Are you a radical or a pragmatist? Those two words are seldom used together because they seem to be polar opposites. But, once again maybe they don't mean what we think they mean. A pragmatist is one who is focused on results rather than ideals and will compromise on principles to get the desired outcome. A radical is one who doesn't follow the herd off the cliff, but rather is willing to act in non-traditional ways and go against the crowd; sometimes in very extreme ways.

Typically I don’t use the word radical to describe myself because it makes me think of 70’s hippie surfers smoking weed and mumbling “Radical, dude, pass me the joint.” Or it brings to mind extremists who will burn the church down to “save” it. But in the right context and if the specific meaning is given then it’s an excellent word.

Also, I wouldn't want to be a pragmatist because I don't believe the ends always justify the means, especially if it means compromising ideals and principles. That's a sure path to destruction. Yet, we’re all pragmatic in areas that don’t matter (I may want to buy a boat to go fishing but I settle for grouper sandwich at Bahama Breeze).

After Israel went through the waters of the Jordan River God told them to do something radical (as if walking into a flooded river wasn't radical enough). Because the adults who came out of Egypt lacked the faith to follow God they had failed to comply with the law of circumcision. God ordered all the men to be circumcised before starting the conquest (Joshua 5:2-9). Any way you slice it that’s extreme, yes, radical. But it was the sign of the covenant promise made to their father Abraham and codified in the Law of Moses. It was required by God.

And the radical did it because God said so. God's say so made it the right thing to do. The NT repeatedly said, “Loving the Lord God means keeping his commandments.” John 14:15, 21, 23; John 15:10; 1 John 2:3; 5:3; 2 John 6 all affirm the radical connection between loving God and obedience. Obedience must come from a heart of love for Jesus. We can't love Jesus or our neighbor if we refuse to obey his commands. The pragmatist might have gone along, but only for the preferred outcome of remaining in the group. In the same way today the rightness of the action is defined by whole hearted obedience to God, not the label we choose. Most of the religious world claims to love the Lord and their neighbor but refuses to keep the Lord's commands. Oh, they may keep some, from time to time, but only when it results in their desired outcome – not God's. So, are you a radical or a pragmatist?