Scared Straight?

Jim was taught that the world was a terrible place, that dangers lurked everywhere. He was taught that God is an angry deity who must be feared, that the Devil is a powerful threat, who is waiting to pounce. Jim is afraid and feels powerless in an environment of uncertainty. As a result he builds defensive walls in his life and only relates to people who think and act like he does. He is isolated, alone, and convinced that everyone is 'out to get me.'

Sam was taught that the world was a beautiful place created by God for our enjoyment. He was also cautioned that the world contains real dangers and that a wise man knows the way to minimize the impact of those dangers on his life by inviting the Holy Spirit to guide his life into good places. He learned that God is a loving Father who demonstrated His care for us through Jesus Christ; and that He seeks the best for those who love Him. He knows, too, that the power of evil is diminished, by doing good and living in the love of God. As a result Sam lives joyfully, hopefully, and effectively engaged as a godly influence in his world.

Which kind of world do you inhabit- a fear filled one like Jim, or a Spirit-filled world like Sam?

I watched a documentary film last night called "Jesus Camp." It follows a group of children from their local church in Missouri to a week of Christian camp in an aptly named town, Devil's Lake, North Dakota. (I'm not kidding on that point.) The children are indoctrinated with a fear-based theology that is interwoven with a paranoid world-view. The film made me deeply angry as I watched young children (ages 9-12) being scared to death, their emotions manipulated by leaders who were in the grip of their own fears of the world. These little ones were subjected to political rants filled with apocalyptic views about the imminent destruction of America which left them obviously shaken and weeping real tears of terror! There was no evidence of a true God-confidence. What a twisted presentation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ! But it was all too familiar to me as I've experienced it and seen it up close and personal so many times in my own life.

Preaching a fear-based Christianity is not a new thing. For the two millennia of our faith, there have been those who majored on Hell and the Devil. Why? Because, at first, fear is a powerful motivator to change. If a preacher can make the fires of Hell hot enough, he can scare people into a confession of faith. Fear also bonds people together, getting them to stick with the Church. Give them a common enemy, the Devil (or abortionists, or homosexuals, or liberal judges, or Muslims) and they will overcome their differences to fight the feared enemies. But the downside of fear is its diminishing returns. Anyone who lives with fear, over time learns to adapt to it, to turn it off. That's why fear based Christianity ultimately fails to keep people living for God. Hell fade into the distant future. In time, the boogeymen in the world and even the Devil himself, no longer produce the same levels of fear.

That's why Jesus does not drive people to God with fear.
He calls them to God with love!

Over time, love deepens into maturity of faith, and as a person walks with God, it intensifies. To be sure, Jesus recognizes the reality of evil and the fact that people who rebel against God will perish, but that is not His major theme. Jesus' Gospel is not so much a defense as an opportunity. He says, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." (Matthew 11:28-29, NKJV) Here's the way The Message (a contemporary paraphrase of the Bible) reads - "Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you." (Matthew 11:28-29, The Message)

John reminds us that love perfects (completes) us. "God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world. Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. We love each other because he loved us first." (1 John 4:16-19, NLT) How can we miss this wonderful truth? How can we give up the rich promise of acceptance for a paranoid fearful experience of 'faith?'

Don't let your Christianity be shaped by fear! Study the story of the Prodigal Son (or as I prefer to call it, the story of The Waiting Father) and let the Word and Spirit convince you of God's gracious favor. To be sure we live in a world where the Devil rages and where evil men seek destruction - but we are not afraid because "You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." (1 John 4:4, NKJV)