“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and say all sorts of evil things against you because of me. For great is your reward in heaven…”
-Jesus
I keep asking myself the same question: is the good news (as Christians use it) good? It should be, and I think it is. At its very core good news is news that is good, that is welcomed, that is hopeful and of positive value for the recipient. News that is good is not rote, it is the proclamation of a newsworthy event that happened (and is happening). News isn’t an idea, it is the announcement of something that has been experienced. If it is not experienced it is not news. And if its not hope producing, of positive value for the one experiencing it, or joy-inducing then can it be considered good news? Good news must be news that is good.
I think that Christians have allowed some of the words of the Bible to get us off the hook for our image problem. As I re-posted (from Relevant Magazine) on facebook/twitter recently ?”When ‘non believers’ were asked to rank their level of respect for various groups, only prostitutes scored lower than evangelicals.” this should cause us to question the goodness of our news. While I realize that Scripture talks about the Christian good news message being foolishness to those who do not believe (though if I remember correctly the context is more connected to philosophical rather than practical realities) I would argue that there are many things that we as a culture find to be utterly foolish and yet completely good! Mother Teresa acted foolishly in what she did, but we all recognize what she did as inherently good news. Good news is generally pretty easy to spot. In the same way not-good news is equally easy to spot.
Dogma is not good news. Correct doctrine is not good news. Proving someone is wrong is not good news. Showing someone that you’re right is not good news. Past events without present or future implications are not good news (I believe it would be considered ‘old news’ which is neither good nor interesting). None of these are newsworthy events full of goodness! They are not good news.
It’s good news for a single mom to have help with her children, with transportation, work around the house, etc. Its good news to be a part of a community of people who care for you, who celebrate with you, and who hurt with you. It’s good news to learn to let go of self and care for others. It’s good news to have hope in a future that is free of pain, suffering, and brokenness. It’s good news to know that you’re loved, that you’re valuable, and that you have something unique to offer the world. It’s good news to know that your failing body will one day be restored to something more whole and complete. All of those are tangible news worth events that I would consider good. Foolish? Maybe. But definitely good.
In my minimal experience I’ve come to really believe that very very very few people hate Christians (or would place them as the second least respectable people around) when they encounter Christians who are experiencing and pursuing news that is good. The persecution, ridicule, and hate that scripture refers to is more often than not connected to the very Christ-like activity that is in opposition to the powers of this world. Some will most definitely hate you when you stand courageously in opposition to the death whether it be the death penalty, abortion, or war. People will definitely hate you when you stand up for the marginalized in society whether it is undocumented immigrants, the poor, or the homeless. People will definitely hate you when you pledge allegiance to someone (Jesus) or something (his eternal kingdom) over and above your nation or political system. People will most definitely hate you when you stand in opposition to the destruction of materialism, consumerism, and security. There’s room for people to hate you because of bold (and peaceful) opposition to the powers of our broken world. But when it comes to relationship, when it comes to you, me, our neighbors, and our coworkers the true reality is that good news is…well…good.