Doves On Distant Oaks

Give Me A Pagan Name

There are two ways Christians let the light of the God shine, by what they say and what they do. Unfortunately, a lot of the words spoken by Christians today, and often what they do, can be summed up with a time-worn phrase: hitting people over the head with the Bible.

We must always remember everything that comes out of our mouths, every action we perform with hands and feet, must come with a stipulation—it should come with gentleness and reverence. That means we should always display an attitude of kindness and respect for whoever might hear, read, or see.

Non-believers, whoever they are, however far away they live, and whatever they believe, are not our enemy. So, everything must be in consideration for the background, religion, culture, and attitudes of the people we are trying to reach. This is foundational to the Christian walk.

The problems is that it can be a struggle to accomplish this for many Christians. We are beginning to face an increasingly secular culture. When trying to combat this, the Christian's tendency today is to lobby for Christian rights, implement a Christian agenda, and try to reform culture based on Christian attitudes.

However, regenerating souls on an individual basis should take precedence over ways of codifying behavior based on our moral standards. Though God-given they may be, they cannot be involuntarily imposed. We need to respect other's opinions regardless of faith, or lack thereof.

Of course, there are limits. We must not abide by laws that go against the Law of God. Other opinions end where our conscience begins: "But Peter and the apostles answered, 'We must obey God rather than men'" (Acts 5:29). Yes, we submit to a higher law, but it would be good to understand what that law is. Personal freedom and even our constitutional rights are not necessarily a matter of conscience.

We must separate what makes us uncomfortable or unhappy from that which is our Christian duty. A boss asking us to not wear a Christian themed t-shirt to work because it violates the dress code is not the same as ordering you to lie about a certain business transaction. Wearing an different shirt does not violate any laws of God.

Certainly, we may feel that our personal rights are being stepped on in the first case, but that's hardly a matter of conscience and something that can be fought through statutes other than religious ones. However, asking you to lie is a matter of conscience. It's important for Christians to recognize the difference if we are to be that light of the world. Too often, Christians pick the wrong battles.

Daniel from the Bible is a great example. When he, and some chosen Hebrews, were brought to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar II, they faced two trials. First, they were given pagan names: Daniel (Hebrew meaning "God is my judge") was given the new name of Belteshazzar (Chaldee meaning "Beltis protect the King"). Since Beltis was one of their gods, Daniel's pagan name was a twist on his Hebrew name. Yet, Daniel didn't even blink. The second test was when the King gave them all the meat and wine they wanted to eat and drink. He thought he was doing them a favor, but to this, Daniel objected.

Why accept pagan names, but turn down food and wine? Aren't they either both acceptable or both offensive? But God never made any laws about what the Hebrews should name themselves. He did, however, make laws about what food was acceptable. Daniel did not object to his new name because probably he thought, You can call me whatever you want, as long as God knows who I am. But the food and drink they were given was unacceptable to God and Daniel didn't want to defile himself. That's the difference we all should use in our daily lives when we want to let the light of God shine.

It's not what we want to say and do, but what God has told us He wants.

But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, but with gentleness and respect.

— 1 Peter 3:15

Keywords: God, Laws, Reverence, Respect, Rights

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