When Your Freedom In Christ Might Hurt Others (even online)
Currently, I am going through my bible in a year plan where I am reading an Old and New Testament book side by side along with some type of wisdom literature in the Psalms or Proverbs ( I am days behind; don't judge me!) But it's been a joy to go through Scripture and just see and remind myself of God’s narrative to redeem the world through His Son, Jesus. If you have any touchpoints with the anime community. There was a YouTube channel that has found itself in some controversy in the last week. This channel, StruckbyBelz, highlighted how they have been creating content and reacting to anime. They have changed over the course of time, and even found faith in Christ (Praise God!) within the last few years. Because of this, they communicated how their support for Asta, the main character of Black Clover, has wavered. Simply because of their christian conviction and what they’re comfortable with. It even extended to Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, deleting their reactions because the show depicts Jesus in SBL.
In normal Anime fandom fashion, fans and creators alike across the spectrum gave their two cents. They have lost followers and probably are left trying to figure out what they do next concerning their channel. Will they be full-on Christian anime tubers? Who Knows! That’d be fun. If you want to see what all the fuss was about, you can check out my video that I posted on YouTube below:
Back to my bible plan! I recently finished up reading the Book of Romans. To some, Paul's magnum opus of explaining the gospel message in great length and detail. Often, the book of Romans and 1 Corinthians are great passages to consider when it comes to christian conviction. For example, here is the beginning of Romans 14, Paul talking about food sacrificed to Idols or Observance of certain days:
“Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. 2 One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3 The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. 4 Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.
“5 One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. 6 Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. 8 If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9 For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.
10 You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. 11 It is written:
“‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,
‘every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will acknowledge God.’”
12 So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.
13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. 14 I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean.”
To certain Christians, including myself. We look at Romans 14 and consider how this passage applies to believers today and how it applies to the grey areas of life and scripture. Think of things like having a glass of wine, smoking cigars, eating certain foods, or even holding hands with a boyfriend or girlfriend! (Controversial to the millennials, I’m sure!) These aren’t outlined in Scripture as sinful, and Christians have freedom in many areas. And often we quote this passage of Scripture (rightfully so) when Christian legalists seek to snuff out brothers and sisters’ relationship with Christ, making bold claims that someone's relationship with Christ is on the line if they sip wine, observe certain cultural holidays, and in this case even watch anime.
To make clear, a Christian's salvation is granted to them by Grace through faith alone, so that no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8-9). We didn’t do anything to earn our relationship, and we can’t do anything to try our best and keep our relationship. We are saved by God’s grace and kept by it as well. This doesn’t mean that, as a Christian, you shouldn’t do things. It also doesn’t mean Christians can do whatever they want and assume all is well.
Philippians 2:12-13 says,
“Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.”
Ephesians 2:10 that follows the verses before it states that because we are saved by grace through faith. Because of our new relationship with God in Christ. We should walk in the good works that God has already planned for us to do. Not doing them to achieve identity or salvation. But doing it from a place of already having Identity and salvation, with the full rights of being an adopted heir. Having God’s cosign to work for Gods glory.
Now that is out of the way. To circle back to Romans. How everyone has different convictions. Some brothers and sisters, concerning those convictions, are stronger and weaker. This is what shocked me in my Romans reading is the beginning of Chapter 15:
“We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. 2 Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up. 3 For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.”
When I came across this. I was flabbergasted. I’m pretty sure I read Romans 15 tons of times, and yet the beginning of the chapter was something I would never write home about. Considering convictions, Romans 14 is what I constantly mention on my channel. But I think it's because of the recent drama in the anime community. It’s made me think more deeply about how Christians who watch anime or don’t watch anime engage with each other.
Often I feel like, for those of us who watch anime and see it as something that the Lord can and has used to make people wonder about Him or even open opportunities to share the gospel. We are always on the defensive end from Christians who are hard-pressed against anime and condemn anyone who decides to watch anime, and from non-Christians who don’t understand why Christians would make any connections to anime to talk about Jesus.
But Romans 15 highlighted for me that even those of us, by the Holy Spirit's grace, have the freedom of conscience to watch the medium of anime. To engage with shows like Ranking of Kings, Fullmetal Alchemist, Black Clover, One Piece, DBZ, and more, which is great and fun. Can point our noses up at people who may not have the same grace you and I share to watch these shows and engage with the anime community. I call it the inverse of Luke 18 with the Pharisee and tax collector.
And I think in the case of this StruckbyBelz nonsense, we overstep how God is working in the life of a believer, new and more mature. We consider the Christians who make offhand comments or explain a conviction that they are personally limited to, but not putting on anyone else as not mature. Or that they are lacking in something that we ourselves have achieved. So we put them down, posture ourselves up as the “different Christian,” or even straight up condemn them because they can’t separate “fiction from reality” as you can. Maybe this is an attempt to appease the culture or shake our family in Christ awake. I don’t know your motives.
And I get how frustrating that can be, especially if brothers and sisters with bigger platforms communicate things you wouldn’t on something as nonessential as anime. But I think Romans 15 calls us more than anyone else, whether in person or online. For the mature believer to show grace to those whom the Lord has saved and redeemed. To recognize that everyone isn’t at the same place as you as a believer. If a weaker brother doesn’t see things your way, that you yourself know and are convinced are fine. The solution isn’t to call them out and announce to the world why they are wrong and call them names. That surely won’t get them to see things your way.
A step we could take is to pray that God would continue to keep them and form them into the image of his Son. It could be sending a message and asking if they need anything. MAYBE the solution is to say nothing and allow God to work things out in their life and how they should approach anime.
As Christians, we are not the final say on how someone should think and feel. The Holy Spirit is, and God’s word is.
To “bear with the failings of the weak” as a stronger brother or sister in Christ isn’t an attempt to coddle people and protect them from any type of correction. But it does mean to realize that you were probably at the same place the person you’re criticizing is right now, and they probably will benefit more from your prayers, encouragement, and reminders of the gospel message and their adoption than your reaction video or quote tweet.
Because to bear with their failings and weaknesses of conscience is to represent Jesus. Who bore our failings so that we might be right with God.
So watch the anime. Play the game. Drink a beer to catch up on life with a friend if your conscience allows. But don’t allow your freedom of conscience to be a hammer to the weaker brother.
Blessings.
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