“Every prudent man acts with knowledge, but a fool lays open his folly.”
Proverbs 13:16
I once read a bit of homespun wisdom that I have taken to
heart when speaking about my faith. This homely bon mot goes like this,
“If you throw a rock into a pack of dogs, the one which yelps the loudest is
the one you hit”. No one makes more noise than the person working desperately
to deny that which they know to be true.
Jesus pronounced as blessed the faith which produces attacks
of unfounded reviling. “Rejoice and be exceeding glad,” was His advice when
such attacks occur. And why not? It’s just the yelping of wounded dogs that
can’t help their instinctive reaction.
I think Christians should live right out in the open without
apology for what we believe. Compromise is not Jesus’ way. Read the gospels and
see if it is not so. In the same vein, neither do I believe that we should try
to persuade or pressure people. We are to be lights in the dark. A lamp offers
light while chasing no one.
That said, a lighted lamp must look different from the
darkness that surrounds it. I don’t know if there ever was a day where, despite
the call for inclusion and diversity, that looking and believing differently
was so maligned. The church has gotten the message and labors to conform to the
expectations of the society that surrounds it.
This ought not to be. That’s not just my opinion. The
scripture clearly states we are not to be conformed to this world, but be
transformed by a renewing of our minds. This applies to us as individuals as
well as in groups. The scripture also says that not all men have this
knowledge. That is simply a statement of fact. It neither recommends nor
condemns. That is for individual souls to work out to their own blessing or
cursing as free will dictates.
Do not mistake what I am saying here. There is a way that
seems right though the ends thereof are death. The prudent person knows this
and applies themselves to investigation. The fool assumes he must be correct in
“his” truth and plunges ahead to whatsoever he conjures in his heart.
The saint and the sinner are both driven by desire. The
object of that desire determines the quality of their life over (and beyond)
time. Those who deem themselves worthy of world celebration unashamedly lay
open their folly seeking approval. The prudent have found their place in the
Creation and have no need of acclamation or earthly approval.
Maranatha
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