He awakes in His Lord’s presence, and hears the sweetest words . . . “well done, good and faithful servant.” Perhaps for our man, there was an addendum. “You have been faithful in humility, distrusting yourself and the cultural dogmas swirling around you. Instead, you have trusted my past revelation for your present and future. You have refused to buy into the anxiety of this present age, instead believing that ‘the world is passing away and, and also its lusts; but the one who does my will abides forever. For that reason, cynic that I love, I will make you ruler over many ancient and timeless things. Enter into the joy of your Lord.”  

There is a cynic that God loves. He is a pessimist about new trends, new ideas, and new paradigms of culture, philosophy, and theology. Let’s get to know him a little, see how he lives day-to-day.

First, we’ll spend time in the man’s study, because that is where God formed the cynic within him. The moment you enter, the musty, old book smell envelops you. At the center of the man’s desk, a war-torn Bible is open to the Psalms. Pages are coming apart. Intelligible, coffee-stained notes mark every open space. On a nearby bookshelf, the largest, most prominent section is titled Classics. It has On the Trinity by Athanasius, Confessions by Augustine, and print editions of The Apostle’s Creed and the Westminster Confession of Faith. He reads from this section nearly every day, rehearsing truths Christians have embraced for centuries. Scan the rest of the room and you will find a collection of Puritan Paperbacks, including titles like The Bruised Reed by Richard Sibbes and The Mortification of Sin by John Owen. Another bookshelf will be devoted to the Reformation, with books by Luther and Calvin. On his favorite bookmark, a C.S. Lewis quote runs from top to bottom: “It is a good rule after reading a new book, never to allow yourself another new one till you have read an old one in between.” He has Ecclesiastes 1:9 written on his wall: “That which has been is that which will be, And that which has been done is that which will be done. So there is nothing new under the sun.”

From the library, let’s move to the man’s living room, where we find him hosting a friend. This cynic loves people. Let’s eavesdrop on their conversation. They talk about the latest book on the friend’s nightstand. It’s a new treatise on the church. Seems this author has figured out why churches are so bad at, well, everything. They’ve been going about church all wrong! He has a fix that, the friend tells the cynic, will “revolutionize the way we do church.” Did you notice the cynic’s response? He bit his lip until it turned white! What was he holding in? Was it a laugh or cry? Or both? When the friend leaves, the cynic shakes his head, wears a bemused smile, and mutters “ahh my friend, always chasing the latest fad. Always looking to the future for solutions. I need to remember to send him some Chesterton.”

Now let’s go on a social visit with our cynic. This past Sunday, he introduced himself to visitors, a couple sitting in front of him at church. Our man enjoyed the conversation. Wanting to serve them through the grace of fellowship, he invites the husband and wife to his house for dinner the following week. Honored by the invitation, they readily agree, but they insist on hosting. “We want to be at our place, in case something happens.”

This cryptic comment confuses our man, but not eager to fish for details they did not volunteer, he does not ask questions. Perhaps they have a child with disabilities, or a pet that’s known to tear the house apart in their absence. He assumes the best—because he refuses to be that kind of cynic—and shows up at their home the following Thursday at the agreed time.

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