Just when I think nothing can surprise me anymore...
Last month a uniformed police officer, James Crooker, walked into a local coffee shop in Portland, Oregon, to get a cup of coffee. A patron of the shop was telling him how much she appreciated the work he and his collegues did everyday in their community when one of the owners of the Red and Black Cafe approached Crooker and demanded that he leave the premises immediately. He was not welcome in their establishment.
[sound of record player needle being pulled across an LP record album] What?!?
I don't want to over-analyze the Red and Black Cafe, but some things are obvious. Red is the color of Socialism/Communism...black is the color of Anarchism. On their website, socialist-sounding phrases like "worker-owned" and "collectively managed" are displayed prominently on the first page. References to Anarchism are sprinkled generously throughout the site.
I'm guessing that it was the Anarchist leanings of the coffee shop primarily that showed the police officer the door. Anarchism rejects all authority as being "unnecessary and undesirable." And since Law Enforcement officials represent authority, even the police (and especially the police) are unwelcome at the Red and Black Cafe.
The word "anarchy" comes from the combination of words in Greek meaning "no" and "ruler." Thus, Anarchy represents political, philosophical, and even religious ideologies that fight (sometimes violently) against established powers.
This current event is a secular example of its spiritual counterpart. Because some people refuse to acknowledge God's authority over their lives, they decry God and all who represent Him as "unnecessary and undesirable." This is nothing new, though. Psalm 14:1 and Psalm 53:1 both begin with the words, "The fool has said in his heart, 'No God.'" There are always those who want to position themselves as the final authority and even some who are spiritual anarchists.
It's easy to take Anarchists' rhetoric personally...but remember--they're blinded by their deification of humanity. Spiritual anarchists, more precisely, are blinded by Satan. "Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don't believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don't understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God" (2 Corinthians 4:4, NLT).
I think the response and attitude of Officer James Crooker give us a good template for our behavior as Christians. He said, "We have a unique relationship with the community. You're there to protect them but on the other hand they don't know what that involves. Being gracious is part of it....It was not personal. He was being hostile to my uniform."
Oh-h-h-h-h that we as Christians could be that gracious. No doubt, God is gracious toward those who find Him "unnecessary and undesirable"...and aren't we supposed to look like Jesus? Spiritual anarchy isn't necessarily personal toward us, although it is toward God. But oftentimes spiritual anarchists are being hostile to our "uniform" as Christians, which (by the way) hasn't always been up-to-par.
Incidentally, I read a "letter to the editor" in our local newspaper a few months back where an older gentleman and former soldier (WW2, maybe Korea or Vietnam?) was offended at how casually a young soldier eating in a local restaurant wore his uniform. The older man evidently came from the "old school" where the uniform was more than one's clothes; it represented one's respective military branch as well as one's own nation. In similar fashion, our spiritual attire represents our Lord and His kingdom. Let us wear our Christianity honorably. Then, when spiritual anarchists reject us and our faith, they're rebelling against God's authority and not our hypocrisy.
Sorry it's been so long since my last post...
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2 comments:
Great post! Oh, by the way I hope that this Sundays' sermon is longer than last weeks. Because you know I am a Jesus Freak and love those long sermons............God Bless
In Dr. Robertson defense, last week's semon was in fact short, but I heard a lot more than he said. In listening between the lines, I may not be correct; but in that Sunday's bulletin, he had apologized for some things that he had heard and even some things that he had said. Thus, I had "assumed" that someone had pointed out to him that "he" didn't volunteer in the nursery because it wasn't his job.
He made an excellent "point" at the congregation . . . to volunteer. Even though we love Jesus and listening to Dr. Robertson on Sunday mornings, the church needs us, or, it could still be classified as "lukewarm."
When we put on the uniform, we are to be hot as your freakness protrays.
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