Greg Boyd was asked one time whether he
had experienced any pushback over his beliefs and how he responded to it. Here is part of his answer:
“My first encounter with the “backlash”
you mentioned took place in the mid-90’s when John Piper launched a public
crusade to get me fired from Bethel University and to have my church kicked out
of the Baptist General Conference on the
grounds that I was a “heretic.” There
were also attempts by some to force publishers to stop publishing my books and
for Christians to boycott bookstores that sold them. Hundreds of pastors signed
a petition to get me fired, with only one of them taking the time to ask me what
I actually believed and why I believed it.
“Being the sinner that I am, my initial
response was anger mixed with a little fear. But it wasn’t too long before the
Lord got my attention and helped me realize that this response was neither
Christ-like nor healthy for me. I strongly sensed that the Lord gave me an
assignment I was to carry out for a year to help me through this period: Every
single day, I was to pray for the well-being of those who were leading this
crusade! Initially, this was really hard, but I soon found that this exercise
freed me from the cancer of bitterness and even empowered me to genuinely love
my “enemy.” This deepened my conviction about the importance of obeying Jesus’
command to love, serve and pray for those who persecute us (Mt 5:44-45; Lk
6:27-35). I encourage anyone who is harboring anger toward someone to engage in
this daily exercise.”*
What a great example of dealing with
ugliness in a Christ-like way! It’s so tempting to get down into the mire and
sling mud back against your critics, but I encourage you to resist
temptation. May I share an indelicate
but accurate reminder I read somewhere?
“You will never win a puking contest with a buzzard.” Think about that the next time you want to
get even.
God loves you!
Mike
*https://rachelheldevans.com/blog/ask-open-theist-greg-boyd-response
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