Hate - in the Name of Love

Part 3 of "Hypocricy Revealed"

In June, 2006, I wrote a blog entry titled, "Hate in the Name of Love". This post is a re-hash of that post. Am I plagiarizing myself? Is that even possible?

Christians have long believed that their way is the only way. Well, it's true. Christ, Himself, said it was true.

"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know[b] my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him."

- John 14:6-7, NIV
We are an exclusive, invitation-only group of believers. And this really makes us look bad among non-believers.

Problem is, we don't invite others properly. I heard the story about a prisoner who became a Christian. He was so enthusiastic about his new-found faith that he went out telling others they needed to become Christians as well. He used such persuasive methods as crescent wrenches and wire brushes - until he was told by other believers (after his release from solitary confinement) that this was not the acceptable procedure for conversion.

While we may not use beatings, those outside the flock see it the same way. In high school, I knew a lot of bible-thumpers. These were the people who waved their bible over their heads while threatening me with eternity in hell if I didn't turn from my evil ways. While speaking they would thump their bible into their free hand. No, they didn't hit me with it, but it sure felt like they were. And I didn't cotton to being beaten with a sword, so rather than bring me aboard, they turned me away at the door.

Neither do others like being beaten with the bible. When we refuse to see the plank in our eye, we forget that we were "loved" into Christ. We begin to think of ourselves as "saints" and the rest of the world as "sinners". What did Paul say to the church at Rome? "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God". Excuse me. I think I'm part of the aforementioned "all".

So, some Christians are forgetting their place in the world and reaching out to the lost with pride - not humility - in their hearts. The end result is, the world thinks all Christians think they're better than the lost. And the world, in their pride, retaliate by lumping Christians into a pile with the Taliban and Klan.

Final installment tomorrow!

Adios,
Clay

(äd-s) [Spanish adiós, probably translated from French à dieu. (I commend you) to God  : a, to (from Latin ad. See ad-) + Dieu, God (from Latin deus. See dyeu- in Indo-European Roots).]