Embarrassing, Unmodern and Wicked

With this post, we welcome Simon Kennedy to the Hills Bible Church blog.
You can learn a little more about Simon here.

Douglas Jones, writing in Angels in the Architecture, says the following:

Consider how agitated we get in our rush to assure our Enlightenment lords that scriptural faith endorses nothing so obviously embarrassing and unmodern and wicked as excommunication, the death penalty, patriarchalism, slavery, a young earth, and monarchy, or that Scripture condemns sodomy, public schools, recycling or whatever else might make moderns shake their finger at us. (p. 48)

Now, stay with me here. This describes us. Whatever you think about the list of topics and teachings, we Christians do scurry around trying to defend ourselves from being labelled something so horrible as ‘Unmodern’. Jones goes on:

But the important test here isn’t whether Christianity teaches egalitarianism or an old earth, but what if it clearly didn’t? Would we be embarrassed then? . . . This is a wonderful personal test. Think of the most horrible moral or scientific accusation raised against the Christian faith and then ask, what if it’s true? Would we be embarrassed to stand by Christ? (p. 48)

I think I would duck for cover. I always do. What would you do?

Could we stand firm if every scientific study and political expert denounced Christian truth?  (pp. 48-49)

Romans 3:4 says “Let God be true, but every man a liar.” I pray that the church, that Christians across the world, myself included, would be able to withstand the novelty of being accepted and highly-regarded.

Then, by the grace of God, we could . . . bow on the last day at the feet of Christ on the side of  the unembarrassed.” (p. 57)