Insults to win scoffers

Being Mocked: The Essence of Christ’s Work, Not Mohammed’s

John Piper has a very recent article in his Freshwords weekly list that struck a chord with me as I have pondered the outbreaks of violence over radical Islam’s response to the cartoons. It also reminded me of some of Derek Webb’s latest album, which I’ll quote in a moment.

I have seen at least two kinds of responses firsthand from people on the news and in the so-called blogosphere. They both revolve around free press, for and against it. But what I haven’t seen is this type of commentary (c/o Piper):

How should his followers respond? On the one hand, we are grieved and angered. On the other hand, we identify with Christ, and embrace his suffering, and rejoice in our afflictions, and say with the apostle Paul that vengeance belongs to the Lord, let us love our enemies and win them with the gospel. If Christ did his work by being insulted, we must do ours likewise.

Or we say with Derek Webb:

I have come to give you life
and to show you how to live it
I have come to make things right
to heal their ears and show you how to forgive them

Because I would rather die
I would rather die
I would rather die
Than to take your life

How can i kill the ones I’m supposed to love?
My enemies are men like me
I will protest the sword if it’s not wielded well
my enemies are men like me

Webb’s latest album (Mockingbird) is making me think through things I thought I knew. This album has taken a bit to win me over, but it’s beginning to.

The best quote I got from Piper’s article was this one:

What does this mean? It means that a religion with no insulted Savior will not endure insults to win the scoffers.