I
t’s interesting that Christians tend to get categorized as either boring or extreme.
I was thinking about that and wondering why it’s okay for fans of the Whitecaps or Canucks to shout and dance after a victory, but for Christians to behave like that in church is considered weird or even fanatical.
Here are a couple of definitions I found of the word fan: an enthusiastic devotee; and an ardent admirer.
We’d think it a bit unusual if the Lions won the Grey Cup for the second year running and were celebrated just with some sincere, controlled applause.
We’d think it pretty strange if Angelina Jolie came to town and people expressed passive, polite interest. No autograph-seekers around; no ogling young men.
So here’s a thought. Canucks players come and go and the team wins and loses. Jolie will have blockbusters and flops and will, like the rest of us, get old. And Christians say they are followers of Jesus Christ.
They say He saved them from hell and gave them purpose and meaning in life.
Now for a definition of hell: the nether realm of the devil and the demons in which the damned suffer everlasting punishment.
Christians say that this Jesus has changed their lives and given them hope and peace.
Now, if all this were true, wouldn’t you think it pretty strange if their “fan behaviour” was passive, polite interest?
Or, at the most, reverent and restrained song and an occasional tapping foot?
If it is true that this One named Jesus is the only way to be saved (more definitions, this time for saved: to be delivered from sin; to be rescued or delivered from danger or harm; to be preserved or guarded from destruction) then wouldn’t it be a bit unusual if His fans didn’t enthusiastically tell others?
Wouldn’t you think that when all the fans of His gathered together it might be a bit enthusiastic?
I don’t know, but I’ve been thinking about these things and realized that if I had the option of being boring or passionate in this sense, I’d rather choose passionate every time.
Brian Robertson is a pastor with the Christian Fellowship Centre and a regular columnist.