2002-06-13 - 1:05 p.m.
A little ideology on a Thursday

Words of my boss: "There are days when I don't even see you, which is kinda strange."

My reply: "Oh, I keep busy."

Well, I do. Pretty much. Lots of it is tweak-work on the database I've been shaping since February, which I could shelve if anyone needed me to, but hey. It'll be one of the most visible fingerprints of my stay here. I'm also getting better at answering minor help-questions. People smile at me when they see me, in a friendly/appreciative way, instead of "Oh, I'd better smile at the new person" smiles.

It is kinda strange though. Boss-lady also mentioned that she didn't see how the database person employed before made a full time plus overtime job out of database management here, and I pretty much agree; but then, there isn't enough really of what I do, which is only partially that database stuff, to make a full-time job. I know there's a saying about things expanding to fill the space allowed them, but I can't remember it off the top of my head just now.

And now I'm going to get into something that's been bothering me off and on for awhile, so if you don't like preachiness or Christianity, go ahead and bow out.

Are all Christians called upon to be witnesses? And what does that word "witness" mean? The first question is fairly easy to answer Yes; the second, requires (IMHO) a lot of thought. Some people believe it means all Christians should stand out on the street corners proclaiming their faith. Many people also believe that those who say otherwise are ashamed of that faith.

Why? Are all people given equal gifts? Look around; the answer is quite clearly No. God seems to have a fondness for variety. Which leads me to the idea that perhaps not all Christians are led to be public witnesses; I certainly feel no calling towards that end. I am reminded of a pair of verses that seem to point out that if one doesn't have a calling, acting blatantly Christian just to be seen doing so is not a good idea, and is in fact hypocritical:

"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full."

--Matthew 6:5, NIV

"When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full."

--Matthew 6:16, NIV

So what is my responsibility as far as being a witness goes? I've heard a lot of the phrase "witnessing through your actions", and I pretty much agree with that. After all, the spoken word only comprises about 7% of human communication; all the rest is on tone, body language, that sort of thing, and there are verses supporting the idea. Here's one of my favorites:

"Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth."

--1 John 3:18, NIV

However, being conscious of this puts a lot more emphasis on what things you actually do. You know, the whole WWJD? thing. If you do X, what will other people think that means about you and what you believe?

This is where a stumbling area hits. People are all, "You can do X and still be a Christian," ad nauseum, especially in America, the land of Free! and the land of Me! Well, that's probably true, and I'd be among the first to point that out. However, if X is not a thing commonly associated with Christian teachings, then what kind of a witness is that? Not a Christian one, obviously. Not necessarily evil, but not Christian all the same.

"[23] "Everything is permissible"--but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"--but not everything is constructive. [24] Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others."

--1st Corinthians 10:23-24, NIV

So all that, "If it's wrong, I'm hurting only myself" or "But it's fun, and so-and-so agrees" and so forth isn't really all that valid, according to the Bible. The arguments, in and of themselves, have merit ... but they aren't in line with the shoulds of the faith. If it's not constructive or beneficial, in other words, it should be a no-no. It's not good for other people, and it doesn't lead them to see the goodness in you and your beliefs.

Then you take that to an extreme and get the legalists, who would edit out everything in their lives that doesn't have God stamped all over it. Reading material, games, off-color language, jobs, you name it, it's up for censoring. Ach. To them, I would read the following verse:

"[2] Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. [3] They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. [4] For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, [5] because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer. [6] If you point these things out to the brothers, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, brought up in the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed."

--1st Timothy 4:2-6, NIV

Especially verse four. "For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving." Oh, what a tangle!

And so ... I end up with this idea, for my personal belief structure: "Everything in moderation. Give yourself a little lee-way, but don't stray far from the Biblical foundations. Just love God, and keep in mind how everything you do affects other people."

That leaves a pretty complicated grey-space area. It's hard to pinpoint, and it leaves me sometimes feeling both envious and queasy when I run into the black/white folks who are all, "This is So, and All Believers should X (or not X), and I will declare it for all the World to Hear!"

Anyway. Am I right-er than them? Well, it takes all kinds. All I want to be is not wrong.