Good News and Relationship

For the last couple weeks, I've been thinking about what the term "good news" means. If you're interested, you can find my other posts here and here.

In Greek, the word "euangelion" means good news, or to evangelize. Growing up in Evangelical churches, the evangelize and good news were spoken of mostly in the context of preaching, handing out tracts and conversion. When missionaries came to visit, the success of their ministries were judged based on how many people had "come to know the Lord." As a part of a youth group, I remember being encouraged to bring my Bible to school and make sure I knew the "Roman's Road" so as to share with others their need for salvation.

In recent years, I've come to a different understanding of what it means to share the good news. I actually think that coming to know the Lord is about radical wholeness. We Evangelicals view this wholeness in large part within the soul of the individual who has come to a decision to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. I think that wholeness, biblically, is larger than the individual and extends to community, society and the entirety of creation. The good news is inextricably tied to relationship. It encompasses social justice, care for creation and the responsibility of being an extension of God's shalom within our world. None of this happens without caring concern and fostering community and relationship. This reality came to me quite clear last week.

I received an e-mail from a co-worker of my husband's. He had received an e-mail claiming Muslims can't be good Americans. It was quite ridiculous, really. I sent him back my thoughts and opinions and in response I received this e-mail:

Thank You so much for putting in the time on this. I appreciate your points. I was telling Eddie that I respect his family’s views on Christian morals. That’s why I went to him with this. See I am actually an Atheist. Something I assure you my mom suspects, but doesn’t want to believe. I do however appreciate the Bible and the teachings of Jesus as a good framework for teaching children and family moral values. My main pet peeve in life however is Hypocrisy. That is my main reason for my belief structure. When I see the corruption and the hypocrisy going on in today’s Christian society it pains me and tends to make me lash out at Christianity as a whole. It’s people like you and Eddie that keep a thread of hope that Christian people will return to the morals of kindness and loving and leave the hatred and bigotry behind.

I don't share this as a pat on the back for us. Rather, an acknowledgment that people are paying attention. Eddie's worked with this guy for years and they've had lots of discussions about faith and he has been a pretty staunch Atheist. In that time, though, he and Eddie have developed a relationship that ultimately allowed us to share with him about our faith and how that looks played out in relationship. He's seen his share of Christians who share their faith in judgment rather than love. In the process, he's decided that he can't accept a god who looks like that. Wow. I was so touched by his response and in it his openness to God's working.

You know what's really odd? I showed up for jury duty yesterday and who came around the corner just a few minutes later, but this same guy. Isn't it amazing how God weaves the threads of life together into relationship? In the past, quite frankly, I would have been totally freaked out, thinking I had this huge responsibility to "convert" this gentlemen. It is so freeing for me to recognize that it is in ebb and flow of relationship that the good news of God is shared. I don't have to barrel in full force, but can walk the journey with the people whom God brings into my life.