#112. Trying to be liked.

Yesterday, I got two very different points of feedback on the Veggie Tales Post. Here they are:

1. This is the best Christian satire I’ve ever seen. Bravo.

2. You are one of the most boring writers I have ever read in my entire life. Personally, I think you should kill yourself.

To both, I say simply, “awesome.” You see, all too often, we Christians want to be “liked.” We want lots and lots of people to enjoy what we do, so we make tiny compromises to make our message more accessible. We soften some of the hard parts of Christianity, we wear away some of the weird stuff, we cling to the middle. Instead of a big, powerful, often wild God, we present a safe, calm, middle of the road God. But that’s not how Jesus was.

Did you ever notice how polarizing he was? There was no middle ground with Christ. People he encountered either loved him and were desperate to be near him or hated him and plotted his death. He was never really “liked.” He created hate in some and love in others but apathy in none.

I called my wife as soon as I saw someone tell me I should kill myself. I was really happy. Regardless of why that person hated me, they didn’t have a boring reaction to what I am doing. They were polarized. And that’s what I want to do and I think it’s what God wants you to do too.