What does it mean to be winsomely Reformed? Dr. Michael Kruger explains what it looks like for believers to warmly and graciously engage the culture while remaining firm in theological convictions.
I can still remember years ago when I was first hired at Reformed Theological Seminary here in Charlotte. Coming up on 22 years now as a professor, I remember the very first interview I had. I was told about this philosophy at RTS, that we want professors that are winsomely Reformed. Yes, we want them to be Reformed, we want them to be solid in their theology. But we also want them to be gracious, kind, and warmhearted in the way they hold that theology and particularly in the way they interact with those they disagree with. And that value has really been instilled with me from the very beginning at RTS and one that we still very much hold dear.
What “Winsomely Reformed” Does Not Mean
We need to be winsomely Reformed for many reasons aside from the cultural moment we’re in.What’s interesting, though, is that in recent years, that particular philosophy has come under fire. In fact, in recent years, we hear more and more voices say that the problem with evangelical Christianity is it’s far too winsome, and that in a cultural moment like ours, we need people who are more willing to fight and fight vigorously against these cultural trends, and that the days of being winsome are over—you can’t win over the world just by being nice. Now I hear that and I appreciate some of those concerns, but I think that really misses the mark on what we mean by “winsomely Reformed.” We need to be winsomely Reformed for many reasons aside from the cultural moment we’re in. It doesn’t matter whether it’s 2023 or 1823, because the most important thing to recognize in this conversation is that God cares about our character and cares about how we behave, regardless of whether we’re in a country that’s hostile to us or friendly to us.
What “Winsomely Reformed” Does Mean
When we talk about being winsomely Reformed, what we really mean is that we embody those values in the Bible that talk about compassion and graciousness, kindness, and humility. Those are values that are repeated over and over again in the letters of Paul and the teachings of Jesus, and most importantly, embodied by Jesus himself, who described himself as humble and lowly. So people need to realize that being winsome is not a cultural strategy. We don’t do it in order to win over the world. We do it to be more like Jesus. But here’s the other thing to realize about being winsomely Reformed: it does affect the way our message is received. And this is where we need to be very clear. It’s very true that no matter how kind we are, there will always be a portion of the world that will despise Christians and hate Christians. Being winsome is not a cultural strategy. We don’t do it in order to win over the world. We do it to be more like Jesus.And we can’t just simply be nice and win the world over. That’s exactly true. At the same time, it’s also true, though, that the behavior of Christians does affect the message and how that message is received. If Christians are living overtly sinful lives, would that not hamper the message and the way it’s received? Of course it would.
So our character of being gracious, kind, and warm actually can influence the way the message is received in our world. Not all receive it, but some will. And the kindness of Christians as they hold their views can be a key part of that. Just like God himself, in one sense, draws us to repentance through his kindness, so we, as Christians—our graciousness and kindness can really be a key part of how we reach our world today.
