How Jesus modeled loving confrontation — and why niceness was never the goal



Modern Christianity often treats “niceness” as its highest virtue and “offending” as its worst. The American church is far too often shaped by this creed.

Yet the Gospels paint a far different picture of Jesus. He was loving, compassionate, and merciful, yes — but He was also unapologetically offensive when truth required it. When we avoid speaking hard truths for the sake of being liked or preserving a shallow sense of “peace,” we slip into spiritual complacency, apathy, and lukewarmness — all things Jesus rebuked.

Jesus never softened the truth to keep crowds happy.

The American church has developed an aversion to tackling tough cultural issues that are, at their core, purely biblical. Pastors often retreat in fear of angry emails, pushback from congregants, or worse, the loss of Sunday pew-warmers.

Last year, in my home state of South Dakota, an amendment allowing abortion up to nine months was on the ballot. A pastor of one of the state’s largest churches refused to address it, worried about being labeled the “abortion church.” He chose the path of cowardice instead of defending the innocent unborn.

At its core, this kind of timidity is rooted in the fear of man, disguised as a desire to “attract” people to the gospel. Numbers are prioritized over hearts, popularity over true discipleship.

What most pastors try so hard to avoid today, Jesus hit head on. Jesus offended — and offended often. His offense was never petty but was always purposeful. He never once flinched from boldly proclaiming truth because it might “offend” someone or ruffle feathers. Quite the opposite, in fact.

Jesus set the example: Truth will offend

The Pharisees were Jewish religious leaders of Jesus’ day, esteemed by many and considered high-class elites.

But Jesus didn’t care how lofty and noble these men appeared to be — He saw straight through their transgressing hearts, calling them offensive names like “hypocrites,” “blind fools,” “brood of vipers,” “serpents,” “children of hell,” “whitewashed tombs,” and “greedy and self-indulgent.” Naturally they were offended.

In Matthew 15:1-12 and Matthew 23, the disciples pulled Jesus aside after He offended the Pharisees by exposing their spiritual corruption. Jesus told these perceived religious zealots they honor God with their lips, but their hearts are far from Him.

The disciples questioned, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?” (Matthew 15:12). Jesus’ backbone, as stiff as steel, responded, “Let them alone; they are blind guides” (Matthew 15:14). He didn’t have any time for nonsense.

Jesus didn’t just offend the Pharisees with truth; He offended His disciples too.

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Christ driving money-changers from the Temple (Fine Art Images/Heritage Images via Getty Images)

In John 6, the disciples took offense at Jesus’ teaching on the bread of life. He challenged their religious assumptions and expectations about the Messiah as He proclaimed, “I am the living bread” (John 6:51), and symbolically called them to “eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood” (John 6:53).

Their offense shows their difficulty understanding the spiritual truths that transcended human understanding.

Jesus offends repeatedly all throughout the Gospel stories. When He claims He existed before Abraham as John 8:56-59 says, the Jewish leaders interpreted His teaching as blasphemy, which led them to try to stone Him. When one of the Pharisees invites Him to dinner in Luke 11:37-54, instead of a surface-level conversation about the weather, Jesus didn't waste time and immediately unmasked their hypocrisy, legalism, and spiritual emptiness. In response, they began plotting against Jesus — not repenting and humbling themselves.

Jesus never softened the truth to keep crowds happy. He offended religious leaders, political authorities, and even His own followers when they opposed the kingdom of God. His love was inseparable from honesty.

If we claim to follow Him, we cannot avoid offending people. Jesus reminds us in the Gospel of John that if the world hates us to remember it hated Him first. Faithful discipleship means being willing to confront lies, challenge sin, and speak truth, even when it divides, disrupts, or costs us something — or everything.

Courageous truth-telling is a biblical virtue

The modern church often elevates “niceness” above righteousness and holiness. But Jesus wasn’t crucified for being nice — He was crucified because He spoke truth that offended people even though a week before they spread cloaks and branches, shouting "Hosanna" as He entered Jerusalem.

I recently read through the Gospels, noticing the countless times Jesus “offended” but for good reason. He never offended for the sake of it — but always because it was the outcome of teaching truth with conviction.

