/2011\/06\/mocking-the-misguided-matthew-paul-turner-and-our-brothers-and-sisters-in-christ\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christandpopculture\/2011\/06\/mocking-the-misguided-matthew-paul-turner-and-our-brothers-and-sisters-in-christ\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christandpopculture\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Mocking the Misguided: Matthew Paul Turner and Our Brothers and Sisters in Christ"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christandpopculture\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christandpopculture\/","name":"Christ and Pop Culture","description":"Where the Christian faith meets the common knowledge of our age","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christandpopculture\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christandpopculture\/#\/schema\/person\/08868a891b6ea4b842db4fce67dc4e5d","name":"Alan Noble","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christandpopculture\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b3d4149adb62d3be491438cd7b1abb4e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b3d4149adb62d3be491438cd7b1abb4e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Alan Noble"},"description":"(Co-Founder\/Editor\/Columnist) is a part-time lecturer at Baylor University. He received his PhD in Contemporary American Literature from Baylor, writing on manifestations of transcendence in 20th Century American Lit. He and his family attend Redeemer Waco, a PCA church. Alan's passion is studying how believers can be a faithful presence in culture to the glory of God and the edification of others. In addition to editing, Alan writes his column, Citizenship Confusion for CaPC. ---Follow Alan on Twitter\u00a0@TheAlanNoble and on Facebook. ---For questions, comments, or interest in speaking engagements please email me at noble.noneuclidean [at] gmail [dot] com.","sameAs":["http:\/\/twitter.com\/thealannoble"],"url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christandpopculture\/author\/anoble\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christandpopculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11623","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christandpopculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christandpopculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christandpopculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1219"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christandpopculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11623"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christandpopculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11623\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christandpopculture\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christandpopculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11623"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christandpopculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11623"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christandpopculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11623"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}