I think offense and judgment are two of the most feared things in our culture today. At work, school, and on the street I always hear people discussing why they were bothered by a certain person’s words or actions. For example, if you read any of the comments on any article ever posted, you’ll read all about what offended a particular person regarding what was said. Furthermore, today there is a high value placed on not offending another person. There seems to be an unspoken rule: “I won’t judge you if you won’t judge me.” What that really means is “I won’t say something that offends you if you won’t say something that offends me.”
This is so prevalent in today’s culture of political correctness and has most certainly found its way into Christian living. There seems to be the desire to control what other people think about a certain topic and this goes for Christians and non-Christians. Think about these examples that are sometimes unspoken, but often felt:
I am offended by your actions.
I am offended by the people and the groups with which you affiliate yourself.
I am offended by your political viewpoints.
I am offended by what you just said about sexuality.
I am offended by the language you choose to use.
The list could go on for quite some time. My point is that we are far too easily offended today, which is an issue for Christians especially. Here’s why:
When we place so much value on avoiding offense, we fear convicting our fellow Christians of sin. This is the issue that I have with the conversation today about not passing judgment on others. There is a difference between judgment and accountability; I think we draw the line far too early in this dichotomy, leading to unnecessary offense. Luke 17:3-4 and Matthew 18:15 (and many other passages) give clear instructions and permission to speak to others regarding their sin. This is love: encouraging other believers to stay on a path that honors God.
So, yes, Christians do not have the right to judge others (especially non-Christians) because judgment is for God alone. One day everyone will stand before Him responsible for how they spent this life and that will be the time for judgment. However, Christians do have the responsibility of keeping each other accountable. When we equate accountability with judgment, we have a problem. Instead of shying away from more sins, perhaps we should begin keeping each other accountable for more than just sexual sin (more on this in another post I suppose). We often disregard gluttony, envy, pride, and others.
A Christian attitude towards offense is necessary to effectively handle offense. When we get offended, it is often because our expectations of someone else or of a certain situation were not realized. As Christians, our trust should be only in Christ and not man or things. We should come to expect that man will fail but Christ will always be perfect. Jesus is the perfect example for us regarding this topic. He was often called a “drunkard” and a “sinner” because of who he spent his time with. If we were in his position, we would have undoubtedly been offended by such titles. Yet even when those same people crucified him on the cross, he simply said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Perhaps we should attempt to better imitate his attitude towards offense.
I do completely acknowledge that the feeling of offense is inevitable and that there are situations where it is legitimate. Yet I fear that our culture, frightened by judgment, is negatively influencing Christian relationships. I fear that people are beginning to avoid confrontation completely. I fear that people are expecting things from man that only Christ can deliver. My hope is that we can recognize our culture’s influence on us and work to gather a biblical perspective on where to draw the line between judgment and accountability.
What are your thoughts? Do you agree? Disagree?
Let me know in the comments below - I'd love to hear your thoughts and start a conversation!