Friends: What is the best way to fight for Christ? Fight like John the Baptist, or “fight” like Jesus?  Peter Heck’s new book Rebellious has some good perspective.

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Spirituality Column #1019

May 26, 2026

Common Christianity / Uncommon Commentary

Warrior for Christ?

By Bob Walters

“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors …” – 2 Corinthians 5:20

Some years ago, “Rob” was a wonderful Christian guy at our large church, active in Bible studies, the greeting team, traffic control, whatever … and always ready to cheerfully lend a hand with anything that needed to be done.

His full name escapes me now (though I remember his face), and once he remarked that he wanted to be “a warrior for Christ.” I thought that was a laudable goal, and I know he meant it in the best way possible. On the one hand, it is: forceful! 

But Peter Heck’s new book, Rebellious: What if Christians Were Actually Different? offers a sobering op-ed to that “warrior” ministerial objective, an objective Peter previously held most of his life. He possessed the well-researched and well-rehearsed scriptural kill shots to silence critics, heretics, atheists, or anyone looking at Christianity and getting it wrong. Since being baptized 26 years ago and digging deeply into scripture, I had always wanted to be that guy, too.

Peter was that guy, with successful decades of Christian but also cultural and political commentary.  Peter was a warrior for the right side of God and history.

He had a Sunday morning radio show on Indy’s WIBC, frequently made national guest appearances on Fox News and Glenn Beck’s show, wrote copious online commentary for Not the Bee and other platforms (Substack, etc.), travels as a speaker at conferences, conventions, and youth rallies, and preaches at Jerome Church near Greentown, Indiana, where he teaches history and government at Eastern High School.

Oh, and he recently rebranded his four-times weekly podcast to “Dashboard Jesus,” which has been heavily refocused from his earlier online offerings, lessening political content and emphasizing his heart for Christian life and scriptural truth.

I’ve followed Pete online for years and yes, he is a busy guy. He mentioned in a post a while back that he was easing off the political commentary to focus on preaching, but retains a great perspective on American history and the current state of our political and cultural dissonance. It is his approach to engaging the world that has changed.

Peter had an awakening three or so years ago that led to writing Rebellious, which he lays out in chapter 12, titled “Grace.”  It came when a college friend gently told Peter he couldn’t finish listening to one of Peter’s recorded sermons because of its harsh tone (pp155-157 in the book). The friend said it sounded “angry and mean.”

After a brief bout of defensiveness, Peter re-listened to the sermon and had to agree.  And then came (what I think is) the brilliant self-diagnosed revelation of his whole approach to witness. Peter had always styled himself after John the Baptist, “preparing the way for Christ” (Matthew 3:3). After all, “Among those born of woman … none is greater than John the Baptist (Matthew 11:11). So, be like John the Baptist!

Wrong. Peter realized that his job in faith was to be an ambassador for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20), and to be Christlike, i.e. gentle and forgiving. John the Baptist was commissioned to be the more blunt-force warrior, not fearing to be offensive.

“Offensive” is not what we are told to be. “We do not make war as the world does” (2 Corinthians 10:3). Jesus will make war in his own way when the time comes (Revelation 19:10-11). Christlikeness now should look like love, peace, and patience.

So, be like Jesus, not like John the Baptist. Be different, and read Rebellious.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) recommends Heck’s website, PeterHeck.com, and offers these book links: About Rebellious, Buy Rebellious.