Christianity has many heros of the faith. People who have grown beyond their rotted corpses, to a larger than life existence where they are no longer mere men, but are revered like the gods of ancient mythology.
Their legacies are held up as examples to follow. Their writings are the prized possessions of masses of young, aspiring theologians and pastors. Their morals, uncompromised; their discipline unmatched.
Hold Up.
Why, oh why, do we fail to remember the whole story. In all of the praise and admiration for these geniuses of old we forget of the great atrocities committed in the name of Christ... Great attrocities committed by some of these very same god-like men.
I understand that ideas do not equate personhood. When a guy with great ideas about how to solve world hunger problems is convicted of having kiddy porn on his computer, his ideas remain great even though his person is marred with moral corruption. So when we have men who have written great works about God and His revelation, we should not toss out their works, even in spite of the great atrocities they comitted or endorsed.
I have heard it said that these great men, as great as they were, simply had blind spots. They were human!
Alright. I understand humanness... Believe me, I have a firsthand understanding of it. But humanness does not justify actions. I am left unwilling to associate myself, or my Lord, with the horrendous things done in His name.
If all labels must point backward to men and movements of old that bringing a clear and marked fallenness to the image of my Holy God, then I will not be labeled. I will serve Him label-less. As I serve, I pray that all of the imperfections that I bring to the picture would fade, leaving the image of a Holy God to any that may see me.
Monday, May 15, 2006
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