You Gotta Walk Before You Can Talk
Armchair quarterbacks usually talk and judge a pro quarterback's performance as if they played the game themselves. The problem is, they usually haven't. They haven't been practicing since they were old enough to walk - training to be a quarterback. They haven't had to face a linebacker or defensive end that outweighs them by 100lbs coming at them like an out-of-control freight train. They haven't felt the weight of responsibility that comes with being the leader of a multi-billion dollar franchise. But they sure do have an awful lot of advice to offer. Check out any football blog during the season to see all this in action. Shoot, check out any sports blog for pretty much any sport to see this in action right now.
Armchair theologians are usually the same and they consider the blogosphere their pulpit to the world. You can tell the ones that haven't experienced much in their walks or haven't walked in obedience to God in certain areas of their lives. They have a lot of book knowledge about what the Bible says, but have hardly any real world experience. Their answers are usually oversimplified, pat answers - the only answers immaturity and lack of experience can offer.
And they are usually the first one to chastise you for something you've done or said that they consider wrong and then offer a couple of proof texts to prove what you've done or said is wrong. THEN they offer you the "right" way (i.e. their way) to avoid whatever grievous sin you've committed in the future. And they do it with "authority" - more like stolen authority - which of course is no authority at all.
I was listening to Crawford Loritz (see the transcript here) on the radio earlier this evening and he told of a friend who mentioned to him that it was interesting how most babies walk long before they can talk. Many (if not most) Christians want to talk long before they've experienced any time "walking" with Christ.
The lesson here is obvious: Walk the walk before you talk the talk.
Armchair theologians are usually the same and they consider the blogosphere their pulpit to the world. You can tell the ones that haven't experienced much in their walks or haven't walked in obedience to God in certain areas of their lives. They have a lot of book knowledge about what the Bible says, but have hardly any real world experience. Their answers are usually oversimplified, pat answers - the only answers immaturity and lack of experience can offer.
And they are usually the first one to chastise you for something you've done or said that they consider wrong and then offer a couple of proof texts to prove what you've done or said is wrong. THEN they offer you the "right" way (i.e. their way) to avoid whatever grievous sin you've committed in the future. And they do it with "authority" - more like stolen authority - which of course is no authority at all.
I was listening to Crawford Loritz (see the transcript here) on the radio earlier this evening and he told of a friend who mentioned to him that it was interesting how most babies walk long before they can talk. Many (if not most) Christians want to talk long before they've experienced any time "walking" with Christ.
The lesson here is obvious: Walk the walk before you talk the talk.
Comments
I think once leaders recapture the essence of true Biblical leadership - which is really "servantship" - then I think we as the church will recapture its role in building God's Kingdom. Until then, we're just building a bunch of "little k" kingdoms.