When Being Right Overshadows Reflecting Christ
When defending the truth becomes louder than reflecting Christ, we risk losing the very heart of the Gospel.
Spend five minutes on Christian social media and you’ll notice it immediately the debate culture. Doctrinal arguments, public rebukes, theological critiques, all flooding timelines in the name of truth. These aren’t just fringe voices. These are everyday believers, passionate about the Gospel and eager to defend the faith. But in the process, a sobering question emerges: Have we become too focused on being right?
It’s not a question of truth versus error. The Church has always been called to uphold sound doctrine and proclaim the Gospel faithfully. The concern is more subtle and more serious. It’s about the how of our witness. Are we using truth as a weapon rather than a window into Christ’s heart?
Barry Corey, president of Biola University and author of Love Kindness, has seen this trend growing. “Kindness has become far too often a forgotten virtue,” he explains. “Christians often bypass kindness to begin a shouting match… we have ranted before we’ve related.”
This isn’t a plea for compromise. It’s a call for Christlikeness. And it’s one that’s urgently needed.
A Culture That Shouts
In today’s world, outrage is a currency. Social media rewards quick reactions and hard lines. In this environment, clarity is prized but often at the expense of compassion. Even well-intentioned believers fall into the trap of fighting for truth in ways that actually betray it.
Corey observes, “Christians especially American Christians in recent years have employed the combative strategy, and it’s not working.” Despite all our posts, campaigns, and viral arguments, culture is not being transformed. In many cases, we’re pushing people further away.
The Illusion of Winning
There’s a deeper problem here unkindness can feel powerful. It rallies the base. It gets attention. It gives the illusion of boldness. But it rarely produces fruit. “Unkindness has little effect beyond marshaling other Christians to admire our toughness,” Corey says. “It has gotten us nowhere in the cause of the Gospel.”
In fact, Scripture paints a different path. Proverbs 15:1 reminds us, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Jesus didn’t merely declare truth. He embodied it with compassion, mercy, and startling kindness.
Jesus: The Kind Courageous One
Jesus never wavered on truth, but He also never weaponized it. His most scathing critiques were reserved for the religious elite the ones obsessed with being right. He didn’t seek out sinners to correct them; He sought them out to love them. His rebukes came with tears. His corrections came with an invitation.
In Luke 18, He welcomed children when others dismissed them. In Mark 9:37, He said, “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me… and the one who sent me.” Jesus identified not with the strong, but with the small. Not with the power brokers, but with the overlooked.
Redemptive Over Defensive
Too often, Christians treat faith like a courtroom everything is about the next argument, the next opponent, the next win. But the Gospel is not a debate to win. It’s a life to be lived and shared. Paul didn’t say, “Be right at all costs.” He said, “Speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15). Not one or the other both.
Corey puts it bluntly: “To prove we’re not going soft on our faith, we’re quick to label others from a distance.” But real Gospel witness requires nearness, not distance. Connection, not condemnation.
Kindness Is Not Weakness
Some fear that kindness is compromise. That if we lead with gentleness, we’re failing to stand firm. But Scripture tells us otherwise. “Kindness is not incompatible with courage,” Corey says. “Kindness embodies courage, although courage does not always embody kindness.”
True strength is not found in volume, but in virtue. It’s choosing humility over pride. Patience over provocation. Listening before lecturing. The Gospel is offensive on its own; we don’t need to make it harsher with our tone.
The Church: Battleground or Refuge?
When the Church mirrors the world’s hostility, we lose our distinctiveness. We become another voice in the noise. But when we respond with grace not because we’re weak, but because we’re strong in Christ we offer something this world desperately lacks.
Romans 2:4 says it is “God’s kindness [that] leads to repentance.” If that’s true of God, it must also be true of us.
Let Kindness Be Contagious
Corey offers hope: “The good news is that kindness has the potential to be contagious. When… marginalized, proud, stubborn, condemned individuals receive our genuine kindness, true connection with God can begin.”
It’s not about abandoning conviction. It’s about reflecting Christ. In a divided world, compassion becomes a radical act. A gentle answer becomes a bright light. Being right might win the moment. But being loving might win a heart.
This is the kind of Christian witness the world is aching to see.
If this message encouraged you, share it with someone who needs a reminder that Christlike kindness still changes lives or subscribe to our newsletter for more insights to grow in your walk with Jesus.
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