to be a PUNK or not to be a PUNK

Shakespeare was the first person to use the term “punk”. In his words it was used to describe beggars, prostitutes, thieves and others. During the 70’s, a journalist begun to use the word “punk” to describe a urban movement. Today “punk” can be a marginal, underground, rebel…

Punk has to do with attitude, not just a tribe. Many people don’t have a Mohawk, don’t listen to punk rock, and don’t skate, but still have the punk attitude of not conforming to the patterns of this world.

There’s also the MTV generation punk with their colored hairs, chains all over the body, and junky clothes. They just think about having a good time, drinking, doing drugs and fighting. Some have that big anarchic “A” on their chest, but have no clue who was Bacunim or what is self government. They stay on the Shakespeare term of being “punk”.

John the Baptist told Herod that his wife was not his, and we know what happened to him.

Nathan was scared of King David when he called him an adulterer and a murder.

Martin Luther King wasn’t scared of being shot, and he was shot.

They all knew what they had to do or say and they did it. Our Christian theory is pitiful; our faith seems dead. Jehovah Witnesses, Mormons, Buddhists, and Muslims know more and proclaim more about their faith than us Christians.

Our God is a God of minorities. I’m not talking about Liberation Theology, but minorities of Christians. Few people really leave their lives behind and dive into a deep devotion and commitment to God. These are people of attitude and they usually end up being marginal, undergrounds and rejects.

God uses the courageous, and they are the minority.

Let’s think about Gideon; he called 32,000 men to a war. 22,000 of those got scared and ran away. 9,700 ran away with the excuse of not being prepared. 300 went to war. Gideon went to war with the 300 courageous men remained and they change the reality of a nation.

Fearful people or chicken: It’s easy to be part of a majority. It feels safer and correct. Carry the tradition. That’s a good alibi, to be anonymous in the multitude.

Unprepared people: that’s also a large group. Those are the ones that question everything that has to be done. “If there’s a chance that this project will fail, let’s not even try.” Predictable people.

Courageous: men of faith that believe on the impossible. Don’t question the power of truth and don’t conform to the injustices of this world.

Very few people; to some a gang.

Truly an army.

Punk is attitude.

To be a Christian is to have attitude. A Christian without attitude is just an adornment.

Conferences, bible studies, mission/vacation trips, more bible studies, church duties, Wednesday services, more bible studies…. All easy and under control. What happens when we have to get out of our comfort zone, nock on doors, evangelize, look like fool because of our beliefs; compromise?

Christianity has a broad field of attitudes: charities, visits, prayer, listen, care, seek, plan, community work, neighborhood, donate, hospitals, jails, asylums, children and on and on…

Sad is that most of these activities are done by the minority while the majority is on conferences, bible studies, mission/vacation trips, more bible studies, church duties, Wednesday services, more bible studies….

The minority just like punk rockers are discriminated and at some points cast aside. Do I care? Of course I do. The last verses of the second chapter of the book of Acts give us a glimpse of what Christian unity is like. I’m not going to post the verses to you, b/c I want you to get up and go look for it.