Why I Still Love Keith Green
“Do you see, do you see, all the people sinking down? Don’t you care, don’t you care, are you gonna let them drown? How can you be so numb, not to care if they come? You close your eyes and pretend the job’s done.” That was Keith Green singing his eyeballs out about how Christians neglect evangelism. This song hit me like a thunderbolt in high school. I felt so moved thinking about how my classmates were going to hell, and I wasn’t doing a thing to keep them from it.
I’m not a Christian anymore, and I don’t think people are going to hell, a place for which no evidence exists. But I admired and admire Keith’s fanatical passion for saving souls. You see, he took it seriously. If there is a God, and if hell really exists, what could be more pressing than sharing the gospel to lost people.
Yet, nearly all the Christians I know hardly ever share the gospel. They’re too busy being respectable, grinding at work, building a home, storing up for retirement, and noshing on bagels and coffee at Sunday School. How is it possible to live so placidly if you really think unsaved people are going to suffer eternally for rejecting God?
I’ve got some street cred to be critical here. About ten years of my life, I took Christianity more seriously than most people I’ve known. I went to seminary. I tried sharing the gospel with people, often making a fool of myself. I turned down job opportunities, opportunities to build wealth, and sexual liaisons so I could serve God. I went door-to-door witnessing. I attended church multiple times per week. I distanced myself from friends and family because of their lack of interest in spiritual things. I read the Bible and prayed almost on a daily basis.
This is why I find it so hard to stomach the multiple personality disorder of most Christians. They live with one foot in heaven and one on earth. They build their earthly kingdoms while casting aspersion on those whose ways aren’t worthy of God’s eternal kingdom. They can’t be bothered to study the dogma they dogmatize about. They can’t be bothered to act a little silly to talk to their neighbor or coworker about the claims of Christ. They can’t be bothered to cultivate the fruit of the Spirit, instead devoting endless hours to their political hero d’jour. They can’t be bothered to memorize Proverbs to grow wise.
Now, I’m not saying one must stay busy with the above activities. Here’s what I’m saying: go buck wild for the heavenly life, or go buck wild for the earthly. Don’t pussy foot. If there’s a hell, go warn people. If there ain’t, dive deep into earthly delights. It’s a one-shot deal. I think the great mistake is going halfway with each. That’s my “Pascal’s wager”: wager that going all in for one life or another might be better than fobbing God off with some half-hearted nod of assent to avert his wrath.