Goads
“We lose our souls, and hazard our eternal salvation, if we will not accept the public responsibility which we assume when we become disciples of Jesus. It is more than doubtful whether we are doing this if our existence does not force those around us to take notice — with all the painful consequences this may involve for us. But they will not take notice, nor will they be disturbed or annoyed by our existence, if we do not come out into the open as who we are, doing what they do not do; if in our attitude to the given factors and orders and historical forces which they regard as absolute there is no difference between us and them, but only uniformity and conformity.”
— Karl Barth, from The Call to Discipleship
That quote pairs well with another goad I have recently read: the story of Victorinus, as told by St. Augustine.
