Christian witness : its grammar and logic

Abstract

Pope Francis’ double-invitation to embrace God’s love and to be its witnesses requires human beings to have a spiritual readiness that reflects the grammar and the logic of being Christian. This paper aims to re-propose a fresh discourse on Christian witness. This is particularly imperative in the light of recent acts of heroic witness of those Christians who courageously stand up to hatred, even when it means giving up their lives. This paper proceeds in three steps. First, there is a contextualisation of Christian witness with an emphasis on the need to appreciate the fullness and the meaning of the Christian faith. Secondly, the paper sets out to discuss the grammar of witness particularly in the light of the Gospel of John. Lastly, there follows a presentation of the logic of being Christian despite it often being described as folly by those who have not yet come to know of God’s love in real terms. Becoming Christian witnesses is a demanding process, that whenever undertaken, leads the Christian to be a living-expression of God’s unconditional love to all.