Not-so-Free Radicals

For every reform-movement there are the radicals clamouring for more and more extreme forms of freedom. In 1500′s Europe, these radicals came in multiple flavours. Some were evangelicals, pouring over the Bible and pining for a more authentic experience of the early church. Others were spiritualists, claiming direct revelations from God and declaring the imminent apocalypse.

What they had in common was the desire for a clearer distinction between godly and ungodly, Christian and non-Christian. But in the process they chained themselves to experience as the test of this distinction – to outward indicators of what is ultimately an inward change.

In contrast, when we look at 2 Cor 13:1-6, we see the inherent messiness of the church – weakness and strength together, reflecting the paradox of the cross. Like the biblical wheat and the tares, they cannot be separated in this age without causing damage. So like their counterparts in body, “free” radicals are not liberating, they’re a serious health concern.