It's A Feature, Not A Bug

Here is what's been working through my mind lately regarding being offensive.

Offensive Institutionally

The wisdom from the seeker sensitive movement often goes something like this: earn the right to witness to your neighbor about Jesus by doing good deeds for them, then use that built up capital to invite them to a church service, but don't say or do anything that would offend them. Once they're there, don't offend them with outdated or offensive doctrines, because we want them to come back. If they're comfortable, they'll return, if they're offended, they'll leave. Our goal is to get people to hear as much of the Bible as possible, because the more, the better.
Probably true. 
But what if being offended is a feature God built into the gospel proclamation, and not a bug? What's if it's not an embarrassing side effect we should seek to minimize but an essential ingredient in our message? What if taking out the offense of the gospel results in another gospel which cannot save? I submit that it's better for the non-believer to clearly hear the gospel message and walk away offended than for them to hear a thousand feel-good sermons that never offended them. We need to be willing to pay the consequences again.

Offensive Personally

I've got enough distance from when all our old church friends ditched us to see clearly now, and therefore can finally say something meaningful about something other than how it feels. While in the pain I suspected myself as the one at fault for being needlessly churlish, because let's face it, I'm often needlessly churlish, but now after they were gracious enough to talk to us about it I see what's happened. I offended them. Badly. Because I rebuked the old church and left it. Because I condemned their doctrine and course of ministry as both insufficient and headed into non-Christianity. They like the church's new direction and don't want to hear a rebuke. Thus, I unwittingly handed them a huge dose of offense. You know what? Maybe that was God speaking to them. I do not repent of the decision to leave that church, and if it came with a painful lash across their conscience, then perhaps God meant for that to happen as a lesson.

Offensive at a Distance

At the same time I've been watching a friend of mine get it from his old denomination for breaking away from them. They're offended by him. They're angry. They don't like it. But the fact of the matter is truth isn't pleasant. It hurts. And perhaps that's a good thing. A very good thing. Because otherwise we might take the soft road right into hell without ever being jolted awake.