Torch, Fall/Winter 2012

6 TORCH Be patient. True patience is a result of genuine Christian love (1 Cor. 13:4). This seems like a no-brainer, but too many Christians are not very thoughtful in their approach toward those in the postmodern world. I like to ask people this question: “What comes to your mind when you hear the word ‘Christian’?” Most of the adjectives are not positive: “narrow-minded,” “bigoted,” “proud,” “anti-intellectual,” and “scary” are the ones I hear the most. The most hurtful are those who say something along the lines of “Christians are people who hate others.” If the marks of a Christian are our love for one another (John 13:35) and love for our enemies (Matt. 5:43–47), then we have a bit of work to do. We must be in this for the long journey: listening, answering questions, meeting needs, living truth, speaking truth. 5