Chill Out -- Postscript

Evidently, the quote I posted the other day about how the gospel frees us to chill out has caused a bit of a commotion over at JT's blog (155 comments as of my last check). To clarify why he posted the quote, JT wrote this.

Then today, Kevin DeYoung weighed in on the commotion with a post on his blog. He's a sharp guy, and I appreciate his insights on most everything I read from him. Here's an excerpt:

The fact is some Christians do need to chill the heck out. There is such a thing as pathological seriousness. It is possible to be too intense. Young Christians, especially when they are getting meaty theology and God-centeredness for the first time, can be prone to manic bouts of self-flagellation, spurts of judgmentalism, and unhealthy hyper-watchfulness. I know because there have been times in my life when I’ve been prone to all three...

I’m not arguing for careless exhortations, nor do I espouse moral relativism of any kind. But discernment is not the same as selling out. If you don’t need to chill the heck out, don’t. But some people do. And if you don’t think any Christians are wound too tight or introspective in unhealthy ways, then I’m concerned for you. Just like I’d be concerned if you thought the gospel was essentially about taking it easy.

I think that's very well said. Read the whole post here.