Ashamed

July 26, 2020

The early Methodist circuit rider Peter Cartwright was no shrinking violet. One Sunday morning, he was advised to tone down his preaching because president Andrew Jackson was going to be present. When he began preaching, Cartwright stood up and proclaimed to the shock of those advisors, “I understand that Andrew Jackson is here. I have been requested to be guarded in my remarks. Andrew Jackson will go to hell if he doesn’t repent!” The congregation was shocked, wondering how the President would respond. Jackson was not known for his tolerance, so when he approached Cartwright after the service, Peter’s friends were understandably concerned. But rather than taking offense, Jackson stood tall before Cartwright, shook his hand,  and told him, “Sir, if I had a regiment of men like you, I could whip the world.”

It was not unusual for hecklers to attend Cartwright’s meetings, and he was not adverse to wading into the crowd, knock a few heads together and send the hecklers packing.

It would be quite entertaining to have preachers like that today. The usual Sunday fare is pretty tame by comparison. We talk exclusively about love, peace, kindness, gentleness, and wonder why if our churches are filled at all, it is mostly women. We’ve ignored the call of God to sacrificial greatness in favor of conciliatory words that are taken as weakness. The only time we are called to stand courageously in the face of evil is when some issue the summons to protest in the midst of a faceless crowd.

Many of our churches have done a good job communicating that Christian faith is for women and children. The decor is feminine, we sing love songs to Jesus, and place people in rows reminiscent of elementary school classrooms. We encourage people to love, but say little about daily pragmatic sacrificial service. If someone doesn’t fit this mold, he is shamed into either submission or disengagement. Our culture today is shame-full. If someone dares to counter the cultural norm, he is ostracized, told how unloving and callous he is, and pressured to toe the line. Just look at the CEOs and corporate heads who have caved in to the prevailing mantras of the day. 

Psalm 25:2 is the cry of one who resists this crowd-think: “Let me not be ashamed!” The Gospel of Jesus Christ contains a clarion call not only to love and grace, but also to boldness and courage. Jesus bore our sin and shame upon the cross. The shame of Adam has been conquered by the sacrifice of Christ. The shame which held us captive to our secret sins has been washed away in the life-giving flood of grace, and we can stand boldly to proclaim with St. Paul, “I am not ashamed! The Gospel of Christ is the power of God to salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16). Thank God for men like Peter Cartwright, and for saints like Peter and Paul, who gave their lives for Christ, unashamed of the Gospel. May we join their ranks with joyful enthusiasm!