Radical or Respectable?

Those two terms seems to be mutually exclusive. Radical means someone who favors making economic, political or social changes of an extreme or sweeping nature (Encarta def.). Respectable, on the other hand, means in accordance with accepted standards of correctness or decency (Encarta def.). So it poses a conundrum at first blush that is hard to resolve.

One of my favorite Old Testament prophets was Elijah. He was radical especially when he challenged the 450 prophets of Baal. Thus he challenged the religious consensus of the community and defeated them as God came through in a huge way by fully consuming his sacrifice. Just prior to this the prophets of Baal failed to do the same when they called on their god. Then I think of John the Baptist who was radical as well as he served as the forerunner to Jesus proclaiming that all people needed to repent as he wore clothing made of camel’s hair and ate locusts and wild honey; hardly a socially acceptable man. Then there was Jesus who chose to dine with prostitutes, tax collectors and other sinners. He had no place to call his home and often slept outside. That does not sound respectable to me either. Yet there was the apostle Paul who engaged the philosophers of Athens in debate about their “unknown god.” He then proclaimed who this God was using some of their own poetry to attract them. Most rejected what Paul had to say but some accepted the message while others needed to think about it and return to the discussion later. Paul, it appears, was more respectable than radical. All these men, however, had a radical message. That message was the same: Repent of your sins and receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior who paid the penalty for your sin on the cross. When you do that you will receive a relationship with God who loves you and has been waiting for you to return to him on his terms, not yours. So I believe God wants us to be both radical and respectable. Peter told his readers to give the reason for the hope they have with gentleness and respect. It is interesting that we find that in a context of persecution. How much more, then, are we challenged to be respectable when we give the radical good news about Jesus to people who need him? I challenge you to be both today.