Many years ago, I knew an elderly newspaper editor whose shock of white hair and gentle nature gave him an almost fairy tale appearance. His newspaper, a country weekly, was composed by hand. Each carefully selected lead letter was set in reverse order, wooden-block backed, engraved lead photographs fitted, and the whole page then tightened in the galleys, before being placed on the ancient, flat-bed press for printing, one sheet at a time. The editor (who was also the owner) would then turn a huge wheel and slowly print a newspaper that was unique – a collector’s item. Locals called it The Egg Boiler; because you could read it in the time you boiled an egg.
Trouble was, he would sometimes run out of type. If he had used all the lead exclamation marks, he would use a question mark instead. Needless to say, this made some of his sentences a little hard to understand.
Now, I firmly believe that many people who would like to be Christians have lost interest because the emphasis – like the editor’s exclamation mark – has been misplaced. The emphatic assurance of the gospel of Jesus Christ is replaced by a timid, questioning, correctness.
“God can!” has become “Can God?” (Psalm 78:19)
Let me tell you – God can! God can change your life! God can heal your body! God can give you peace! God can solve your family problems!
Some have seen Christianity as “pie in the sky when you die” – good only for the Great Beyond. But more than half a billion Christians worldwide exclaim with certainty that Jesus Christ is “the same” today as ever. (Hebrews 13:8) Many people have misread the message because some have misplaced the emphasis. When it comes to God’s ability and willingness to forgive us and heal us, a question mark just will not do!
That old country newspaper is now just a memory – replaced by a newspaper that puts the emphasis in the right places. That’s what I’d like to see happen with airy-fairy, wishy-washy preaching!