Blogging through...Sharpening the Cutting Edge #3

After the bulldozer incident (Blogging through #2), John was taken to prison, under a serious threat of execution. One thing to take from that is the inspiration, of being willing to risk imprisonment and execution for our faith, for the good of others.

But it was Glena's response (John's wife) that really struck a note with me. When she was told by a reporter that her husband was in prison and could be executed she said, "Praise the Lord".

Oh, for a faith like that.

She was of course not glad that John was in danger, but she said, "he's always preached this commitment to human need and rights, and now he has the privilege of living it."

Would we respond like that?

I think we often think of what we ourselves would do if we were in danger because of our faith or standing up for others. That's one issue. I'd like to think I would not back down, that I would value the lives of others and my love of God over my own physical wellbeing. I would hope I could cling to the certainty of eternal life with God over my temporary physical life.

But what do they do in all those movies when they really try and get to someone? They go after the people they love.

What would I do when someone I love was in danger? Would I be able to say "Praise the Lord" because they have the opportunity to live out their faith, even if it means their death? And when I said "Praise the Lord" would I mean it, or would I be fall apart inside?

I don't know. I guess you can't know, until it's tested.

But if I crumble at the first sign of trouble in my life that is relatively extremely safe, I wonder how strong will I really be when the big stuff comes. (And I say when, not if.)

While I am here in my nice, safe life, I will practise my faith and build that muscle. In every situation, I will say "Praise the Lord".

Blogging through... Sharpening the Cutting Edge #2

I don't know about you, but when I imagine defending my faith and standing up to injustice I imagine the 'other' people being those who aren't called Christians, those who believe something different to me.

I forget that a counterfeit that is labelled the real thing can be even more dangerous.

John describes an encounter in the Philippines. The mayor of a village was bulldozing villagers houses for his own building projects. John and others with him ran in front of the bulldozers and attempted to disable them. That was when a vigilante pointed a rifle at John. But it was the t-shirt that drew his attention. The man pointing the gun and supporting the bulldozing of villagers homes wore a t-shirt reading "Kill a Communist for Jesus".

These people who called themselves Christians also later used scripture to justify asking these people to turn in those who had supported their opposition of the corrupt mayor.

It should remind us that our faith is not defined by going to church or knowing Bible verses, or by calling ourselves "Christian" - it is defined by our actions, our beliefs and the love of Jesus acted out in our lives. It's about a real encounter and relationship with God - because without that we open ourselves to twisting even the words of the Bible to suit our own purposes.

And isn't that what the devil loves. A counterfeit that looks like the real thing. The boundaries between the Truth and a warped version can get so much more blurry, than if we compare our faith to someone who believes something completely different.

The truth is not just knowing the words - even the devil knows the words. The Truth is Jesus. The living Word is Jesus.

Blogging through...Sharpening the Cutting Edge #1

With a name like Sharpening the Cutting Edge you would expect John Smith to give it to us straight, and he doesn't disappoint. Which is refreshing. I even see it in myself - a tendency to get too concerned about being offensive or saying the wrong thing or being misunderstood that I dull the blade of what I really think. But sometimes things become so safe and palatable that they've lost any meaning.

And so do our lives become insular and sheltered from what is really going on.

The first thing that really got me as I read this book was the sentence: "But how many people deny themselves chocolate on the basis that a large proportion of the world's supply is produced from cocoa farmed by slaves?"

I felt sick.

I had never bothered to think about it. I can't excuse myself for lack of knowledge - I'd heard about it and the information is not hidden had I looked for it. But I had chosen not to care.

Do I need chocolate that much that I don't care if people are in slavery to produce it?

We joke about being addicted to chocolate, needing our chocolate fix... but when we really think about it, how pathetic are we, relying on a sugary luxury to the detriment of others. It's chocolate. Not water. Not medicine. Two things which many people are denied and yet we value a confectionary product and our own taste buds over those things.

We look back on the abolition of slavery in the 19th century and applaud those who stood in opposition to the status quo and stood up for human rights. We probably imagine ourselves being those people - because we are at a safe distance from those events. No one can actually call us to action on that issue. And yet most of us probably sit on our couches eating chocolate quietly ignoring the fact that slavery is still happening.

This was my first introduction to John's book. It must have shocked me so much I didn't dare pick it up for a while after that, because it was months ago that I read that sentence.

Take the quote on the back seriously when it says, "This book is dangerous in the righteous sense of the word. One simply cannot read it without feeling the ground on which one stands being shaken..." (Alan Hirsch)

So with that in mind, I read on with trepidation but excitement. I love a good ground shaking....

Blogging through "Sharpening the Cutting Edge" by John Smith

For a man with the most unassuming name possible, John Smith has certainly had one H-E-double-hockey-sticks of a life.

From the cover of his book, it introduces this fascinating and challenging man as the "founder and Executive Director of Concern Australia and the founding President of God's Squad Christian Motorcycle Club of 35 years.... He is as much at home talking to business leaders, academics, church leaders, politicians and the media, as he is with school children, university students, the poor and marginalised, and outlaw motorcycle club members."

I heard him speak at my three day chaplain's conference earlier this year. There was some controversy as a few people were perhaps offended when he shouted at as during one of his talks. But I, for one, loved it. I think we need people who are not afraid to give it to us straight; who don't care if they make us uncomfortable; who, in fact, use discomfort as a powerful tool.

But it has taken several months to actually get around to reading his book. Perhaps because I knew it was going to be challenging, so I put it off.

I'm going to blog my way through it, commenting on the things that stick out to me. I've barely got through the first two chapters and already I've felt convicted, uncomfortable, near tears, and profoundly inspired.

Get ready for a bumpy ride.