It was one of those days. A successful Christian leader had been exposed in a double life and exposed on the internet. He was not the first and would not be the last. But the frequency of such anti-testimonies struck me. Along with the grief was a small opening for shame about the church's reputation in the world. For who is not ashamed of having dirty laundry hung out for public viewing?
There are days when the church is publicly shamed and its many faults, sins and human failings are exposed. And one can become discouraged and ashamed for the church. It is for such moments that Paul whispers his words: do not be ashamed of the gospel. Do not be ashamed of the Lord Jesus Christ. Do not be ashamed of his servants and those who pay a price for following and confessing him.
When discouraged by shameful things, we are encouraged to look elsewhere. Toward the Lord Jesus himself. To him first and foremost. Because when our gaze rests in his loving, saving gaze, we have hope that he is so much greater than the anti-testimonies of time.
The good testimonies. About people who follow the Lord, even when it costs something. Of lives transformed by the gospel and the presence of the Spirit. About something that bears through suffering. Good testimonies create something other than shame. They create a fragrance and help you to lift your head again with a kind of humble pride. Encountering the testimony of the struggling and suffering church has the effect of strengthening faith for me. It models a faithfulness that calls me to remain faithful myself. It strengthens me to endure with the Lord who endures with me.
In an age of snap judgments and bad stories, it becomes important which testimonies we choose to listen to. Let's distinguish between what builds up and what doesn't.
Ole Backer Mogensen is a parish priest in Græsted.
