Many extremists become myopically fixed on certain issues. They cannot see that the Lord is more concerned about winning people to Christ, discipling them and growing churches that reflect all of His loving attributes. The church of today does not necessarily consist of the good, but of those who want to be better and do better. Yet, sadly, many of our churches are paralyzed with timidity and are gradually dying of indignity. A great church should be of such character that it is easy for people to find God and easier yet to forget themselves.
Most religious reactionaries struggle to trust people because of their abiding belief in the sinful nature of mankind. Often, an ultra conservative will quote Jeremiah 17:9 which says, "The heart is deceitful and desperately wicked who can know it?" With this built in tendency to not trust oneself, the fighting fundamentalists have a hard time loving or trusting others. Love does not keep a ledger of the sins and failures of others. A great number of religious reactionaries struggle to have a healthy self-image because their security is rooted in obedience to a very exacting image of God. They tend to believe that God expects them to constantly strive to a higher level of theological understanding. For this reason it is difficult to be able to feel relaxed around these folks because of their nagging sense of self-doubt and inadequacy. Love is a fabric that never fades, no matter how often it is washed in the water of criticism, adversity or grief! Quite a few reactionaries are hard to read because of their hesitancy to reveal much of what they are thinking. They are afraid someone might disagree with their convictions. This seeming lack of transparency is in fact a planned response. By masking their feelings they believe they are better able to live a lifestyle based on raw objectivity rather than subjective interpretations of their situations. For example, some members of the religious right have difficulties in deciding whether to identify more with the fundamentalists or with the evangelicals. William Martin describes the two poles that many oscillate between in his book: God on Our Side: The Rise of the Religious Right in America, when he indicates, 'If to be a fundamentalist used to mean to be separate from the world, then to be an evangelical implied that one should regard the world lost in sin nevertheless still under the control of a sovereign God.
It is like a pendulum swinging back and forth between;
1). Kingdom anticipation (God will bring His kingdom so we are to faithfully wait and serve Him in whatever way we can) - A fighting fundamentalist's perception
2). Kingdom building (God will bring His kingdom in quantitative and qualitative fashion. Therefore, it is a part of our responsibility to work toward His kingdom coming in all of its dimensions) - An evangelical's perception.
Paul the apostle challenges us where he writes, "We demolish argument and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." (2 Cor. 10:5) Some of the masks often used by the reactionary religious right include some of the following:
A). THE MASK OF TRADITION - Some people carry an illusion in their minds that as long as one is living consistently according to their forefathers' identities, roles and responsibilities, they will be all right. Jesus made it clear that those who hold their traditions higher than the oracles of God are hypocrites. They tend to use their traditions for an excuse for not loving people. Often, traditions can hinder people from seeing God as He really is. Behind the mask of tradition, people hide many feelings of inadequacy.
B). THE MASK OF CULTURE - Many questionable activities have been carried out in the name of culture. Some people assume that as long as their actions fit the culture of their fellowship, they will be all right. However, a cultural mask can be a pretense for hiding something that we do not want outsiders to know about. One man I met in Nigeria insisted that polygamy is so embedded in his culture that the church should allow polygamists to occupy positions as elders. When the church finally consented, that chief took control of the church and turned it into a cultural extension of his own beliefs and practices.
C). THE MASK OF POSITION - Throughout the world, people are scrambling to get into positions of power, influence and authority. People often hope that once they get this position they will be able to do what really pleases them. However, the superficiality of this mask wears off quickly when one looks at the track record of people who used it as a pretense for their selfish
actions. Jesus said to the Pharisees, "The Scribes and Pharisees are occupying Moses' seat; therefore do not be like them. They do not practicewhat they preach. They conduct their activities to be noticed by men. For they enlarge their phylacteries and lengthen their fringes. They cherish the chief place at dinners and the best seats in the synagogues…you hypocrites, all of this is done as a pretext for piety and yet you cheat widows out of their houses. For this you will receive greater judgment. (Matthew 23)
D). THE MASK OF POWER - It has become a fact that some people try to intimidate others with their displays of power. This has happened inside andoutside of many well-meaning churches. Ananias and Sapphira thought they could win favor in the eyes of God and men by offering money to the early church. They could have retained the proceeds from the sale of their property, but they colluded with each other to lie. They said that they had given all the money in order that they may rely on God. In actuality, they had given only a part of the money. They coveted power more than anything. God is displeased with the mask of dishonesty, deceit and greed to cover over our desire for the po wer of wealth and leadership. God wants to strip away the masks of power in order to us rely on His power. The masks of power or wealth will quickly fade away. Job once said, "If I have put my trust in gold or said to pure gold, "You are my security, If I have rejoiced over great wealth so that my heart was secretly enticed and my hand offered them a kiss of homage, then these also would be sins to be judged, for I would have been unfaithful to God on high." (Job 31:24-28)
E. THE MASK OF SPIRITUALITY - Some people are eager to pray publicly. They love to be seen by others as capable of assuming spiritual influence. One day Jesus made an observation of such a group of people when He said, "You Pharisees pray long prayers and you love to be in public places before men. Alas, for you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you traverse sea and land to make one proselyte and when he becomes one, you make him a son of perdition twice worse than yourselves. (Matthew 23:23-29) The reactionary religious right members are attentive to procedures, but often dull to the voice of the Spirit of God. There are Christians who are full of spiritual works, but their motivations are mainly self-centered. There is nothing easier in any religion to observe than spiritual actions done for the wrong reasons.