In Jesus’ hometown, people were both astonished and “offended” when Jesus taught in their synagogue as Matthew 13:54-57 recounts. Their familiarity led to their unbelief, and Jesus exposed the depth of their spiritual blindness. The people of Nazareth then tried to throw Jesus off a cliff. They were first impressed but then violently offended (Luke 4:16-30).

'Modern religion focuses upon filling churches with people. The true gospel emphasizes filling people with God.'

Imagine congregants trying to throw a modern-day pastor off a cliff because he was too bold? Oh, to have more courageous pastors who righteously offend. Many would cower to the crowds or be taken to the side by their elder board demanding they tone it down, but not Jesus; He continued preaching truth at all costs.

Even up to His crucifixion and death on the cross, Jesus didn’t try to appease or reason with the people. He didn’t apologize. He didn’t use caveats. He was mission-focused on preaching the gospel that saves and leads to repentance. Not once did He try to people-please at the price of watering down sound doctrine.

Niceness avoids conflict, clarity, and offense — but Jesus didn’t. He embodied compassion and mercy, yet He also spoke hard, confrontational truths when necessary.

True Christlikeness means loving people enough to tell them what they need to hear — not what keeps us comfortable or well-liked.

Jesus didn’t offend to be cruel or to win an argument; He offended to reveal truth, to expose bondage, to free hearts, and to reveal God’s kingdom. His offense was holy, rooted in love, and aimed at transforming hearts and minds.

Fear of offending has paralyzed the church

A.W. Tozer wisely said, "Modern religion focuses upon filling churches with people. The true gospel emphasizes filling people with God.”

Many American pastors avoid addressing culturally explosive but biblically clear issues because they don’t want to offend. This silence stems from the fear of man — fear of losing members, donations, reputation, and influence.

The result is lukewarm churches that prioritize optics over obedience. Nothing is “wrong” with the church, but nothing is “right” with it either. People aren’t leaving convicted or repentant. They’re leaving feeling pretty good about themselves as they wallow in complacency.

Why does the American church continue to sit on the truth? True disciples follow Jesus until death.

No boats have been rocked, no hearts have been transformed, and no one has been truly discipled.

But the apostle Paul in Galatians 1:10 makes clear: “If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” You can only serve one master: God or the world.

When leaders refuse to speak on matters like abortion, sexuality, or sin because they might upset people, they are choosing self-preservation over faithfulness.

“If there is a decay of conscience, the pulpit is responsible for it. If the church is degenerate and worldly, the pulpit is responsible for it,” declared Charles Finney, a minister and leader during the Second Great Awakening.

Speaking truth in love: The cost of radical discipleship

John the Baptist offended people when he called them to repentance, criticized Herod for committing adultery, and condemned religious hypocrisy. He lost his head as a result. Paul offended people by preaching the Christ crucified and calling out legalism and man-made traditions. He was decapitated because of it. Elijah offended King Ahab and the prophets of Baal by confronting idolatry. Jezebel threatened to kill him. Amos offended the Israelites in the Northern Kingdom when he spoke out against wealth, corruption, and injustice in Israel. He faced rejection and threats.

These were all offenses they were willing to make because they lived for an audience of one.

So why does the American church continue to sit on the truth? True disciples follow Jesus until death.

Christian Nigerians right now are being slaughtered for their faith by the thousands, yet they continue gathering in droves to worship their King. Meanwhile American churches are sitting on the sidelines too worried about offending people to speak truth, rather than taking up our cross and truly following Christ.

As believers, we must be strong and courageous, with a truth-telling edge. We should not be harsh or abrasive but rather love people enough to say what’s hard.

If Jesus’ ministry provoked offense for the sake of truth, perhaps ours should too.

The real reason American churches are under attack



The statistics are as sobering as they are predictable.

According to Family Research Council, between 2018 and 2024, there have been 1,384 documented hostile acts against churches in America, including vandalism, arson, fire bombings, bomb threats, and shootings. This represents an eight-fold increase from just five years prior.

The dragon is making war against those who refuse to bow to the spirit of the age.

But for those with eyes to see, this surge was never a matter of if but when.

When a culture systematically abandons the God who gave it birth, when it tears down every sacred institution and mocks every holy thing, the inevitable result is not peaceful co-existence with God’s family but war. And that war has now come, quite literally, to our church doors.

