love and compassion.
i heard something interesting last night that had a lasting impression on me. my problem with the church has always been that it’s so damned condemning. how can one believe in a loving god who would punish his child who loves, worships, does good things, and believes that jesus is the only because they were sinning based on something written in the bible? it did not seem fathomable. but last night, a wise sage told me this advice:
“Jesus did not come into this world to condemn the world. He came in this world to show God’s glory through love and compassion. ” – Dr. Randy Smith, DPUMC
i have always known this and felt this to be the case but it was exciting to hear a church leader say this…and really believe it. members of the christian coalition and other right-wing, ultra-conservative religious groups need to understand this. stop protesting gay funerals, stop protesting iraq soldiers’ war funerals. show love and compassion. show love. be god’s glory if you’re going to take the megaphone and speak his word for him. in this day in age, we need to forget condemnation and embrace the love we have been given.
Mmmmm – beautiful. Thanks!
I hate how just a few bad eggs spoil the whole cake for us conservatives! Then maybe again, there’s just a few of us might be the only ones who make it good.
The feeling of condemnation goes both ways. Level-headed conservatives and fundamentalists are criticized and condemned for holding onto their beliefs by liberals. I find it funny that there are people who criticize others for beling close-minded to their beliefs when these people are not open-minded to the beliefs of the people they are criticizing and condeming.
Ms. Smartie Pants – I agree with you to an extent. There are traditional, conservative values that liberals detest and rebuke (ie women staying home to work). I am talking more about the people who ‘hate’ others for who those people are. Hating someone because of their sin is not the ‘Christian’ thing do, and my argument is we should show compassion to those people, regardless of their sins.We aren’t judge and jury, really.
I respect that.
I suspect that part of the issue has to do with modernism and post-modernism and authority. As our culture moves into post-modernism, it makes decisions in a less top-down, high authority manner. Conservative Christianity changes a little more slowly than the culture generally, and still values strong central authority more. The divide affects more than liberals and conservatives, and more than religion (Clinton and Obama represent, for instance, modern and post-modern out looks, respectively, though having similar positions -it’s a difference in worldview and method).
And modernism has wanted definite, clear statements of things being completely right or completely wrong, as well as wanting what it sees as right to completely trounce what it sees as wrong. So, it’s a little more prone to condemnation.
Lisa,
thanks for stopping by my blog today and commenting. Yes, it is neat to see the barges going to and fro around here. We always have to wait for the bridges to open and close for them, also! It’s a way of life in South Louisiana. I was curious as to how you found my blog? Nice chatting with you!
BW
In the Bible Jesus himself says, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10). The point of repentance (which can often feel like guilt and judgement at first) is so that we can see how AWESOME Jesus’ salvation truly is – that his grace, love and unbelievable dedication and sacrifice through his substitutionary death on the cross for us brings us into communion with the God of the universe, the creator of mankind even though (even WHEN) we pretty much suck – woah!! It seems part of God’s M.O. in the Bible is to catch sinners off guard. He can’t do much with them when they think they are perfect already (who are they kidding?). Next time you jump to the conclusion that Christians are judgemental (and I’m not saying they aren’t – I fully agree they need to quit spending their time protesting gay marriage and start loving others instead), stop for a second and ask yourself if maybe there is something you could learn from God’s word (the Bible – see http://www.BibleGateway.com). You might be surprised what you find.