“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness (meekness - prautēs and adjective praus) and respect ...” (1 Peter 3:15)

some “blogs” ago I mentioned my deep disappointment that I don’t find much “meekness” in the church world - both in how we deal with each other internally, nor in our responses to the culture around us.

here’s how Vines unpacks it’s meaning:

The meaning of prautes is not readily expressed in English, for the terms of meekness, mildness, commonly used suggest weakness and pusillanimity to a greater or lesser extent, whereas prautes does nothing of the kind. Nevertheless, it is difficult to find a rendering less open to objection than ‘meekness’; ‘gentleness’ has been suggested, but as prautes describes a condition of mind and heart, and as ‘gentleness’ is appropriate to actions, this word is no better than other translations. It must be clearly understood therefore, that the meekness manifested by the Lord and commended to the believer is the fruit of power. The common assumption is that when a person is meek it is because they cannot help themselves, but the Lord was meek because he had the infinite resources of God at His command. Described negatively, meekenss is the opposite to self-assertiveness and self-interest; it is equanimity of spirit that is neither elated nor cast down, simply because it is not occupied with self at all.

the last bit there really gets me ... “it is equanimity of spirit that is neither elated nor cast down, simply because it is not occupied with self at all”. That is awesome - to come to such a place of security in who you are in God that you’re not occupied with your self at all. Trippy ... this posture seems to be in significant short supply in LA ... lol. Couple this with the other dynamics of “meekness”: total trust in the sovereignty of God; a disposition closely linked with humility; the ability to face even persecution without retaliation because of a deep security in the love and purposes of God; and an ability to “let go” of the use of power as a means to an end.

it is to be one of the natural developments of a character that has been impacted by the presence of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:23). It was the distinguishing mark upon the character and ministry of Christ (Matthew 11:29; 2 Corinthians 10:1) and it would seem, a major ingredient of christian community (2 Timothy 2:25; Ephesians 4:2). It also, as noted above - is the posture out of which we engage with those who question our faith whether with antagonism or sincere inquiry. It is an inner disposition of strength and confidence that is expressed via gentleness and respect in the way that we relate to God and to each other.

so much to process here - but I am really gripped by the insight of Peter. Always be ready to engage in dialogue - be prepared to clearly give an answer for “what” you put your hope in ... but be meek and respectful.

The sands are shifting and the church (in my opinion) is being thrown into somewhat of an identity crisis. Seemingly lost as the culture all around us is in the throws of redefining itself - everything from the abortion debate on through to marriage, morals and money - it seems that we can slide to somewhat of a “weakened” explanation of the christian faith desperately (it appears to me) trying not to offend (I’ve been fascinated by some interviews in the news media of late of a couple of prominent “megachurch” leaders) or we become brash, and dare I say even arrogant out of a “need” to set everything right (no pun intended) in the name of God (I’ve been equally fascinated by the fundamentalists and charismatics as well - both political as well as within the church).

maybe we should take a little advice (for ourselves) from Colin Powell as he stated in an interview with Fareed Zakaria on CNN in regards to the posture of the Republican Party:

“... the attempt to use polarization for political advantage backfired ... there is nothing wrong with being conservative. There is nothing wrong with having socially conservative views - I don’t object to that. But if the party wants to have a future in this country, it has to face some realities ... (we cannot) just influence by ... principles and dogma. I think the party has to stop shouting at the world and at the country, I think that the party has to take a hard look at itself ... ” (adapted from http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/12/11/powell-gop-polarization-backfired-in-election/)

where’s the meekenss?

perhaps I may take some liberty and use some of Powell’s words as a challenge to us:

any polarization that we create for “spiritual” advantage will (and does) backfire ... yet there is nothing wrong with being Christ followers. There is nothing wrong with unashamedly embracing the teachings and life of Jesus - there is no need to water things down for fear of loosing our voice. But - if the church is to have a future in this culture, it must face some realities ... we cannot just influence by good principles for living on the one hand - nor a rigid dogma on the other. We must stop shouting at the world and at the country. We need to take a hard look at ourselves.

where’s the meekness?