The most recent and egregious example comes from Seattle, where 28-year-old Lebron Givaun — a newlywed who had recently surrendered his life to Christ — was gunned down in broad daylight as he arrived for a young adult service at Pursuit Church. Two masked assailants fired over 30 rounds from illegally modified automatic weapons into a crowd of families gathering for a church barbecue.

Let that sink in: Criminals with a “code of honor” that Pastor Russell Johnson rightly noted wouldn’t “shoot a man in broad daylight while he is at a house of worship, while he is with his wife and kid,” have been replaced by something far more sinister. This was not random gang violence spilling over into a sacred space — this was a targeted assault on the very concept of sanctuary itself.

The symbolism could not be clearer. After the shooting, the attackers abandoned and torched their vehicle at another church’s parking lot to destroy the evidence. The scene sent its own grim message: No church is beyond our reach.

The pattern emerges

This Seattle shooting did not occur in a vacuum. Pursuit Church had already been marked for hostility after hosting a prayer rally defending biblical sexuality and the family. When Christians gathered lawfully to proclaim God’s design for marriage and gender, Seattle’s political establishment and radical activists united in opposition, with Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell (D) characterizing the prayer gathering as “far-right” extremism.

Here, we see the progression with crystal clarity.

First, biblical Christianity is redefined as political extremism. Then, those who hold to historic Christian faith are demonized as threats to public safety. And finally, violence against such “threats” becomes not only acceptable but morally justified.

The pattern repeats itself across blue America. In Washington state, Natasha O’Dell traveled from Texas to burn down the Seattle Laestadian Lutheran Church, causing over $3.2 million in damage. She had openly expressed her rage against churches and specifically planned to “burn a nearby church.” The same spirit that drove her to destruction drives the masked gunmen who spray bullets into church gatherings.

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Blaze Media Illustration

This is not new but is part of a growing pattern. In the fall of 2022, a pro-abortion terrorist group, Jane’s Revenge, threatened to carry out a mass shooting at two churches in Nebraska, explicitly naming the use of “AR-14 rifles” if a local abortion ban passed.

These threats were a part of a wave of over 100 violent attacks on churches and pregnancy centers that have occurred since May 2022, when the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Dobbs case overturning Roe v. Wade was leaked.

And since May 2020, there have been at least 518 violent attacks on Catholic churches across 43 states, including arson, smashed statues, satanic graffiti, vandalism, and assault — often with explicitly anti-Catholic and pro-abortion messages.

The spiritual reality behind the statistics

Make no mistake: This is spiritual warfare manifesting in physical violence.

When the apostle Paul warned that “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12), he was describing precisely what we witness today.

The enemy’s strategy is both ancient and obvious: If you cannot corrupt the church from within through compromise and false teaching, destroy it from without through intimidation and violence. John’s vision in Revelation 12:17 captures this perfectly: “And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”

This scenario is precisely what we see unfolding in Washington state and across America. The dragon is making war against those who refuse to bow to the spirit of the age, who insist on keeping God’s commandments regarding marriage, sexuality, and the sanctity of life and who maintain their testimony of Jesus Christ as the only way to salvation.

These attacks are not random acts of violence. They are manifestations of an ancient hatred directed specifically at those who bear the image of the One who crushed the serpent’s head.

A call to courage

This moment is not a time for the church to retreat into a defensive crouch, hoping that if we just keep our heads down and our convictions quiet, perhaps the storm will pass us by. That storm is not passing — it is intensifying. And our Lord Jesus never called His people to cower in the face of persecution; He called us to count it all joy (James 1:2).

To the pastors reading this: Your congregations need to hear the truth about what is happening, and they need to be prepared — spiritually, mentally, and yes, practically — for what may come. This is not fearmongering; this is biblical wisdom. “A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, but the simple pass on and are punished” (Proverbs 22:3).

To the men in our churches: You have been called to be protectors and defenders, not just of your families but of your congregations. The times demand masculine courage rooted in biblical conviction. Study your scripture, strengthen your bodies, and prepare your minds. The sheep are under attack, and shepherds must be ready to confront the wolves.

These attacks confirm that the light of Christ still shines brightly enough to provoke the rage of those who love darkness rather than light.

To every believer: Understand that in a post-Christian culture, simply being Christian is increasingly viewed as an act of aggression. Your commitment to biblical truth — on marriage, sexuality, the sanctity of life, and the exclusivity of Christ — marks you as an enemy of the prevailing order.

