Have you ever had anyone say to you, "My faith is a private matter. I don't feel comfortable talking about it with other people?" Many of us respect that because we live in a society which places a high value on individualism. However, God never intended for our faith to be a personal, private matter.
Deuteronomy 6:4-8 says, "Hear O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your sould and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates."
Authors Craig Bartholomew and Michael Goheen summarize this passage well: The LORD intends that he should instruct Israel in every area of life. Only then will Israel truly become a light to the nations. "There is not a square inch of life which he does not say, 'That is mine!'" Religion is no merely private affair: the LORD wants his law (torah, "instruction") to permeate every part of his people's experience. His words should frame the personal life of each individual (being present in the mind and the heart, whether one is waking or lying down). They should shape the thoughts and actions of all his people, each day of their lives (being present on both the "forehead" and the "hand"). The torah claims both family life and public life. Upon leaving the house one sees God's words of instruction written on the gate. Upon returning, one sees them again, written on the door of the house. (The Drama of Scripture, 77)
So, the next time someone tells you that their faith is merely a private matter, you should challenge them on that with Scripture. Our faith in Jesus should be both private and public. Christians have the ability to do great harm to the world when they withdraw from living out a public faith. Christian bubbles need to be popped!
4 comments:
Bryan
OK, maybe I'm a jerk, but whenever says to me that their faith is private, I want to throw the BS flag on the field and charge them with a 10 yard penalty. 'My faith is private' is the dumbest thing people say. It makes no sense to me.
If your faith (belief system)defines your worldview, and your worldview pretty much defines how you act and relate with people, then how can your faith be private? Maybe you won't talk about your faith, but the evidence of it (or lack of it) will be manifest for all to see; ergo (I always like using that word!) your faith is indeed public, like it or not.
What people are REALLY saying when they say that their faith is private is: 'I'm not really living my faith, so if I don't tell you about it, you don't have any frame of reference to judge my actions vis-a-vis what I say I believe.' It's a way of hiding hypocrisy.
Oooo... I love to get off a good rant once in awhile... :)
John V
Maybe people have such an intimate relationship with their faith(like that which we have with our wives)that there are some private issues. Maybe we should lean in to this thought and work to make our faith more private. NOPE! I'm a jerk too. Do you remember your last conversation with a new Christian? Their faith will mature, but every thought they have is to share what they've discovered. I'm with you John.
Do you guys think that it is possible for people to make their faith TOO public?
Gents
Hmmm... I guess to answer that we have to define our terms. If by saying 'making our faith public' we mean accosting people and telling them that they need Jesus or they're gonna burn, while living a life that is undistinguishable from the world's, then yeah, maybe that's being too public.
On the other hand, if we live our lives by our beliefs to the best of our ability without apology, and that opens doors where we can share with people what we believe and who we believe in, then I'd say absolutely not!
John V
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