Why all of the venom?
I don't understand why "Christians" attack each other. I am wrong often in my life. I realize that Christian leaders are wrong too. I was taught to respect other people views. I was taught that people were entitled to be wrong. I was also taught to that a mark of a follower of Christ was "LOVE." If that is the case, why is there so much venom in Christian Circles?
Rick Warren is a lightening rod today. I personally have been influenced by him. I don't agree with everything he does, but he has made a positive difference in the world for Christ. Why then is there so much hatred towards him from Christians? Steve Camp the great CCM artist (who I still have some of his CD's) blasts Warren in this article. MMI constantly has people maligning his character.
John Piper is a pastor and author. I've read some of his books and they are great. He has cancer and wrote a piece called, "Don't waste your cancer." Yet here is a laundry list of people trashing him for saying it was God's will for his cancer.
On the Founder's blog, there are Seminary Professors, pastors and Christian leaders insulting each other over Calvanism!
When does it end? Matthew 22:37-40 says:
" 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."If we as Christian leaders and pastors can't live by these words, then how can we expect our churches to display love in and out of the church? I think we can do better!
posted by Kevin Bussey at 2/23/2006 01:09:00 PM
3 Comments:
I think I can offer some insight as to why Christians attack each other..it has to do, I believe, with the fact that our modernist, Enlightenment worldview has become so enmeshed with our theology that we can't tell them apart anymore.
I believe that methodology has become identity in Christian theology.
This leads to a very much "black and white" type of thinking, preaching, teaching in Bible colleges and seminaries, etc.
What happens then is that Christians become convinced that what's most important is being "right."
If everything is an either/or dichotomy, then we create nice categories: right vs. wrong, truth vs. error, sacred vs. secular.. you get the idea.
That way, when someone says something contrary to you... you have every right to blast them! In fact you absolutely should.
Sad part is, I've seen--and experienced personally--the effects of this: Christians who are willing to sacrifice a relationship in order to be "right."
Long rambling answer. Just my rants. What do you think?
Clint,
Great points! But being right isn't always the "right" thing to do. We need truth. But I think the Holy Spirit should convict not our anger and venom!
Hey thanks Kevin,
I still remember the conversation with a former "friend" (we even went to seminary together): The guy's wife just ripped me and our church staff, and he sat there and let it all happen.
He had even been a former pastor, of all things. He knew what it was like to get torn up as a leader, and yet he said nothing.
Later when I confronted him in my living room, asking him how he could sit there saying nothing, he looked at me with an incredulous look and stated: "But Clint, she was right!" (Which of course, she wasn't)..
So there ya go, sacrificing a relationship is okay--as long as you can walk away and say to yourself, "Well, at least I was right."
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