This is not a cause for compromise; it is a call to clarity.

The government’s abdication

What makes this crisis particularly acute is the systematic abdication of civil government from its God-ordained role.

When Seattle’s mayor effectively takes sides with violent protesters against Christians exercising their First Amendment rights, when 75% of homicides in Seattle go unsolved, and when churches must hire private security because public officials will not protect houses of worship, the social contract has been shattered.

Scripture is clear that civil government exists “for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good” (1 Peter 2:14). When government instead punishes good and praises evil, it has forfeited its divine mandate and revealed itself as an instrument of the very chaos it was ordained to prevent.

This is why the principled Christian must simultaneously pray for governing authorities (1 Timothy 2:1-2) while refusing to grant them the ultimate allegiance that belongs to God alone. We submit to legitimate authority while recognizing that no earthly power can command us to deny our Lord or abandon His truth (Daniel 3:16-28).

Victory through faithfulness

The rise in anti-Christian violence is both a sign of our culture’s spiritual darkness and, paradoxically, evidence of the gospel’s power. The enemy does not waste ammunition on territory he already controls. These attacks confirm that the light of Christ still shines brightly enough to provoke the rage of those who love darkness rather than light.

Our response must be thoroughly biblical: We fear God and fear nothing else. We love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us, even as we prepare to defend the innocent and vulnerable. We proclaim the truth in love, knowing that the same gospel, which is “the power of God unto salvation,” is also our only hope for cultural transformation.

As Jesus told us in John 16:33:

These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.

The church has survived Roman persecution, Islamic conquest, and communist oppression. It will most certainly survive the tantrums of a dying secular culture that has mistaken temporary political power for ultimate authority.

Our King reigns, our victory is certain, and our duty is clear: to stand firm, speak truth, and trust the sovereignty of God, who works all things according to the counsel of His will.

The dragon may rage, but the Lamb has conquered. And in His strength, so shall we.

This article is adapted from an essay originally published at Liberty University's Standing for Freedom Center.

More than 90 pastors have declared they will 'never again' shut down their churches. Is your pastor one of them?



A coalition of more than 90 American pastors from different denominations have boldly declared they will "never again" comply with government orders to close their churches.

Taking up a biblical rallying cry from Acts 5:29, these clergyman say, "We must obey God rather than men," and have signed on to a statement declaring that the government violated the U.S. Constitution by ordering churches to cease meeting during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The purpose of the document is to provide a muster point for clergy," said Pastor Stephen Mannion of Faith United Methodist Church in Lancaster, New York. "The 'Acts 5:29 Statement' declares to the government: 'Don't try to close the Church again. It won't go so well next time.'"

Churches and other houses of worship were forced to shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic when government-issued "stay at home" orders required "non-essential" public places to close. While some religious organizations objected at the time, citing First Amendment concerns, the U.S. Supreme Court in May 2020 declined to take up their cases and permitted lockdown orders to remain in effect.

As a result of government restrictions, many church leaders had to innovate and embraced technology to deliver live-streamed worship services over the internet. But in-person Bible studies, small groups, counseling services, Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous meetings, and a multitude of other Christian ministries suspended their activities. Many Christians contend that suspending these services came at a great cost. Deaths associated with alcohol, drugs, and suicide spiked 20% in 2020, claiming the lives of more than 186,000 Americans.

Mannion told TheBlaze in an interview that the government overstepped its authority during the pandemic.

"Bodily autonomy and parental rights [were] often stripped away, livelihoods were lost, dedicated service men and women where forced to retire or be cut from our armed forces, students were robbed of an education, and all for an [infection fatality ratio] of much less than 1%," Mannion said.

He explained that the idea to draft the Acts 5:29 Statement and invite other ministers to sign it came to him after reading "God vs. Government" by authors Nathan Busenitz and James Coates. The book recounts the efforts of pastors John MacArthur and James Coats to defy lockdown orders in Canada and the United States.

"The Church should have spoke up more on these issues. As for overreach more specific to the Church: It is beyond the God given authority, and Constitutional authority, of the Government to restrict numbers or attendance at worship," Mannion said.

