The Great Moderate Trap

THE GREAT MODERATE TRAP

By Carl O. Cooper

When a moderate encounters a law or a rule, his first inclination is that it must be obeyed. However, when he begins to look around him and observe the hardship it places on some and begins to see just how many people are in disagreement with him about it, his next inclination is then to begin to tolerate those who disagree. As time goes on it becomes easier and easier for the moderate to tolerate, and eventually he learns not only to tolerate but to justify. So the end result for the moderate is, “the great moderate trap”.  Which is the ability to excuse and to eventually justify those who disagree.

How did we ever learn to place the moderate on a pedestal of respect for his moderate views? This is not a Bible concept. The Bible gives credibility to temperance and moderation in many things, but not commitment. In fact, it is exactly just the opposite. In Revelation 3:16 God told the Church at Laodicea that because they were neither hot nor cold he would vomit them out of his mouth. The moderate view is a safe view and it is weak. This weakness robs a man of commitment. A moderate would consider himself committed, kind, and gentle and he is…., until commitment in taking an unmovable stand is required. This is where courage and commitment must be demonstrated, and this is where we find “the great moderate trap”.

            Liberalism sees no rules or laws that are absolutes and therefore no real commitment is required. Some see this as gentleness and tolerance and raise this view to a high degree of credibility but in reality it seeks to give justification and tolerance to error and sin.

The moderate, on the other hand, does see the rules and laws. But he lacks the courage and commitment to stand firm in his convictions when the going gets tough. He fears the impact that his stand might have on others and how he will be perceived in their eyes. He fears that his position in society might be jeopardized or threatened if he stands firm. He may seek to justify himself by questioning his knowledge on the subject or by allowing his emotions to control his actions. But for whatever reason, the moderate can be a greater destructive force against religious principals than anyone else because of “the great moderate trap”.

  1. The Liberal
  2. Willing and able to change
  3. No strong and binding convictions, compromises easily
  4. Does not like rules and binding authority
  5. Usually very active and well organized
  1. The Conservative
  2. Resist change because of strong and binding convictions
  3. Refuses to compromise
  4. Loves clear and precise rules and guides
  5. Passive and unorganized, quick to abandon what seems like a hopeless struggle

The Great Moderate Trap

  1. The Moderate
  2. The moderate does want to obey the rules and laws.
  3. But he lacks the commitment to stand firm in his convictions
  4. He fears the impact that his stand might have on others
  5. He fears how he will be perceived by others if he stands firm.
  6. He fears that his position in society might be jeopardized or threatened

And so the moderate will likely …..

                          1st……He will resist change and compromise

                          2nd….He will feel uncomfortable about his decision

                         3rd…..He will tolerate both sides of the issues as a compromise

                         4th…..He will begin to accept the new changes

                         5th….He will eventually justify his new position of compromise

We should never consider the moderate stance with respect and credibility. There can be no honor given for compromising our convictions.

Carl O. Cooper