MishNULL SchmishNULL

[NOTE in advance: no, I am NOT a hyper-Calvinist; I am not a Calvinist, period. But yes, the Bible does teach election. Look it up.]

In the same way that as a new Christian, eons ago, I got fed up to the gills with Evangelicalese ("I wanna encourage you to..." "Thanx for sharing that with us," "I felt convicted," "If you feel led," and such), I am sick to death of hearing the term "missional." The latest bout of it that I encountered was @ a comments thread where someone (albeit well-intentioned, yes) was insisting that if we just spent more time with the "unchurched," they'd see that Christians aren't the Medusas that unbelievers [coached by the media] perceive them to be, and then, they'd be more likely to want to come to Jesus. (Uh, election, anyone?)

To which my retort is: horsefeathers. My experience is this: if you're relaxed and not "holier-than-thou" (what I like to call "authentic"---not to be taken here in the Emergent sense), then The World says you're not holy enough, you're not "other enough" to claim to be a Christian. On the other hand, if you do stand on your Christian distinctives (say, not laughing at dirty jokes, or admitting that you don't even own a TV, or that you never go to movies----all without making a big deal about the respective issue), if you do try to walk in the Spirit, WELL! Then, you're "anally retentive," "stuffy," "rigid," "narrow-minded" or "old-fashioned." Then you hear things like, "Chill out!"

Can't win.

Besides that, what do I have in common with unbelievers that would make me want to spend time with them---or them with me? Sure, at work, I can exercise professionalism and "as far as it is in your power, pursue peace with all men." But once my responsibilities are behind me for the day, in my scant free time, I need to recharge in profitable ways, rather than being dragged down even more by the emptiness of The World's mind and ways. The "company" of unbelievers is draining.

As one last thought in this regard, notice 2 crucial items in this passage by Peter: "always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you..." First, the unbeliever is initiating the spiritual conversation, and even more importantly, the thrust of the Greek verb for "asks" is that of someone so keen on an answer, they are as it were gripping you by the collar for your reply. In other words, the idea here seems to be an unbeliever who is probably one of the elect---i.e., a future believer, and God has whetted the person's appetite for whatever it is you radiate.

This approach is TOTALLY opposite the usual Evangelical/fundy/dispy obsession with "witnessing" and "getting decisions." Hey, and while we're at it, the so-called Great Commission was made to the guys Jesus sent out to start the church. The Amish seem to be the only Christian group that have this aspect right: they don't subscribe to the erroneous notion that every believer is being addressed by that passage where Jesus is giving the command to "make disciples." As the Amish so sensibly say, "Anybody can pick up a Bible and read it." AMEN.

If you disagree, tell me just one thing: why is the rest of the things He said to His Disciples not then still valid as well (like speaking in tongues, treading unharmed on snakes and scorpions, picking up serpents, drinking poison unscathed, healing the sick by laying hands on them [and for the record, no, I am not a Pentecostal or Charismatic, heaven 4bid])?