JANUARY 2005 Why Are We So Spread Out? “Why are we so spread out?” is not an uncommon question among Christian goths. We long for each other’s company and yet, all too often, we are the only Christian goth in our church—or worse, in our entire community. When we find each other on-line very often the first response is “I thought I was the only one.” And when we finally meet, we never want to say goodbye. But God is sovereign. He planted us in our churches and in our communities for a reason. We have been called to reach out to our brothers and sisters in goth that have not had the opportunity to experience God’s grace. And we are equally called to reach out to our brothers and sisters in the Kingdom to help them understand and love the goth as much as we do. Since the Christian Goth Gathering many have expressed sorrow at the responses and reactions of their brothers and sisters in Christ that are not goth. We are facing a challenge not unlike the people that Peter was addressing when he composed his first epistle. Peter said, “My purpose in writing is to encourage you and assure you that the grace of God is with you no matter what happens,” 1st Peter 5: 12 This verse expresses my purpose in writing to you today. “Nero purposely set fire to the city in order to find room for his magnificent Golden House.” S. Angus The fire engulfed 14 city regions causing great devastation. Under tremendous political pressure and facing a possible uprising against his authority, Nero needed a scapegoat. Christianity had separated itself from Judaism and was considered by the populace to be a gross and dangerous cult so he chose them. “In order to allay the rumor that he had set fire to Rome, Nero put forward as guilty those who were hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Those who confessed to being Christians were arrested then as a result of their information, a large number were implicated, not so much on the charge of arson as for hatred of the human race (terrorists). They died by methods of mockery; some were covered with the skins of wild beasts and then torn by dogs, some were crucified, some were burned as torches to give light at night.” Tacitus The context of 1st and 2nd Peter is intense, lethal, political and organized persecution. “Romans shy away from new religions, and they shut down troublesome ones. That’s because Romans want stability in their empire. As far as they are concerned, Christianity is just another mysterious cult with secret meeting and possibly disgusting rituals, communion services, in which bread and wine represent the body and blood of Jesus, produce rumors of cannibalism. And the custom of greeting spiritual brothers and sisters with a kiss generates gossip about incest.” Stephen Miller First century Christians were accused of being involved in the occult, being terrorists, or engaging in cannibalistic and incestuous practices. Today, Christian goths are dealing with similar misunderstanding and accusation from both mainstream and Christian cultures. The following are some accusations I have heard about goth: I asked God how He would have me respond to these bold and profane accusations and I found inspiration in both the words of Jesus and the words of Peter. Please consider the following: “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” Matthew 5: 10–12 “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father” Matthew 5: 44–45 “It is God’s will that your good lives should silence those who make foolish accusations against you.” 1st Peter 2: 15 “God is pleased with you when... you patiently endure unfair treatment.” 1st Peter 2: 19 “Christ, who suffered for you, is your example. Follow in his steps. He never sinned, and he never deceived anyone. He did not retaliate when he was insulted. When he suffered, he did not threaten to get even. He left his case in the hands of God.” 1st Peter 2: 21–22 If we are to achieve the mission God has called us to, if we are to demonstrate the love of God to goth and the church, then we must live above reproach. We will be scrutinized by mainstream Christianity and by unbelieving goths to an unfair and unjust degree. Our lives must silence their accusations. We will need His grace and mercy to carry live faithful to our calling especially in isolation from one another. We cannot control the attitudes, behavior or beliefs of other people but, we can control our response to them and that response must be dictated by the love and indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. Donna Sheehy once said, “We need to love ‘em where they are and let God do the changing.” I believe God has sovereignly placed us in our churches to prepare the way for the goth revival. My prayer is that we will respond as Christ responded when He was falsely accused, spoken evil of, and wrongfully characterized. My prayer is that we will respond with the love of God, present an example of Godly character that cannot be argued with, and live holy lives that are above reproach—and so leave our accusers without a basis for accusation. We need to die that Christ in us might live. We need to set an example of love and decency before our fellow human being and before our brothers and sisters in Christ so beautifully that they will long to be both Christian and goth. I once told my pastor, “I see a goth section at Trinity.” He responded by saying, “I see goths scattered throughout and integrated into Trinity.” My pastor has God’s vision. Integration and inclusion breeds understanding between people, we must not isolate ourselves from those in the body of Christ that may dislike us. Rather, we need to give them the opportunity to get to know us personally. We must participate so that others can see the light and love in our lives and gain a new understanding of what it means to be a Christian goth. It's amazing how quickly a perceived difference will disappear when people take the time to look past their prejudice and fear and into the heart of another human being. But they can never do this if we deny them of our company. I have seen lives changed. People have wept before me in repentance seeking my forgiveness for prejudging or in some other way condemning me. I have seen cold and angry Christians turn with compassion toward goth. God has been good and faithful to work in the hearts of those who do not, cannot or will not understand and I trust Him and Him alone to do so. Convincing someone, changing someone’s mind, it’s not just up to me. I know that my site and these communications are not seen by goth alone. So for those on the outside looking in, I would like to state for the record that goths are people—human beings with human feelings. Many are hurting lonely people just like you. David Dellman |