JustThinking | Risk

Danielle Strickland | recipe for confronting a culture of comfort

A parent of a young woman applying to The War College (an incarnational mission training school in Vancouver, Canada) was grilling my husband on the risks associated with her coming. I happened to overhear the conversation and couldn’t hold back. I suggested that if his daughter wanted risk she could find it in other places. Actually, if it’s risk we are after, the enemy and the world has it in a variety of colours, shapes and sizes. The real dilemma for Christians who desire to upset the culture of conformity is that most Christian programs/places or people don’t offer any risk at all.

Actually, it is commonly assumed that risk itself is ungodly. What we really need is safe, measured and balanced lives - which often, when translated, means to settle with the culture in a comfortable balance of mediocrity and compromise. In other words, as I concluded in my early life, Christianity equals boring. What a stark contrast to early Christianity in Acts or in the early church or frankly in any Christian who has lived like Jesus. Christianity itself is a risk venture of faith that confronts the conformity of the world.

Romero understood the risk of his faith as he spoke against the injustice of El Salvador; Bonhoeffer understood it as he journeyed back to Hitler’s Germany to claim it for Christ; Francis of Assisi understood it as he said goodbye to his father’s house and resources and made his home among the poor. The Salvation Army understood it as it advocated for the rights of the poor… which could mean prison, defamation, destruction of reputation and many other things. It was controversial, gutsy and full of risk.

Jesus told us to expect this if we were about establishing God’s Kingdom on earth. Now, we call it risky if we use computers that haven’t been approved by a Territorial IT policy. Give me a break. Where are the risk takers of today?

Writer: Capt. Danielle Strickland is currently the Social Justice Director of the Southern Australia Territory. She digs traveling, reading, running, speaking, basketball and movies. Her passion is grace, mercy and justice… and all the stuff in between. Her favourite question is ‘how hard can it be?’ and most of her days are spent answering it.

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1 Comment to JustThinking | Risk

1. One of the main reasons why we don’t risk is fear of consequences. We are too mach concern about our well-being and fear to ruin it. This is hardest barrier.
Vadim on February 21st, 2009

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