"The greatest enemy to the movement of Jesus Christ is Christianity."

- Erwin McManus

"Not all who wander are lost."

-- J.R.R. Tolkien

I'm a recovering cynic, and always will be.

First off, I'll start with a tad bit of history. Bare with me for a while here....

The ancient school of cynicism was founded in the fourth century B.C. by Antisthenes. The crew had a role model named Socrates, and they liked him. Maybe he was good with cars and girls or something, but what they really thought was good about him was that he was self-sufficient. They all tried to follow his example by getting each other to live in harmony with nature as well as rejecting all civilized luxuries. They didn't care at all about what people thought of them.

The name "cynic" actually comes from the Greek word kynikos. It means "dog-like." It seems that those old school cynics used to hang out together like a pack of dogs ripping it out of the pretentious men and women who they happened to see on the street.

Okay, so after reading all of this, I kept noticing how these guys were known for the way they respected and cared for their environment, turning their backs on our materialistic culture and daring to be different.

In Genesis 18, God sends three visitors to tell Abraham that his aging wife, Sarah, would have a baby. With the guests about to leave, the scene shifts. God considers the nearby city of Sodom and wonders about destroying it. Abraham gets God to agree with him that if 50 good people can be found, the city would be spared. God agrees. Abraham says, "ok, what about 45?" God agrees. 40? ok. 30? yes. 20? fine. 10? Go on, then.

So angels then visit the city. The citizens of Sodom try to rape them and only 4 decent people are found amongst all the inhabitants. The city gets destroyed, just as God suggested it would -- even before Abraham started the negotiations.

On a quick side note, this was the old testament, mind you. And God no longer shows his wrath or judgement on this world.

So here's my question: Why did God go through the motions if he new that Abraham's figure of 10 people being spared was too high and that the city was going to end up being trashed anyway?

So here's the answer: God wanted Abraham to ask, to get involved, to care about the state of his fellow man because that is precisely how we've been made. We're not here to soak up the blessing and ignore the responsibilities; we're not here to be kynikos, pouring out our cynicism and judgement from a distance. Instead we are here to get involved, to challenge, to care, to feel, to ask questions. We are supposed to be like those first Greek cynics.

Isn't there a place for cynicim's good side within the faith? There's value for the sort of mind that stops and asks questions and consistently trys to poke holes in the ever growing Christian bubble. Cynicism can be both a blessing and a curse.
I am willing to put it aside for the hope that God will bring a better tomorrow, and most of the time, my cynicism doesn’t allow for that alternative.

God wants us not to stay silent, but to be involved.

Not just within the walls of Church, Inc., but within our communities.

Right on, kynikos!

Just a video today.

Missional Church