By Matt Friedeman, PhD
February 24, 2005

(AgapePress) - An old Christianity Today cartoon depicted a critic gently chastising the prophet Amos. "Nice sermon today ... but why can't you talk to us about what is right in Israel?"

When Ron Sider, in his new volume The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience, addresses the unconscionable behavior of much of today's evangelical church, by the end of the first several chapters you have just about the same question for him: Is there anything good about the Church today?

Sider thinks so.

But first to reiterate the tragedy. Sider quotes Peter E. Gillquist when he suggests that "All the evangelism in the world from a church that is not herself holy and righteous will not be worth a hill of beans in world-changing power." John G. Stackhouse, Jr., is not far behind in his sentiments: Many evangelicals, he states, are immersed in a Christianity that allows them to lie, cheat, beat their wives, neglect the poor, and live life any way they darned well want to with an attitude of "I'm-cool-'cause-Jesus-loves-me-and-so-I-don't- owe-you-a-thing." Sider's book contains the statistics from the pollsters to prove this case. And it is not pretty.

But, thankfully, there is something right in Israel. There are what George Gallup, Jr. and Timothy Jones have dubbed "super-saints" who believe in the full authority of the Bible, pray and read the Bible daily, practice evangelism, perform works of compassion, are less prejudiced, are politically active, and who exercise a disproportionately positive impact in the lives of those around them.

And how to produce these disciples, or super-saints, in our churches today?

The surprising answer to some: convince them of a biblical worldview. People with this godly outlook on life are dramatically less likely to engage in sexual sin, far more likely to eschew various forms of sin, and more likely to take seriously spiritual habits, including serving the poor and sharing their faith. Explains Sider in a decided understatement, "Biblical orthodoxy does matter. One important way to end the scandal of contemporary Christian behavior is to work and pray fervently for the growth of orthodox theological belief in our churches."

It is not a perfect solution, of course. For biblical orthodoxy that is firmly held intellectually is not necessarily borne out in lifestyle and witness which, by the way, Sider also demonstrates. Marvin Wilson, in his discussion of the Hebrew faith says that "A grasp of so much information was not enough; it also implied a response in the practical domain of life, in behavior and morals .... In short, for the Hebrew, to 'know' was to 'do .... [It] went far beyond mere intellectual activity; it was to act." Without action, Thomas Huxley's observation becomes all too real – some men, he said, are heavy and stupid from undigested learning.

Orthodoxy, in other words, must be righteously applied.

And here's wondering if the real major step would be this: train our disciples in biblical orthodoxy with activity, for activity. Like Jesus did in the context of His band of disciples. Our Savior did not easily countenance hearers of the Word who did not do, substantial theologians who did not act. Salvation and subsequent training in sound doctrine and the activation of gifts and graces for the Kingdom is, one would think, not just Jesus' model of training for world change but a winning program for the contemporary Church.

Use His method across the church, and the scandal Sider bemoans will subside.