I’m not a big moviegoer, but occasionally a family member drags me to the theater. A few years ago my daughter talked me into going to see a film with her. I don’t remember much about the movie, but one scene has stuck with me ever since. A young woman and her suitor are standing in a gray stone church building. As they look at a stained-glass window, she remarks, “I love the stained-glass. It is a riot of color in a dreary gray world.”

Our Christian faith is often seen by a lost and dying world as a drab black and white religion. It is perceived to be devoid of brilliant colors. Its essence is mistaken to be nothing more than a grayscale creed of dos and don’ts. In addition, we Christians are frequently viewed by others as those opposed to vivacity rather than possessors of a multi-colored palette of virtue with which we can brilliantly color the common things of everyday life. 

Although we cannot escape the black and white of our faith; that is, what is right and wrong, as well as what is true and false, we must paint with all of the other colors on our palette as well, colors that are brilliant, bright and beautiful. These dazzling colors, along with the gray hue of blended black and white, must be boldly painted in van Gogh fashion if we hope to attract the world to our faith. 

As any good artist knows, attracting the eye to art requires striking contrast. Perhaps, this explains the biblical admonition that we, the people of God, should be a peculiar people (Deuteronomy 14:2; 1 Peter 2:9). Unless the church is seen in striking contrast to the world, sinners will have little reason to take notice of the saints. We will simply blend in and become imperceptible. 

Though the above painting-style is being advocated by today’s church growth gurus; namely, the church acquiescing to the world, it is averse to the world being attracted to the church. If the world doesn’t see our selflessness in contrast to their selfishness, our charity in contrast to their greed, our humility in contrast to their pride, and our compassion in contrasts to their callousness, then, the world will have little need to take notice of the church. This, I believe, goes a long way in explaining to us why the church is so inconspicuous in the world today!

“Don't let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-mould your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all His demands and moves you toward the goal of true maturity.” (Romans 12:2 J. B. Philips Translation)