Guest Writer - Ken Hekman Writes about Faith Under Fire

My good friend Ken Hekman writes a column for his local church called Faith Under Fire. This past issue he wrote the following. I thought it was good and since this is my blog, I have posted it here. Enjoy!

Fraternizing With The Enemy By Ken Hekman

Evangelism isn't one of my gifts. I think it's rude to introduce discussions about faith unless the listener shows some curiosity or readiness to hear about who God is in my life. I think it is far more effective to earn the right to talk about such intimate and important things by building a trust relationship and being asked about my reason for living. Perhaps I'm an evangelical more than an evangelist, but at the same time, I am troubled by the brokenness I see around me in the lives and cultures with which I interact. Christians have something to offer.

There is something inherently wrong in the way many Christians view non-Christians. Some of us have a tendency to see them as needy, impoverished, and inferior. We might be patronizing or even colonial in our attitude, conveying that somehow there is an imbalance of power in this relationship. They need to be conquered, won over, even if it means forcing a discussion about faith matters before mutual trust has been established. I'm not sure where this view comes from, but it is reminiscent of the medieval crusades, and it is just as wrong now as it was then.

But many evangelicals have a dilemma. We stay pretty comfortable in our circle of Christian friends - at school, at church, and even at work. We tend to flock with birds like ourselves. Think about your friendships and acquaintances right now. What percent of the people you have trust relationships with are not Christians? 50%? A quarter? Less? It's pretty difficult to have a Christian influence in the culture unless you mix it up with people.

A friend of mine is a Christian physician who answered the call to be a medical missionary in Africa. He raised support from churches back home, then moved his family to a major city, responding to an invitation from a particular hospital to establish a medical residency and to mentor medical students. After a year of frustration, he finally concluded that the hospital wasn't interested in medical training after all. About the same time, he was invited to join the faculty at a Muslim hospital in the same city. He explained that he needed to be able to pray with his patients because he got better clinical results when he did. They had no objection and actually applauded any effort that would improve clinical outcomes.

Back home, some of his supporters were suspicious. He was accused of "fraternizing with the enemy." Yet there he is, behind enemy lines as it were, ready to share principles for living handed down by the Great Physician, ready to answer questions about why he gets clinical results when other methods fail, and ready to explain why he's there. He's earning the trust of people that experience brokenness unimagined by the comfortable Christian communities back home. He's close enough to provide a healing touch, which is something the folks back home have difficulty comprehending. Is he consistently comfortable? No. Is he sometimes lonely? You bet. But is he doing what Christians are called to do? Without a doubt!

If we're serious about making a difference in our culture; if we're intentional about answering our calling; if we're committed to sharing the hope that is within us, we have to get outside our comfort zone and "fraternize with the enemy." Is it risky? Maybe, but what have we got to lose? That's faith under fire.

Comments

[Jan]

Very good article. Isn't it sad that we are accused when we are making friends and being genuine with the "lost"? We were recently caught (by fellow church members) at a neighbor's house, they were actually having a birthday party and we were invited. There was a transvestite there. People were drunk, too. You know what, though? They actually asked US about our faith, sitting around the dinner table. There we were forming our own "bad reputations" just like Someone who ate with tax collectors and let prostitutes bathe his feet with perfume. I can only HOPE to be more like him every day. Blessings to you and yours on this Resurrection Day!