He drafted the statement along with Rev. Bill Cook, founder and CEO of America's Black Robe Regiment, an organization of politically active Christian pastors dedicated to preserving "the Blessings of Liberty." It is based on Hebrews 10:25 and Acts 5:29, Bible verses that instruct Christians not to neglect to gather together for worship and forbade obeying laws that violate God's commandments.

So far, 93 ministers from 29 states have signed the statement, which declares that government officials "clearly transgressed their lawful authority in executive action that prohibited public meetings or mandated the wearing of masks and 'social distancing.'"

"As a national coalition of pastors and churches, we reject any Presidential or gubernatorial decree requiring us to disobey the word of God. We will resist any attempt by a Federal, state or local official to restrict or prohibit the free exercise of our Religion or place restrictions thereon," the statement reads.

During the pandemic, legal experts and public health authorities argued it was right and constitutional to order houses of worship to close to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

"Religious gatherings are not immune from in effect becoming petri dishes of infection. The potential negative, even catastrophic, consequences resulting from these gatherings are obvious, even if one lacks advanced training in epidemiology," law professors Sanford Levinson and Eric Segall wrote in an April 4, 2020, blog post for the American Constitution Society.

But Mannion and the signatories of the Acts 5:29 Statement dispute those arguments, highlighting the hypocrisy of letting so-called "essential" businesses like Walmart remain open while churches were closed.

"The Church was never a super spreader. Walmart was open with 400 people walking around, but the church could only have 25, and then 0? 'But Walmart is a necessity'. So is the Church. The soul is of infinite more value than the body," Mannion said.

"Jesus said, 'What does it profit a man to gain the whole world but lose his soul?' The local church is more than capable of taking necessary precautions suitable for it's building and attendance numbers. NO one is forcing anyone to go to church. Each person can make their own risk/benefit assessment without bid daddy in Washington telling him/her what they can and can't do."

The organizers of the statement have set a goal of recruiting 5,000 signatories. On Jan. 1, 2023, the signed statement will be sent to local, state, and federal officials informing them that the undersigned ministers will never close their churches on the government's orders again.

View the full statement here.

More churches are returning to a pre-pandemic normal, but people aren't coming back



With COVID-19 cases decreasing and pandemic restrictions lifting all over the U.S., many churches and other houses of worship have returned to their pre-pandemic services. But that return to normal has not corresponded with worshipers returning for in-person services, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey.

The survey asked U.S. adults who say they attend religious services whether their house of worship is currently open and holding services the same way it did before the COVID-19 pandemic. A new high of 43% of respondents say their congregation has returned to normal services, which is an increase of 14 percentage points in the last six months and 31 points since last March.

A larger plurality of 47% say their church or house of worship is open, but with some modifications like mask requirements or social distancing still in place because of the pandemic. Only 5% of respondents said their place of worship is still closed. According to Pew Research, the number of U.S. worshipers who say their congregation is open for in-person worship has not increased over the last six months, but fewer people say their services include COVID-19 precautions.

But even though many churches are open for worship under normal conditions, the number of people attending worship in-person has not changed since fall, following a period of growth between July 2020 and September 2021.

In July 2020, four months after "15 days to slow the spread," only 13% of U.S. adults told Pew Research they had attended religious services in person during the previous month.

About 27% of U.S. adults now say they attended a religious service in person during the previous month. That's not much more than the 26% who reported the same in September 2021 and 17% in March 2021.

At the same time, the number of Americans who say they have streamed religious services online or watched them on TV in the past month fell from 36% in July 2020 to 28% in September 2021. Now that figure stands at 30%.

Regular church attenders are more likely to be physically present at worship services. Nearly one-third of U.S. adults, 32%, say they typically attend religious services at least once or twice a month. Of this group, 67% report they have attended an in-person service in the last month, while 57% say they have watched services online or on TV during that period.

There were noteworthy differences in church attendance among Christian denominations.

Protestant congregants of historically black churches were the group most likely to have only watched religious services online or on TV in the last month, without about one-third (35%) reporting they had done so. They were also least likely to say they had attended church services in person in the last month (48%) compared to evangelical Protestants (75%), mainline Protestants (68%), and Catholics (69%).

Mainline Protestants have seen the largest rise of in-person attendance since September 2021, when 56% reported attending an in-person service in the previous month. Now 68% report attending church in-person in the last month, a 12-point increase.