I have to disagree at least in part. Christians (meaning humans) are not the offensive arm of the Church. From Ephesians, God's offense is the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. We are commanded to live lives of virtue, watch the Spirit work on our behalf, and proclaim the Word. Yes we should go out and make disciples, but the actual spiritual heavy lifting is being done by God to prepare the way and make our paths straight.

We should be holy. We should be righteous. We should be God's people. Will that be aggressive? Perhaps, but the focus must not be on the attitude. The focus must be on the Lord God Almighty.

Jeff, I don't see how that is not compatible with Dr. Ortlund's second paragraph, which explains what he means by aggression -- "redefining all of life according to God's good news."

I don't think he's talking about treating people as enemies at all.

I think this article makes some very good points. I think it is applicable to many people of good faith trying to do good things. I find so much apathy in the religious world; a kind of 'live and let live and things will all fall into place'fatalism that pervades this postmodern world. That is what I find to be one of the major weakness of modern Christianity (especially of the European sort). The fatalistic view that you actually have no say in what will happen and that 'God controls everything.'

Well, God may be in control of all things, but it appears that he has allowed us control of at least one thing: our will. We can be lukewarm Christians or we can light up the fire in our bellies and fight and run and serve out our existential purpose in this world with as much rigor as our will may allow. Simply saying "God will prepare the way," while being true; doesn't mean we need to mosey on down primrose path passing by people who are unsaved on the way without feeling or passion for their souls. Sometimes God prepares different paths from which we may choose, some good, and some being better. Depending on our aggressiveness in living the precepts of Christ (becoming disciplined in His ways) determines which paths we take as well as the roles we can play on the grand stage God has set for us.

Anybody who undestands the destructive philosophies that are operative in our world today and who doesn't act with urgency and all due expedience is like the unfaithful and unwise steward who buries his talent deep in an unexamined, unremarkable life.

Hmm: I guess it all comes down to what one means by "war" and "aggression."

Is it "aggressive" to go on a partial fast for a month and send the money you've saved to the poor (remembering that the lives of the "Christs" around us are worth infinitely more than any material goods)? Is it "aggressive" to turn down a lucrative promotion because the increased number of weekends out of town would interfere with family life? (I have done neither, but would argue that both are very Scriptural, rand represent "redefining all our life according to God's good news for bad people through the finished work of Christ on the cross.")

I think I kinda get the point (and agree with it), but the phrase "the aggressor usually prevails" just seems like an un-Christ-like bit of rhetoric and an unhelpful way to define the difference that is Christ's message. Yes, Jesus was "aggressive" at times--and we, too, sometimes need to be "aggressive." But in Christ's rhetoric of Heaven, it seems more common that the "humble" and the "meek" shall "inherit the earth."

And actually, I think that a lot of the American way is very aggressive--going out there, making one's own life, and grabbing what you can for me and mine. The Church should stand against the evils of its culture--but we should do so in our methods (grace, humility, oppenness towards God's spirit, courage in the truth) rather than man's (power above all, aggressive self-seeking.)

CR, I agree that it can sound like that. In context, I think even "aggression" should be redefined according to the gospel.

Let's not interpret the last line apart from the context.

And I've had the great privilege of meeting Dr. Ortlund and beginning a relationship with him. So far he is not "aggressive" in spirit at all, and in fact I was surprised at how much the opposite of it he is. He is a gracious, kind, humble soul, and I can't see him advocating aggression of the "American way" sort at all.

Would the agression of the "American way" include the way we have liberated, fed and clothed millions of people worldwide at significant cost to American Blood and Treasure, and with no worldly recompense whatsoever?

No. I was using CR's implied definition, one of conspicuous consumption.

No worries, I was also responding to Mr. Rambler as well (probably British--I know the type ;)

I think there's a lot to be said of American breeds of Christianity (including perhaps also the Catholicism of Latin America) that is one major barrier against secularism spreading unimpeded throughout the world, and yes, perhaps American economic and military power has helped to preserve that religious heritage and freedom against the forces of European nihilism and materalism. Strong men who willed to power in Europe and Asia who have sought to destroy our Christian heritage have almost all been defeated by aggressive American righteous intervention. To be meek isn't to cowar in front of bullies, but to submit to God.

I think some are missing the point....we're not talking about being aggressive in our practice of Christ-likeness, we're talking about playing offense in spiritual warfare.

Certainly love, joy, peace (and all the fruits of the spirit) are more appropriate in following Christ, but in Spiritual Warfare, who is dictating the terms seems important.

Ray Ortlund was my mother and sister's pastor at 1st Pres Augusta GA for 7 years - he presided over my mother's funeral - a great teacher and very compassionate guy.

"No worries, I was also responding to Mr. Rambler as well (probably British--I know the type ;)"

I will take that as a compliment. I'm proud to be an American (which means I take America's sins perhaps a bit too personally), but I have a strange love for all things Oxford-prof-like.

What I meant by the "American way" was, to put it more specifically, "the worldly and secular way as it generally pops up in my home country of America." America has many great virtues, but she also has her own particular sins. And as Chesterton or Lewis pointed out, one of the main witnesses of the Church is the way she resists the insanities of her culture by remaining rooted in the truth.

I'm for agressive spiritual warfare (within one's own soul, especially). I guess the main thing is that I've cooled on the culture wars (I still think we should stand for the truth, but "us" verses "them" power-politics has been all too often what "Christian" means today.)

But "to every thing there is a season," and I will be the first to admit that I could be somewhat overresponding.