By Steven Norris
During the time that I lived in Asheville, NC, there was a campaign that was popular. Stickers and signs showed up around town that read, “Keep Asheville Weird.” The concern was that the town and region were being “loved to death” — that tourism had become so popular that the unique culture making it such a great place to live was being threatened.
I feel like I could say the same thing about my faith at times. The very things that make Christianity so compelling to me are the things that make it cut against the grain of conventional worldly wisdom. Consider a few examples:
The wisdom of the world says, “Why build a boat Noah? It’s never rained…ever.” The foolishness of God says, “I’ll build in faith that God will do what God says.”
The wisdom of the world says, “100-year-old men and 90-year-old women don’t have children.” The foolishness of God says, “Look at Abraham and Sarah.”
The wisdom of the world says, “Pharaoh is the strongest leader in the ancient world.” The foolishness of God says, “My man, Moses, can defeat him armed with nothing more than faith and his staff.”
The wisdom of the world says, “300 unarmed men are no match against a whole army of thousands.” The foolishness of God says, “Look at Gideon and his men.”
The wisdom of the world says. “Teenage boys are no match for grizzled army veterans in a one-to-one showdown.” The wisdom of God says, “Is that Goliath’s head David is holding?”
The wisdom of the world says, “When you get eaten by a fish large enough to swallow a person whole, you don’t usually live to tell about it.” The foolishness of God says, “Talk to Jonah.”
The wisdom of the world says, “If you want to be blessed, then work hard, be a go-getter, invest responsibly, and beat the competition. The foolishness of God says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, the merciful, and the persecuted.”
The wisdom of the world says, “The strong survives and ‘Might makes Right.’” The foolishness of Jesus says, “Pray for your enemies and bless those who persecute you.”
The wisdom of the world says, “You are who you hang around.” The foolishness of Jesus caused him to hang around tax collectors, prostitutes, and sinners. But instead of being transformed by them, he transformed their lives for good.
The wisdom of the world says, “You only live once. Try to get as much as you can while you’re here.” The foolishness of Jesus says, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy. Instead, store up for yourselves treasures in heaven.”
The wisdom of the world says, “You gain victory through strength and power.” The foolishness of Jesus says, “You gain true victory through sacrifice, vulnerability, and defeat as Jesus did in the cross.”
The scriptures insist, “God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise” (1 Corinthians 1:27). Traveling light on the Way of Christ requires letting go of worldly wisdom and making an intentional choice to keep Christianity weird.