All four names share the common link of terrorism of one form or another. Bin Ladens name will forever be connected with the dark day of September 11, 2001, and the attack on the Pentagon and World Trade Center. McVeigh conjures images of the Oklahoma City Federal Building he exploded. Todd Beamer and Cassie Bernall offer 21st century models of Christian virtue and heroism, Bernall in her 1999 admission of faith in God that caused her death at Columbine, and Beamer in his effort with others to attack the hijackers over Pennsylvania on 9/11, saving D.C. from another airplane missile while surrendering his own life. But something beyond chronological proximity and relation to terror link these four people. What else could they have in common?
recreational \re-krEAshenal \ a of, having the nature of, or providing recreation
recreation \re-krE-A-shen\ n 1. refreshment in body or mind, as after work, by some form of play, amusement, or relaxation 2. any form of play, amusement, or relaxation used for this purpose, as games, sports, hobbies, etc.
It is a radical thing to be so convinced of ones ideology that you lead 19 men to train for years to fly commercial jetliners on suicide missions into buildings.
It is a radical thing to so love Jesus when staring down a gun barrel facing the question, Do you believe in God? that you reply with a yes.
It is a radical thing to bomb a building to make a point.
It is a radical thing to fight the fear of imminent death and to think of others as did Todd Beamer.
The thing that separates Beamer and Bernall from Bin Laden and McVeigh is this: their causes were radically different. Go through the annals of time and you will find that many of the most significant movements in history have not been caused or led by diplomats or kings, but by radicals. Both great evil and great good have been accomplished by radicals. The same can be said of any endeavor involving peoplesports teams that beat the odds to win when they should not due to a radical commitment of players, or businesses making radical changes to press into the future. More than any, religious causes have been furthered or harmed more by radicals than by the nominally committed.
Just read the book of Acts. God took a band of believers, a covey of Christians, a den of disciples, and He changed the world. He used the most unlikely to do the impossible, because they were radicals. He took the most radical religious zealot of his day, a terrorist in his own right named Saul of Tarsus, who persecuted the church in the name of God. And God turned that radical for religion into a radical for righteousness.
Today, North America needs a generation of radicals for Jesus. Our nation is radically lost. In fact, by one estimate 41 percent of the population, more than 100 million, are radically unchurched, those with little or no real, personal knowledge of the biblical message of the gospel of our Lord. The only way the radically unchurched will be reached is through a generation of believers radically committed to following Jesus!
Too many in the church today have turned Christianity, which ought to be our greatest passion, into a pastime. Trading their birthright as radically saved children of God for the pottage* of recreational faith, many settle for a view of the faith that considers a strong Christian to be someone who 1) attends church regularly, 2) gives money, and 3) says yes to the nominating committee. A Christianity with such a low bar leads to a laity who are underchallenged and overindulged. It is no wonder we see an alarmingly low concern for reaching the unchurched around uswe have turned churches, which should be hospitals for sinners, into hotels for saints!
Just how does one become a radical for Jesus when so many are recreational in their faith? Here are some ways to start:
Live what you believe 24/7/365/ UJCB (until Jesus comes back). Recreational faith gets excited about Jesus on Sunday much like a fan gets excited about a ball game; an radical faith lives in pursuit of Him constantly. How does this work? Start looking for ways to penetrate the unchurched culture in your normal traffic patterns. I eat in restaurants a lot. A few years ago I began asking the server if I could pray for him or her as I said a blessing. This has opened incredible doors to witness, and has allowed me to lead unchurched people to Jesus.
Be real, not remarkable. In Acts 4:13 early believers were described by unbelievers as unlearned and ignorantnow put that on your rsum! The only thing impressive about the early church was that they were unimpressive! But their enemies marveled at their boldness. Why? Because their opponents realized they had been with Jesus. There was nothing remarkable about the early followers of Christ. But they were real. The postmodern culture in which we live asks less, can you prove Christianity? They want to know, can you live it? They want to see real, daily, life-changing, mistake-making, God- loving, Christ-honoring Christianity.
The first time I led someone to Christ on the Internet, I failed to answer many of her questions. But, although separated by the firewall of text-based communication, and also by her often angry questions about God, she kept coming back for more of the gospel. When she came to Christ, she commented that my answers did not bring her to Him (nothing like a blow to your ego to help a professor stay humble!); the difference was made by the fact that she could tell my devotion to Him was real.
Take risks for the gospels sake. As a teenager I played high school football. It taught me a lot about life and gave me a nice pair of matching scars on my knees from operations. Today I enjoy watching football on television.
I get excited and yell at the television like most fans. It is much safer to watch football than to play it. I have no scars from sitting on the couch. But, it is just not the same. The scent of freshly cut grass, the adrenaline from the first contact, the camaraderie shared by the team, you just cannot reproduce in a living room.
It can be a fearful thing to step out of the safety of a Sunday school classroom and knock on the door of a friend to speak to him about Jesus. It was for a couple of ladies, each in their seventies, who I took witnessing one day. They had been believers for more than 50 years, yet neither had ever gone out to share her faith. They were nervous, it was a risk, but what a grand time we had. They loved it so much they went out and did it themselves the next week. God forbid we sit idly by in the warmth of our sanctuaries and let the world go to hell, because we failed to step out and risk our reputations for the sake of the gospel.
Jim Elliot, another radical from the past who lost his life on the mission field, once said missionaries are just a bunch of nobodies trying to exalt Somebody. No more making excuses about what you cannot do for God. Get busy serving Him and watch Him work as you share Christ with the people you meet in your real world. See what God can do with a radicallike you!
Dr. Alvin L. Reid, professor of evangelism at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, lives in Wake Forest, North Carolina. To learn about his ministry visit www.alvinreid.com.
Adapted for On Mission from Reids book Radically Unchurched: Who They Are and How to Reach Them (Kregel, 2002).
*In Genesis Essau trades his birthrightan inheritance of immeasurable worthfor a bowl of stew.