Heathen Repellent

Have you been searching all your Christian life for a sure-fire product that will finally keep those pesky pagans away? Well, look no further!

Seriously, though... If you think back to everything you learned about the Church in the era of the Crusades, it's likely that one strong image will surface in your mind: The warrior's shield emblazoned with a big red cross. Let me assure you that this image was also seared on the minds of the Muslims and Jews who were massacred by the "armies of Christ."

It is indeed to our credit that we have since abandoned the literal "armor" of God, now choosing much more non-violent means to spread our faith around the globe.

But despite the absence of sacred blades and holy hand grenades, is it possible that the world can still see a Christian coming from a mile away, carrying the proverbial Cross-Shield? For multiple hundreds of years we've been repelling non-Christians left and right, sometimes intentionally, sometimes not.

I can hear some of you right now (no, there's not a tiny microphone hidden in your ficus plant, so don't bother looking for it.) "But the cross is supposed to be an offense! If I'm turning people off to the gospel, that just means I'm hardcore."

Yes and no. Most non-Christians get turned off before they even get to the real gospel. We don't even give them a chance to be offended by the cross, because we've got our trusty Shield held aloft, a deflector I call Christian Culture.

And this is not just a problem for potential believers. Christian Culture has the power to keep everyone from interacting with the real Jesus. Some examples: Jesus wants us to be a tightly-knit community of extravagant love. Christian Culture gives us a weekly schedule of services and classes with a few potlucks thrown in. Jesus wants us to worship him in spirit and in truth. Christian Culture gives us a music industry that offers CD's to sing (or worse, praisercize) along to for only $14.99. Jesus wants us to be his aroma to a dying world. Christian Culture gives us "Virtuous Woman" perfume.

Now, back up if you think I'm saying that these things are bad. Some of them are pretty funny, but they're not inherently bad. But Milton Hobbs, the creator of Virtuous Woman Perfume represents well the substitutionary mindset that keeps us from ever building an authentic relationship with a non-Christian when he says, "It should be enticing enough to provoke questions: 'What's that you're wearing?' " Hobbs said.
"Then you take that opportunity to speak of your faith. They've opened the door, and now they're going to get it." Or how about the new golf balls with scriptures printed on them. Dave Kruse, the brain behind the balls, said they were meant as "conversation starters, "to help men share their faith while teeing up. An added bonus: Duffers need no longer feel bad about losing a ball in the rough. "If you're playing great, good," Kruse said. "If you're spraying the ball, well… lose a golf ball, share the gospel."

Think about yourself for a minute. Do you want people to become more like Christ, or more like you? Do you toss up cultural (or political, or verbal) barriers that shield the world's view of Christ, or are you giving them a window to his grace? Come on... get real.