Radicals

Many people do not like the notion of being called a radical. Extremist is a label that has been shunned by many. The moderate is seen as the one who is reasonable, not too pushy, and not too outspoken. The moderate is not likely to bluster unpopular views. They are less likely to be an embarrassment in mixed company. The extremist is seen as intolerant, and the radical is viewed as close minded and unwilling to compromise.

Radicals have been around for a long time. History’s timeline is punctuated frequently with extremists who have made their mark. Seen through the negative lens we in the west often target people like Hitler, Genghis Kahn, Osama Ben Laden, or Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as radicals. But the truth is that there are those we see in a positive light that were seen as radicals in their time. Copernicus and Galileo were seen as radicals in their time, as were Martin Luther and John Wesley. The idea that the earth is round was radical to those who, along with the status quo, believed the earth to be flat. And wasn’t it extreme to place the earth in an orbit around the sun when we all knew it to be the center of the universe? It was a radical Martin Luther that nailed his views challenging the status quo in the Roman Catholic church to the door of Wittenberg castle, and so extreme was John Wesley in his day that he was refused a pulpit in the church only to preach to the masses a message that would challenge the tepid religion of his day with a message of a transformed heart.

In the Bible there were radicals as well. We think of Judas as a radical zealot. Herod was so extreme as to kill all the children in Bethlehem in order to ward off a challenge to his throne. The Pharisees were radical in observing the particulars of Jewish religious practices (Matthew 23:15). But because we have taken such a negative view of the label “radical” we tend to forget the positive side of radicalism.

John the Baptist was extreme (Matthew 3:4-5). The Apostle Paul suffered for his radical views and was considered out of his mind (Acts 26:24). After the resurrection, the disciples were so radicalized that they would rather be beaten and whipped rather than be silenced (Acts 5:40-42). And the most radical of all is Jesus, who was considered out of his mind by some (Mark 3:21) and was crucified for his radicalism.

We tend to shy away from those who rock the boat. Fanatics are shunned. We don’t want to go to far because we will offend someone who has a different view. Who wants to be an embarrassment? But then again, who should be ashamed? Jesus said that he would be ashamed of those who are ashamed of Him (Mark 8:38). He calls us to be zealous in our faith (Romans 12:11). 

It is not so much that radicalism is bad in itself, but what side we take. If we refuse to take a position, that is a position in itself (Matthew 12:30). We can try to be moderate, and ride the fence, but that too is a weak position to take. It is time to take a stand. Jesus was so radical that His cross not only spit history in two, but it opened up eternity. If we want to make a difference in our time, we have to be willing to take a stand for Jesus, even if it means being labeled a “radical.”