Contend Earnestly: The Witness of Christianity

Friday, January 09, 2009

The Witness of Christianity

I know that we will always say, "why can't we be like those people" etc. and it always seems like we live in the very worst times of Christian piety. I also know that there have always been issues with the witness of Christians among the pagan world as shown clearly to Paul's letters to the Corinthian church. I also know that our shortcomings are even more clear today because of the sheer number of Christians in the world and the media who love to portray us in the most negative sense possible. But, I still find this quote from probably the 2nd or early 3rd century one that probably would not be repeated by 90% of the unsaved.

For Christians cannot be distinguished from the rest of the human race by county or language or custom. They do not live in cities off their own; they do not use a peculiar form of speech; they do not follow an eccentric manner of life. This doctrine of theirs has not been discovered by the ingenuity and deep thought of inquisitive men, nor do they put forward a merely human teaching, as some people do...They busy themselves on earth, but their citizenship is in heaven. They obey established laws, but in their own lives they go far beyond what the laws require. They love all men, and by all men are persecuted. They are unknown, and still they are condemned; they are put to death and yet they are brought to life. They are poor, and yet they make many rich; they are completely destitute, and yet they enjoy complete abundance. They are dishonored, and in their very dishonor are glorified; they are defamed, and are vindicated. They are reviled, and yet they bless; when they affronted, they still pay due respect. When they do good, they are punished as evildoers; undergoing punishment, they rejoice because they are brought to life. They are treated by the Jews as foreigners and enemies, and hunted down by the Greeks; and all the time those who hate them find it impossible to justify their enmity.

Anonymous, "Letter to Diognetus"

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey mate. I've been a lurker on your blog for a few months now. Gotta comment and say thanks for this.

I copped a similar thing being a headbanger in the mid/late 80s (Stryper was presented as an alternative to Metallica. WHAT???!)

My music tastes have diversified a lot since then, and a bit of this sort of stuff makes up a part of it. I like the darkness of the poetry with a good beat to carry the words. This stuff is just great (particularly liked Lecrae's take on 1 Cor).

Thanks for heads up :)

Anonymous said...

Opps looks like the comment posted to the wrong post. soz about that.

That was for the music post.

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