The Constructive Curmudgeon’s 15 Refusals
January 2nd, 2007 by Stephen
Over at The Constructive Curmudgeon, Douglas Groothuis writes an excellent post listing fifteen things he will refuse to do. Read the post there in full, because below I am just copying his main points and adding some comments of my own.
1. I refuse to waste time on trivia: that means 95% of popular culture.
An excellent starter, but the obvious rejoinder is that we need to interract with our culture to be successful as evangelists – to meet people where they are at. But I presume that is the 5% remainder of the popular culture in his eyes. We don’t need pop concerts and sports games, hours in front of the TV and whatever else, unless it allows us to be intentional with our relationships – understanding the people with whome we wish to share the gospel.
2. I refuse to accept the anti-intellectualism (and even misology) of American evangelicalism.
…
3. I refuse to dumb down anything, anywhere, any time. Instead I will inspire people to rise to the occasion intellectually.
4. I refuse to join those Christians who seldom read or reflect on the Bible. Instead I will read it, reread it, study it, memorize it, and meditate on it.
Absolutely!
5. I refuse to seek no more than “personal peace and affluence” (as Francis Schaeffer put it thirty years ago) for my life. Instead, I will contribute to Kingdom endeavors here and abroad.
And I pray for this kind of resolve.
6. I refuse to tolerate bad preaching, superficial books, or kitschy Christian culture
Hear hear!
7. I refuse to ever play a video game.
I’m not sure I can go that far, although I don’t play video games. They are a huge waste of time with no real benefit. But I know that the day I say I won’t ever play one will be the day before I fire one up!
8. I refuse to waste time on small talk. Instead, I will endeavor to make all my words count for eternity.
My wife would say “typical man” perhaps. I dislike smalltalk too – but I think it plays an important part as an ice breaker in certain social contexts. Particularly so if one of the participants is shy. But small talk that stays small is just a waste of time.
9. I refuse to speak in cliches or outworn adjectives (“awesome,” “cool,” etc.). Instead I will try to find the right word for the right thought. Or say nothing.
10. I refuse to pose. Instead, I will live.
I don’t disagree, but I don’t feel strongly about these.
11. I refuse to accept the de facto deism of so many evangelicals who do not seek God for supernatural manifestations of Christ’s Kingdom …
Once again I find strong agreement.
12. I refuse to confine the Kingdom of God to America.
Not one I might suffer from, I suppose. But in the same vein, I don’t want to be parochial about my faith – except to the extent that I recognise the whole world as God’s parish.
13. I refuse to consign Christian women to second-class status in the church, the home, or the world.
This one could be contentious, and yet who would not agree? The disagreement, I suppose, will be over how women play a full and equal part in our churches, home and world.
14. I refuse to preach only to the choir, to limit my ministry to the church, Christian school, parachurch, and so on. …
Something we do all too easily. We need to reach out to those beyond our church organisations. But this goes back to (1), where I said that we need to be intentional about our engagement with our culture and our relationships with the people therein. I refuse to box myself into a Christian mindset that either makes me ineffectual (being no different from anyone else in the secular world, or else so other worldly that I never *meet* anyone in the world).
15. I refuse to follow any trend simply because it is a trend. Instead, I will seek to discern the hand of God in the world.
And that is very wise indeed.
Finally, a hat tip to Keith Schooley, whose blog pointed out this great post.
