Niceness Is Not a Christian Virtue

One of the great myths of modern Protestantism is that niceness is a Christian virtue.

It isn’t.

Kindness is a virtue.
Charity is a virtue.
Patience is a virtue.

Niceness — the reflex to avoid conflict, blur boundaries, and surrender authority in the name of being agreeable, is something else entirely. And it is quietly hollowing out the Church.

Christianity Was Never “Nice”

From the beginning, Christianity was bold, exclusive, and ordered.

Jesus did not apologize for authority.
The apostles did not treat worship as negotiable.
The early Church did not survive Rome by being agreeable.

Scripture is explicit:

“Let all things be done decently and in order.” (1 Corinthians 14:40)

“If anyone does not obey what we say… have nothing to do with him.” (2 Thessalonians 3:14)

“Have nothing to do with fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.” (Ephesians 5:11)

This is not the language of niceness.
It is the language of boundaries, discipline, and authority.

The Early Church Was Muscular — Not Passive

The early Christians lived under real persecution. Yet they did not respond by softening doctrine or surrendering sacred space. They guarded worship fiercely, practiced church discipline, and excluded those who disrupted the faith.

Church fathers like Ignatius and Tertullian did not plead for acceptance. They preached truth, enforced order, and accepted martyrdom if necessary.

They understood something modern Protestants have forgotten: a faith that refuses to defend itself will not survive.

The Pilgrims Were Not “Nice” Either

Even America’s Protestant founders understood this.

The Pilgrims did not cross the Atlantic to build a tolerant, anything-goes spiritual experiment. They came to establish a godly community governed by Scripture.

They enforced Sabbath observance.
They disciplined public immorality.
They expected worship to be protected and respected.

Not because they were cruel — but because they believed worship shaped civilization.

They understood that if you lose control of worship, you lose control of culture.

Why Islam Grows While Protestantism Shrinks

This contrast matters.

Islam is not “nice.”
It is clear.
It is demanding.
It enforces boundaries around worship, belief, and behavior.

As a result, it grows.

Modern Protestantism, by contrast, has tried to survive by being non-threatening — apologizing for its convictions, minimizing doctrine, and treating sacred things as optional so no one feels uncomfortable.

And it is collapsing.

People do not give their lives to vague spirituality.
They give their lives to truth that demands something of them.

Niceness Is Not Love

The modern church confuses love with accommodation.

But Scripture never defines love as surrendering what is holy. Love protects. Love corrects. Love draws lines.

“Those whom the Lord loves He disciplines.” (Hebrews 12:6)

A church that refuses to discipline, protect worship, or enforce boundaries is not being loving, it is being negligent.

And negligence always breeds contempt.

A Faith That Will Not Guard Itself Will Be Replaced

History is ruthless on this point.

Religions that enforce order survive.
Religions that dissolve into niceness do not.

Christianity conquered the Roman Empire not by blending in, but by standing apart. The Reformation did not happen because Protestants were agreeable, it happened because they were willing to confront error and suffer the consequences.

The church does not need to become cruel.
But it must stop being soft.

The Way Forward

Christianity does not need better branding.
It needs backbone.

It needs men willing to guard worship.
Churches willing to enforce discipline.
Pastors willing to say “no.”
And congregations willing to be disliked for the sake of truth.

Because a faith that refuses to protect what is holy will not be tolerated, it will be replaced.

And history has already shown us by what.

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Photo by Samuel Regan-Asante on Unsplash