Ingrid Schlueter recently posted a short but poignant piece on Christian cowardice. In light of the abandonment by fellow Christians after her resignation from VCY America (and after this utterly horrendous debacle), her recent post holds much weight. Here’s a quote from The Color of Silence:
“You find out very quickly who your Christian friends are when you tell the truth in a difficult situation. Those you have known for decades and assumed were godly Christian friends will abandon you overnight if they stand to lose something by associating with you.”
Christ Alone Wyoming 
I can attest to this. When I tried to show from Scripture that women pastors are unbiblical, my best man from my wedding (in 1978) and one of my dearest friends of 34 years has stopped talking with me.
A former colleague and cradle Catholic has stopped talking with me because I want to show him the Gospel and biblical Jesus.
Truth has a cost – being a disciple of Christ has a cost. The world is not our home and we must be obedient to Christ above all. By His grace alone can we do this.
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Sooner or later, the genuine follower of Christ will feel outright rejection, find themselves under a smear campaign, shunned from their church, perhaps even get fired from their job, because they loved people enough to warn them about the golden calves they bow to, to call them to repent of sin, or because they took a stand which conflicted with the accepted but distorted norm (even in the church). It has happened many times to me. It certainly happened to Paul. And after reading accounts of the Christian martyrs through the ages, I have come to see such rejection should be the norm for the true follower of Christ. But what hurts most is when such rejection comes from close family. Not so much because we seek their approval, but because when that happens, we are deeply saddened because it shows their spiritual condition.
Playing it safe doesn’t cut it:
“Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.” James 4:17
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Can you show me in the New Testament where a Christian is mandated to show people that they are bowing to golden calves and then call those people to repentance?
I’m sincerely asking.
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@Jonny
Off the top of my head – Romans, 1&2 Corinthians, Galatians, Colossians, 1&2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, James, 2 Peter and Jude.
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Jonny:
Since you won’t find “Golden calves” in the N.T., you also won’t find a N.T. mandate to show people they are bowing to them. “Golden calves” is, however, a metaphorical reference to Aaron’s Golden Calf idol which was worshiped by the Israelites in the desert. Thus, it is commonplace today to refer to someone/something which is idolized as a “Golden calf” (metaphorically speaking), and those who are in idolatry are in sin. My point was this: Because we care and love others, we desire for them to be saved. We desire that they turn from sin to obey the Living God. Since Scripture specifically says that no idolaters (hence the reference to “golden calf”) will enter the Kingdom of Heaven (1Cor. 6:9), and if I see my brother in sin I am commanded to seek to restore Him to the Lord (Gal.6:1), as well as to preach repentance which is part of the Gospel (Mark 6:12; Acts 3:19; Acts 8:22; Acts 17:30; etc.), then out of love for the person and obedience to God’s word, we call others to repent.
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I forget who said it, but it went something like this: “If you are going to be a committed follower of Christ, you are going to be lonely because most (so-called) Christians are not willing to do it (commit).”
I have found this to be true in my life as well. “If you go against the status qua, then by all (and any) means you got to go.”
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Thank you for the answers, I read the passages provided.
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Thank you, Pilgrim, for posting this. I am greatly saddened by what has happened to Ingrid. Though I am encouraged when brothers such as you and CD stand up for truth and righteousness despite the cost. Praise God for you and stand firm.
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I can relate to these comments,certainly the loneliness, six years ago the Lord graciously brought us out of our mega church here in Peterborough UK. the church became Purpose Driven. When I tried to tell my friends, why the teaching wasn’t correct. I also realized it was another Jesus/gospel they dropped me like a hot potato, and I have not found any sound fellowship, sadly.
Nina <
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