Insights

I found this post on Wade Burleson’s blog today. The original post was by Paul Littleton of Faith Baptist Church, Sapulpa, Oklahoma and can be found here.  I’ve definitely been guilty of getting caught up in the less-than-essential debates of the Christian faith.  This really made me think:

“I was talking to a friend recently who told me an interesting story about the fall of Constantinople and the Byzantine Empire to the Ottoman Turks. I’ve done a little research and haven’t been able to confirm the story historically, but even if it is nothing more than legend it makes a profound point. [It’s possible that the point is even stronger if the story isn’t true since that would mean that people tell this story for the explicit reason of shaping ideas and behavior rather than just relating some interesting history]

It’s said that while the Ottoman Turks were breaching the walls of Constantinople the people were inside debating a theological issue. The question was this: ‘If a fly lands in holy water, does the fly make the water unholy, or does the water make the fly holy?’

Meanwhile, the Turks invaded and overthrew Constantinople raping and pilliging the city. One fact that is historically true is that The Church of Holy Wisdom was soon converted into a mosque.

I often think that the evangelical church, and my denomination in particular, is busy debating things that may in fact have some limited theological value, but we do so to the neglect of much weightier issues around us. The North American continent is one of the very few places in the world where Christianity is on the decline. Meanwhile we debate whether or not we can cooperate in missions and education with people who might pray in tongues in private, whether we show enough gratitude to denominational leaders of the past and present and whether a person who drinks alcohol without getting drunk has committed an unholy act. It should be no surprise if we get sacked by an army of Turks.”