In my opinion, the Best Article of the Year was this March column from Ed Stetzer in Christianity Today.
Highlights:
We’ve become addicted to outrage and it’s killing us.
We have turned outrage into an emotional version of junk food binge-eating — it’s too common, mostly unnecessary, and almost never useful. And, it doesn’t change things for the better.
Rather than seeing our world through the lens of everything that’s broken I argue we should use a lens with four main features:
First, when dealing with others we must be empathetic.
Instead of putting on our best Pharisee fatigues and going to war with people, we start with the view of Scripture, that our world is broken, lost, and in bondage. God’s solution for the world’s sin was not to be outraged but to love, sending Jesus to die for us.
Second, we respond with humility.
In Philippians 2, Paul told believers to be of the same mind as Jesus. And what is that mind?
“He humbled himself.”
The third aspect of our lens is to see people as image bearing.
We value people as created in the very image of God. Even those who hate us are entitled to being treated with dignity. Remember Jesus told us to love our enemies, to do good to those who hate us.
Finally, our lens includes being sacrificial.
We will not win people to Christ by shouting at them online or spending all our energy in protection mode.
…Show the love Jesus shows: compassionate, respectful, and courageous (see Matt. 9:35-38).
Part of the reason why 2020 hurt so much was because it exposed our weakened relationships with God.
A.W. Tozer once said that we all have as much of God in our lives as we truly desire.
Together, let's make 2021 different.
Instead of being a fan of Christ, let's press in and become fully-devoted followers of Christ.
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