Some reading this will remember the rather strange science fiction television series called The Outer Limits, originally broadcast from September 1963 until January 1965. It was revived in 1995 and continued in production until 2002. If you remember the 1963-65 version, these words may be familiar:
There is nothing wrong with your television set. Do not attempt to adjust the picture. We are controlling transmission. If we wish to make it louder, we will bring up the volume. If we wish to make it softer, we will tune it to a whisper. We will control the horizontal. We will control the vertical. We can roll the image, make it flutter. We can change the focus to a soft blur, or sharpen it to crystal clarity. For the next hour, sit quietly and we will control all that you see and hear. We repeat: There is nothing wrong with your television set. You are about to participate in a great adventure. You are about to experience the awe and mystery which reaches from the inner mind to… The Outer Limits.
Early episodes had monsters in them; later episodes were more hard-core science fiction. I barely remember it, but have seen some reruns over the years. We’ve come light years when it comes to cinematography (perhaps a pun intended?) compared to 1963, but those old black-and-white videos took the viewer to some weird places – parallel-universe-like places.
A few weeks ago, while scrolling through a social media site as I waited at a car dealership, I ran across one of those overly pious, faith-related posts that had a hundred or so comments. Sometimes those kinds of posts are a bit like a train wreck – you can’t help but look. I looked. The phrase “outer limits” came to mind. Surely this discussion was but a far-out-on-the-edge place where favorite assumptions about some peripheral theological idea were being held and defended as though the resurrection of Jesus were at stake. If it reflected the central core of Christian preaching these days, we are in deep trouble.
Holy smokes. How did we allow the idolatry of rudeness to become acceptable Jesus-like behavior? There are things, of course, that are worth disagreement. But are there disagreements that are worth our failure to “continue to be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another just as God in Christ has forgiven you”? (Ephesians 4:32)
This particular discussion was about whether or not a particular English word was acceptable as a term to describe the person we typically call “preacher” or “minister.” I won’t say more than that, because the last thing I want is to give an excuse for this devotional to devolve into another harmful train wreck. But I couldn’t help but wonder, if all the people engaged in that discussion would go out and spend that time doing what the apparently controversial word describes, would their communities be in better spiritual shape by the end of the day?
I think I understand why some would feel strongly about the particular issue they were discussing, but I would argue that it had to do more with opposing denominational cultural practices than any actual biblical idea. But even if it were at some level a biblical argument, couldn’t we find a less snarky way to share our opinions? How have we made an idol out of rudeness?
I’ve always been intrigued by the comment Nehemiah makes near the end of that book. Here’s what he says: “Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod, and could not speak the language of Judah, but spoke the language of various peoples.” (13:24) Rudeness has much more in common with “the language of Ashdod” than it does “the language of Judah.”
Reading those comments made me think of “the outer limits.” I sincerely pray that they don’t reflect the core way we followers of Jesus talk about the greatest story ever told.
But I do wonder, if a non-follower of Jesus, or a wavering follower of Jesus, or an “I’m sick and tired of the church” follower of Jesus happened to stumble across that post – would it help them either come to Jesus as Lord?
We’ve allowed opposing political ideologies, opposing cultural views and values, and even opposing approaches to the pandemic to give us permission to make an idol out of rudeness.
Jesus might (I think would) say to us, “The time has been fulfilled, the kingdom of heaven is at hand, repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:14,15) To paraphrase one of my favorite Colossians texts, “He has rescued us from the outer limits and delivered us into the kingdom of His beloved Son.” (1:13)
In that place, there is no room to make an idol out of rudeness.
Wye Huxford 