But isn't there a cowardice in knocking on doors to try and bring the Good News to your neighbors, but when it comes to true evil, eh, none of my business? Safety and ease over courage and potential danger?
Well for one, I can tell you, few things WERE scarier to me than going door to door, or approaching strangers in the street. I dreaded it.
And I can tell you, lots of people were all fired up for the dangerous stuff, only to learn they really were no good at it. (raising hand).
The general rule of thumb is, if you're not any good at the tamer stuff, maybe you shouldn't go into the scary stuff.
Christians in the early centuries were killed just for going about their business, and they may have been brave - but like the Jews in the Holocaust, they didn't have a lot of choice.
Although I personally detest the idea of thinking of Christians as "soldiers of the cross" - mentioned in lots of hymns - lots of soldiers engage in war, but do not come back with Purple Crosses or deeds of heroism. They're not supposed to go looking for glory.
Didn't Jesus risk his life - literally - challenging the emperor? Isn't that what he was crucified for?
Well Jesus frequently said during his ministry that his sole mission on Earth was to give his life as a ransom for many - to the befuddlement of his followers, who saw him as a political figure. And he said things that really riled up the crowds - like claiming to be the Messiah - or even GOD - but the Bible says in one of the instances - the crowd simply moved aside and let him walk away, even though they intended to throw him off a cliff. I suppose when you're the Son of God, you know WHEN you're going to die, and how. Jesus CHOSE the manner and time of his death.
But NO, he did not "challenge the emperor". He did challenge the religious authorities, who could be nearly as dangerous. They coerced Pialte into killing Jesus under the idea that saying he was a king was an affront to Caesar, but Pilate insisted "I find no fault in this man". Until finally, he ceremonially washed his hands, gave them some guards and said "knock yourself out". No, the Romans didn't have a problem with him. In fact, Christianity barely registers in early historical accounts. The Romans despised the Jews, not least because they didn't tolerate anyone else's God and some forty years after Jesus' death, they killed - according to Josephus - as many as a million JEWS. But they killed the Jews - they didn't give a rat's butt about Christians.
What exactly is the Christian's mission?
I think evangelicals would say "to seek and save the lost". And there's merit in that. But I don't see it as convincing people who don't want to be convinced. Jesus' story of the farmer sowing seeds - some of it took root, some didn't. I would probably say to seek HIM. Jesus said all the Law can be distilled into two commands - love God, love your neighbor. I think if you seek God, the rest makes sense.
By the way - I can't recommend enough the series "The Chosen". The first several seasons are free on "Angel" network. I've never seen anything like it. It's not irritatingly treacly like so much "Christian" entertainment ALWAYS is. I found it entertaining - the portrayal of Jesus - very human. For some I know, it's the only religious TV they have any interest in.
