Left-Handed Christians

The following is an article written by my friend, my mentor,  & my theology professor from the Bible Baptist Seminary (Now Arlington Baptist College), the late Dr. George L. Norris. It is taken from the Gideon Baptist News, Gideon Baptist Church, Fort Worth, Texas, 27.8 (November 23, 1970): 1-2.

HIS, student magazine of the Intervarsity Christian Fellowship printed a little tract with a most intriguing thought. The point was made: there are some "left-handed" people, those whose strength is in their left arm instead of the right, "where it ought to be." Those individuals who are by nature left-handed can give innumerable examples of discrimination against them. From the day when they first went to school and found the desks designed for "normal" right-handed drivers.

            We also observe there are left-handed Christians. These are those who are "different." Maybe their method of witnessing for Christ is right for them, though different from most others. Maybe THEY ARE AMONG THOSE WHO BELIEVE THE God of Creation and the God of Revelation are one and the same and they see no conflict between faith and scientific knowledge. Maybe they are among those who love the Lord and love good music, the classics, beautiful paintings and believe subjects and predicates should agree in number! In today's habit of oversimplification they are generally thought by "true believers" to be odd. They are "left-handed" Christians.

            They believe the most single imperative of Christian work is to seek the regeneration of sinners, but believe also that as Christians they have an obligation to "love thy neighbor as thyself." They feel an obligation to relieve misery and ignorance and sickness here on earth and their heavenly pilgrimage. They are not content to postpone all the obligations of being a Christian until they get to Heaven.

            To those of us who somehow do not seem to fit the classical patterns into which men would place us -- this includes both our friends and foes -- we are indeed "left-handed."

            We believe in the Gospel with all our hearts, but believe the worship service should honor God with music that moves something more than the feet! We believe the Gospel should be given to all the world, but do not believe that necessarily means that we are to preach loudly enough for it to be heard universally as some sanctified sonic boom from one pulpit! We believe we are to be heavenly minded, but that does not mean that we are to totally ignore the fact that we now live in this world and that we have an obligation to fulfill to humanity while we are here.

            Let us not be discouraged. In the Old Testament God used "left-handers" in remarkable ways. Seven hundred men of the tribe of Benjamin were specialists. They were left-handed sling-shot experts! (You might figure out why left-handed men were in the van instead of right-handed ones. A clue: the path that led up to the city spiraled upward clockwise around the hill.)

            Let us not berate ourselves if we are different. Let us rather believe that God has a special task for us to fill. We may not fit the normal pattern of today's fundamental form. Instead of feeling a it embarrassed about it, let us seek how we may be used of God to do a work where the right-handed ones would fail.

            Strangely enough, a right-handed man seldom works to build up his left arm, whereas a left-handed man, perhaps due to either necessity or psychological pressure does seek to build up his right arm's strength. Let us develop both. Let us not be weak in the strongest of fundamental testimonies, but neither let us be weak in the present realities and necessities of life around us.