Back in the day, when I was less faithful and a lot more concerned about what people thought about me, I used to proudly declare, “Christians should be known for what we are for rather than what we are against.” My fellow “backslider” and non-Christian friends would nod in agreement. It sounds so simple right? Surely no one will turn that against us. If we just say nice, non-controversial things, people will be nice to us.
Sadly, reality is profoundly different than my youthful naiveté. I might be able to shrug it off if I did not hear the statement so often these days. I often hear it from Emergent Church leaders or those on the Evangelical Left who would prefer the faithful Church was more accommodating on issues of sexuality and salvation. Yet in most cases the use of this phrase can be chalked up to ignorance and a misunderstanding about the nature of public discourse.
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