Without pride and without hate

Back in graduate school my favorite classes had to do with Church History. One of the groups we learned about was the Huguenots. You've probably never heard anything about the Huguenots.

You're not alone. I haven't heard anything about the Huguenots since seminary until I came across the following story in Malcolm Gladwell's book, David and Goliath:

The local Huguenot pastor was a man named Andre Trocme. He was a pacifist. On the Sunday after France fell to the Germans, Trocme preached a sermon at the Protestant temple of Le Chambon. "Loving, forgiving, and doing good to our adversaries is our duty," he said. "Yet we must do this without giving up, and without being cowardly. We shall resist whenever our adversaries demand of us obedience contrary to the orders of the Gospel. We shall do so without fear, but also without pride and without hate."

I love what he says. In fact, I think that this is the reason Christians in America are losing the culture war (I hate that phrase, but it really is a war). We are not without pride nor without hate. At least we're not perceived to be without pride and without hate (and perception is everything).

But can you imagine the difference we could make in our culture and society and world if we would get rid of our pride and our hate, and instead love, forgive and do good to our adversaries? We would change the world.

So how about you start with you?