Sunday 5 October 2014

Christian Hate

I am a conservative Christian, sick and tired of legalism

If the title didn't make you sit up, then my opening statement will have. Why on earth would I title a blog post Christian Hate? Because I think it's a major problem that needs to be addressed. Let me start by stating that opposition to something does not equal hate. To give an example, if such a thing made sense, then a parent would have to hate their kids every time they did something like smack a sibling. So why does common sense go out the window when dealing with biblical disagreements? It's commonly stated that God is love and this is true. But love wants the very best for people and it would not be loving to allow someone you love to get away with things that will hurt them. How can one be loving in a hateful manner? 'I love you and you're doing something wrong so I hate you'. The very idea is laughable that such a thing is even possible. But what Christians nowadays tend to do is just as laughable. They don't accept that they hate but feel perfectly justified in acting like they do in their dealings with sinning believers and nonbelievers.
   Now, I know some will start to get worried here, but hold on and let me explain.  Am I for one moment suggesting any believer should turn a blind eye towards another believer living in sin? God forbid (Or more literally perish the thought)! Don't even entertain such an idea, as this would not be loving either.
  The major problem is what I stated earlier, and that is the fact people who honestly, genuinely think something is okay have been repeatedly attacked and not approached in love, for the good of the sinning believer, and now they equate opposition with hate. Now, while it is true that a person living in sin will make any excuse under the sun for their actions, we also need to take responsibility for our own methods in tackling sin.
  Just because something is true, doesn't mean we need to say it or say it in a harsh way. For example, anyone who has studied knows the Islamic prophet Muhammad was a pervert with a child for a wife who was 30 years younger than him. Should we beat a Muslim about the head with that? Of course not! That would in no way bring them under conviction of sin, but rather anger and probably horrify them. In the same way, a person who chooses to live an unnatural lifestyle in an unbiblical relationship with the same gender does not need to be beat around the head with terms like filth, abomination, disgusting, etc. Why? It will only anger and hurt them beyond what is needed for conviction. Is that behavior okay? Certainly not. But before you can have any relationship (I use this in the loosest of terms), one must behave in a manner that the sinner is open to communication.
  The infamous Westboro Baptist Church is a classic example of how not to win people. They parade around waving signs that are utterly false. 'God hates fags'. Is that so? Well, then how come He sent His Son to die for them? How come Jesus said, 'For God so loved the world'? That must by default mean 'fags' as they are in the world.
  What about the other 'outcasts' of the world? What about the long-haired youngster listening to some unearthly noise wearing pants that hang halfway down him and more tattoos and piercings than we'd like to count? Did God die for them as well? Are they not precious in His sight? Are we accepting their behaviour? Perish the thought! Or as one pastor put it, 'Don't even let that enter into your mind!' What we are doing is building a relationship with them in order to win them.
  Why am I writing this? Firstly because I know I've been guilty of the same bulldozer tactics and second, being quite active on social networks I can see the damage bad methodology has caused. We need to take note of the phrase, 'Speak the truth in love', and balance pure truth and pure love far better. Why? Because our Example Jesus Christ, did so and commanded us to do so as well.


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