Questions
What if I don’t want to come off as judgemental?
Summary: There is a way for Christians to be genuinely judgmental—assuming a holier-than-thou posture that is both uncharitable and unpersuasive. But avoiding that posture does not mean avoiding discernment between good and evil, which Christians are called to exercise. The goal is to be both winsome and bold: offering a theological perspective on the world without contempt for the people being addressed.
There is certainly a way for Christians to be judgemental. It is possible for us to assume a holier-than-thou posture. We would be wise to avoid being judgemental; however, we would be unwise to avoid discerning good and evil.
Christians offer a theological perspective on the world. While we need to be winsome as we do so, we must also be bold and truthful. We might take a lesson from Paul, who says,
“So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant the repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will” (2 Tim 2:22–26).
We cannot call “evil good and good evil” (Isa 5:20), nor should we allow others to do so without correction. That correction, however, does not come from a place of hatred, malice, or even vulnerability. It comes from a place of compassion and love.
About the Author — James Spencer, PhD, is a theologian, author, and host of the Thinking Christian podcast, where he writes and speaks on Christian formation, political theology, and technology. He holds a PhD in Theological Studies from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and an MA in Biblical Exegesis from Wheaton College. He serves as president of the D. L. Moody Center in Northfield, Massachusetts, as an Associate Research Fellow at the Kirby Laing Centre for Public Theology, and as adjunct faculty in Wheaton College’s MA in Leadership program. His forthcoming book is Digital Discernment (InterVarsity Press). Learn more at thinkingchristian.org.