Christianity and Jesus (from unchristian.com)
2009 August 25
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Hmmm.. A little confused. So as Christians we are to answer the call to tackle Darfur and international sex trafficking, but leave homosexuality alone?
Interesting struggle — where is the line between passionate/zealous in sharing your faith vs. melding with the culture of the day and hoping someone comes to you because you seem like a nice person?
This interview and the book are such great reminders that we as Christians are supposed to love. Christ was the ultimate example. Sometimes I believe that as Christians we have thought it was our duty to judge the world when scripture is clear that it is not our duty nor our right. But we are commanded to love everyone, if we serve the broken hearted and poor, live our lives with joy and peace, then those inside and outside God’s church will be drawn to Christ. As someone who struggled with abounding sin in my life in my late teens and early 20′s the people who God put in my path on my journey to Him were those who allowed me to feel safe while with them and who could answer questions I had without judgement but with true concern for my soul. There is a difference between someone who calls others to “get right” and those who are humble enough to know they don’t have everything figured out but are willing to walk the journey with others who are broken along side. I am forever grateful for those people who God put in my path who had a true relationship with Him, I would and did give up everything I knew to search for God who loves us with abandon and calls us to be Holy, not because it will make Him love us more, but because it makes us more like Him. I am honored to walk along side people who struggle with sin and point them towards Christ as other’s did for me. God handles the transformation, it is up to us to shine our light for Him.
Tammy,
Well put. Certainly agree that non-judgmental heart and true love for another’s soul is a must. Do you feel that those who demonstrated the love of Christ through your journey and struggles were able to do so because their hearts were counter-cultural or because they were immersed in today’s culture?
I got to do an interview with the book’s other author, David Kinnaman, last summer. It was illuminating – and to get the entire interview, you’d have to listen to the MP3 linked at the bottom – but the book is really powerful, and in a kind of objectively-distanced yet subjectively-nuanced way.
I got the impression that confession of sin, self and Savior could be a key to breaking down the negative perceptions that are out there. And that it might be more effective to say (pardon the idiom) “I’m a screw-up” rather than “I’m a sinner.”
Dear C.:
Yes, in the future you will leave homosexuality alone or you will become completely irrelevant and spend your final days in the cultural cellar with other assorted kooks like the KKK.
You see, human progress doesn’t follow Christianity; Christianity follows human progress (think slavery and women’s rights). In other words, Christianity is a product of human progress. And in order for something like Christianity to survive, it must evolve, as it has always done (which is the reason it is still around). It is evolving now, just as the video makes plane.
So, dear Mr. C., evolve with your religion (aka “melding with the culture of the day”) or your genes will certainly die in the trash bin of history.
Our son gave this book to his dad, & it’s been a powerful read. The comments Keith made are what husband has related to me as he read it.
I have not, but will read this book as soon as I get a copy in my hands. However, it seems as always if we look to God’s word we find the answer to this – ‘do we not make disciples?’ – ‘do we not condemn certain sins, such as homosexuality?’ – on and on. The answers, in my opinion are found in Jesus’ words in Matthew 25, especially vs. 31-25.
Jesus does not say He is going to reward those that have brought many souls to salvation – He says he will reward those that have fed the hungry, housed the homeless, visit the sick and those in prison, etc. He also says not only with the opposites not be rewarded, they will receive eternal separation from Him. So? Does it not say that we should be about attending to those in need, not judging how they got to that point? IOW- He says we are to look about us, heal situations that we can and love everyone in the process. It’s all a matter of our own heart’s extended love, which shows Jesus to others, opens the door to introduce Him to those that so badly need Him. Jesus will judge us and reward us accordingly.
Martin,
You’re wrong. Christianity has and will continue to perservere because of the foundation it is based upon. It will crumble and die in the trash bin of history as soon as it begins to compromise beliefs and standards in the effort to keep up with “human” progress.
Kathy,
You’re right. And IMHO, that attitude of love seems to be be very counter-cultural.
C.:
Historical trends are easy to spot, especially our modern civil rights’ trends: women’s rights, the civil rights won in the 1950s, and our own modern gay rights’ fight, which is being fought right now. A good student will notice that those who are on the wrong side of “progress” come out as the losers (think of those 1950s Mississipi policemen with their German Shepherds). You can’t stop the progression, thankfully, but you can keep from being on the wrong side of history as a big fat loser.
Interestingly, it seems that the next civil rights battle will be over animal rights. Get on board early and you will be immortalized by the future–guaranteed.
C., Martin’s just trying to get a rise out of you. I thought he was semi serious until the animal rights comment.
Jesus wasn’t pro-gay or pro-adultery – he was pro love. Sinful people felt the urge around Jesus to repent. To me, that implies Jesus’ perfect love drove sinners to get their heart right. He didn’t embrace the world view – he embraced individuals – but was very clear to them to get their life on solid spiritual footing.
It saddens me that so many are anti-gay so loudly, but it also saddens me that entire denominations feel the need to make loud pro-gay stands for fear they’ll lose some precious membership numbers and/or revenues. Do you really think we’d find Jesus at a regional assembly of some denomination whose sole concern that year is/was how they would spin the topic of the day?
I know, gt! Martin has made it well known that Christianity is a thorn in his side so I realize he is smart enough to see that it isn’t “history” that Christians are worried about being on the wrong side of.
I spent two years preaching and ministering in a culture about as polar opposite as possible from the “Bible-belt” church tradition, along with its educational institutions I attended, as you can imagine. IMHO, if we would listen first without judgment or prejudice (that does not mean abandoning our convictions) and simply be among the culture as friendly servants then we might eventually receive the permission to speak. Unfortunately the trend has been to speak with a sense of entitlement, something that sounds judgmental and prejudice. That trend has been tried, retried, and retried again and again. It is not working. So let’s try listening and becoming friends.
Grace and peace,
Rex