Good Rebel? Part 3

Good Rebel? Part 3
Fierce Loyalty

The Salvation Army Is where I met Jesus
The Salvation Army is my church.
It is the church I grew up in.
I met my wife at a Salvation Army event
My first kiss
I spent 17 summers at a Salvation Army Summer Camp growing up.
My first Job at the Salvation Army.
My second Job… Yup
My Third Job was actually at Blockbuster Video but essentially every other job I’ve held was within the Salvation Army
I met my wife at a Salvation Army event.
Most of the friends of my youth that I am still close with, I met in the Salvation Army
I was called to the ministry within the context of the Salvation Army.

I could go on for pages but the point I want to make is that The Salvation Army is a part of who I am I have committed my live to serving God within this “army”. I Love this movement.

The Problem with fierce loyalty is that it drives me to seek the best for the object of my loyalty. I want the absolute best for the “army”. I long for it to be the instrument God raised it up to be. And I believe that for the most part it does great things for the kingdom. But in the words of the founder “That and better will do…”

I believe it is disloyal to ignore a problem that is within my power to effect positive change. That is not to say we should challenge every problem we see. But when voicing a concern can make a legitimate difference one who is truly loyal must speak up.

There is sometimes an attitude in any organization that people should do there job to the best of their ability and stay out of the affairs of other. But this type of attitude seems to me to be the attitude of a hired hand rather than one who is committed to a mission or cause.

If I was a cook on a large boat and I noticed a leak I would point that leak out to the ship's captain. It’s not my job to look for leaks but if I see one, I have an obligation to tell someone if for no other reason than that if the ship sinks I will have no one to cook for. Now if I tell the Captain and he tells me he is aware of the leak and is taking care of it is then my responsibility to try to patch it anyway because I have a job to do already and if i don't do my job the rest of the ship will get hungry.

Unfortunately, this type of loyalty is often mistaken for rebellion, by those who think rebellion is anything that might rock the boat. It can also be seen as rebellion because there are some angry sailors on this ship who would be happy to mutiny and are just tired of being at sea. (These sailors give others a bad name by they're constant bellyaching.)

As the loyal cook willing to plug leaks, swab decks or anything the captain needs because I love this boat. I think that anyone who is just tired of the boat itself should walk the plank.

Good Rebel? Part 2

When I wrote good rebel part 1 I knew it was a prelude to part 2 andmaybe a part 3. There is so much about the idea of rebellion spinning in my head. When I was referred to as a 'good rebel' by a seasoned officer (Salvation Army minister) in a Leadership role, I believe he genuinely meant it as a complement. However, the statement stuck with me and troubled me. At first I used ‘part 1’ to help me work through why this label bothered me so much. I came to the conclusion that rebellion is not profitable. However, I have thought about that some to. I believe there is a time for rebellion. A rebel is someone who rejects some or all authority, government, or tradition.

There are times to reject an authority, the government, or a tradition. Some clear examples include, the passive resistance civil rightsmovement of the sixties, Rack, Shack, and Benny's refusal to sing the bunnysong. (See Daniel 3 for the real story)So to answer my own question there are times when one could be a 'good rebel'. I believe the only times when rebellion is good is when that ‘thing’ being rebelled against is beyond redemption. We can and should rebel against those systems, traditions, and leaders (ie. powers and principalities) that will only bring harm and chaos.

While there is always hope of personal redemption a leader or ruler'sLeadership can reach a point where their leadership and position is no longer salvageable. This is not to say that there personal soul could not stillbe saved. Hitler could have found true salvation, that would not mean heshould be left in power. The other time when rebellion is acceptable is when ones personalconvictions are challenged in this case however, we must be willing toface the consequences of our rebellion ie. civil disobedience.