F). THE MASK OF ACTIVITY - It is common to see well meaning members of the reactionary religious right stay active in their service for the church. However, often these duties can cause them to shirk their more important responsibility to spend time alone with God or time devoted to their families. These people often wear their activity masks as a way of showing people they are zealous. They expect others to rise to their level of spirituality. Those who are not able to keep up with their frantic pace are left behind in the dust, ignored, forgotten or deserted. Inwardly, they may feel a deep sense of insecurity that they are trying to compensate for addiction to good works. Since they are usually in a hurry to do things, they tend to have superficial relations with many. They are controlled by the compulsion to hurry to do as many things as possible in the least amount of time as a measure of their spiritual zeal. They need to realize that the Lord loves them even when they are flat on their back sick in bed. They need to take conscious thought of a great truth from the Old Testament that says, "Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it. Unless the Lord guards the gates, the watchman stays awake in vain." (Psalm 127:1) Only when people are confident God is directing them, will they be able to remove their activity mask and let Him direct their schedules. (Isaiah 40:31) [Please refer to the guides offered in the appendix 3 on the Johari Window plan to help remove masks that hinder us from seeing and being seen with all our weaknesses and strengths]
G). THE MASK OF OBJECTIVITY - It is easy for some to rely on the mask of cold, hard, and factually based reason. Some people believe that this allows them to make decisions that are not colored by emotions. These folks often use their objective policies, procedures, and regulations to avoid being sensitive to people's total problems. Jesus got annoyed with the Pharisees who pretended to be totally objective in keeping money from their parents, as it was supposedly committed to use in the temple. Yet, Jesus rebuked them saying, "You try to nullify the love of God by trying to fulfill your traditions." Many people use the law, a doctrinal statement, or a church constitution to free them from doing things they do not like. It is easy to lose concern for the suffering when we have rationalized away our responsibilities to feed the poor. Logic can only take you so far. What we really need is fewer rules and better examples.
H). THE MASK OF SUBJECTIVITY - Emotions can play amazing tricks on a person's mind. Medical doctors have long recognized the psychosomatic illness phenomenon. These are diseases that are largely caused by the power of suggestion. When people figure out how to use subjective influences like shame, fear and intimidation on others, they use these tools to manipulate. Masks that are emotional in nature tend to be very unreliable. Following one's intuition, without integrating it with facts, can be dangerous. Look at the following subjective feelings or masks that you know others may be using as a defensive mechanism or as a manipulative tool. You will notice that for every negative mask there is a positive attitude that can help one to strip away the subjective shield. The secret is in learning how to implement the truth, "I can do everything God asks me to do with the help of Christ who gives me the strength and power. (Philippians 4:13) We all must choose between the following:
1. Worry vs. Faith
2. Despair vs. Hope
3. Anger vs. Love
4. Suspicion vs. Trust
5. Cynicism vs. Belief
6. Sorrow vs. Joy
7. Gloom vs. Cheerfulness
8. Anxiety vs. Security
9. Worry vs. Confidence
10. Jealousy vs. Admiration
11. Resignation vs. Determination
12. Defamation vs. Inspiration
13. Complaining vs. Appreciation
14. Pessimism vs. Optimism
15. Hostility vs. Friendliness
16. Exaggeration vs. Clarification
17. Tension vs. Humor
18. Self-Condemnation vs. Self Respect
19. Futility vs. Meaningfulness
20. Enslavement vs. Freedom
21. Lust vs. Love
22. Emptiness vs. Fulfillment
23. Apathy vs. Commitment
24. Misunderstanding vs. Understanding
25. Immaturity vs. Maturity
