Radicalized Bible engagement …
To be radicalized is to become more drastic in one’s beliefs. It’s a term that’s commonly used today – usually with negative connotations. In the context of terrorism, a person is radicalized when they sever adherence to the values of society at large and commit themselves fully to the ideology of a terrorist organization like ISIS, Hamas or Al-Qaeda.
Extreme change from an accepted form and absolute commitment to a new form is what the Christian faith should be about. Unfortunately, this isn’t usually true for most modern-day Christians. We try to keep one foot in the world rather than giving our total allegiance to Jesus Christ. For many Christians, the greater value is tolerance or accommodation, certainly not radicalization. Words like subversive, offensive, dangerous or radical are generally not in the average Christian’s vocabulary.
There’s a disturbing disconnect between today’s Christianity and the faith of the Christians mentioned in the Bible. Acceptance and broadmindedness characterize contemporary Christianity, whereas first-century Christians were an offence to society because their allegiance to Christ undermined or threatened the existing views, habits, affairs, conditions, institutions and systems of the Roman world.
Now, linking radicalization with Jesus may be a transgression for some or puzzling for others, but, like it was in the first century, it should be the reality for every Christian today. That’s because Jesus doesn’t call us to a partial dedication or limited commitment. It’s all or nothing. He wants our complete and exclusive allegiance. In common with Paul’s advice to Timothy, we’re to flee from the things of the world and fight to take hold of the faith and life we have in Christ (cf. 1 Timothy 6:11-16).
This brings us to radicalized Bible engagement.
To embrace the Word, which is to embrace the One who is the Word, should be to radically receive and respond to the Word. It’s all into Him and all out of the world. Bible engagement should be nothing short of giving our total allegiance to Christ’s kingdom message and mission. It should never be a little bit of this or a little bit of that. Radicalized Bible engagement is putting every word of darkness to death and fully immersing ourselves in the Word that brings light. It’s separating ourselves from the lies and half-truths that have held us captive. It’s giving our undivided devotion to Christ and choosing to live in resurrection power. It’s appropriating His grace and denying ourselves in order to fully love Him. And it’s being a willing conduit through which His love flows to those in need.
Radicalized Bible engagement is unlike the regular way Christians usually connect with the Bible. It’s more than a new methodology or approach to reading/hearing the Word. For radicalized Bible engagement is an uprising. It’s saying no to legalistic, guilt-fueled, shame-based, fear-driven religion. It’s connecting with the Word as something more than knowledge to be gleaned or morals to be emulated. And it’s letting the Word read us, and as it does, it’s humbling ourselves and crying out for mercy.
Radicalized Bible engagement isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s about being all in. There can be no half-measures. It’s encountering the Word in ways that enable us to fully worship, work and witness in order to bring all honour and glory to Him.
When Bible engagement isn’t radicalized, we need to change. How we’ve read, reflected, remembered and responded to the Bible in the past cannot continue with us into the future. Why? Because what got us where we are won’t get us to where we need to be.
Or, stated slightly differently, if what we’re doing now in our Bible engagement practices doesn’t result in absolute commitment to Jesus Christ and extreme transformation in our lives, then we’re not reading/hearing the Bible as we should. Jesus said, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching” John 14:23 (NIV). When we’re not reading/hearing the Bible as we should, a complete overhaul of what we’ve been doing or not doing needs to happen.
Now, that’s not to say that embracing Christ through radicalized Bible engagement will be plain sailing. Far from it! Radicalized Bible engagement places us at odds with the world’s values and choices. God’s Word is, and always has been, an offence to those who are not Christians. Whether we like it or not, when we live out our love for Christ through total obedience to His Word, there will be negative reactions, opposition or persecution.
And herein lies the tension. Some Christians don’t like the fact that God’s Word is an offence (cf. 1 Corinthians 1:23-25, 1 Peter 2:8) to those who don’t know or love Jesus. So, they try to mitigate the offence by watering down, creatively excusing, or falsely interpreting the Bible’s message. When this happens, the weakening of the Church and the death of faith follow. Every attempt to remove offence from God’s Word always results in losing the saving and transforming power of the Gospel.
So let’s be all in! Let’s forsake lukewarm Bible reading/hearing. Let’s break with our loyalties to the systems, entanglements and distractions of the world. Let’s renounce the fears and failures that control and restrict us. And, let’s do this by praying for a Jesus revival in our personal lives and communities of faith. Then, as we pray, let’s subversively reclaim Bible engagement as more than it’s been by asking God for a form of Bible engagement that results in extreme devotion and absolute allegiance to Jesus Christ as Lord of all and Lord for all!
Please share your perspective on radicalized Bible engagement in the comments.
Related Articles
Kingdom-Focused Bible Engagement
Summary
Radicalized Bible engagement calls for complete dedication and extreme transformation, reflecting the all-or-nothing commitment that Jesus demands. It challenges Christians to engage with the Bible in a way that goes beyond knowledge or moral improvement, fostering a radical allegiance to Christ’s kingdom and mission. This type of engagement requires rejecting half-hearted, legalistic approaches and embracing the Word as a life-altering force that demands total devotion. While it may bring opposition or persecution, radicalized Bible engagement strengthens faith, enhances worship, and spurs Christians to live out their love for Christ through full obedience.
© Scripture Union Canada
2 Corinthians 4:5
