Letter to a Christian Friend on Facebook
(I was directed to a lengthy Facebook post from a friend at the church I frequent, and it so grieved me that I felt I needed to pound out a response here. I've waffled back and forth about whether to actually post this there, and at this point I'm not. I'm just sketching it out here whatever the case.)
Dear Christian Friend on Facebook,
I was directed to your lengthy post about how much more loving we need to be toward Bruce Jenner about his personal decision to turn himself from a man into a woman. You brought up points related to how much we must try to understand why someone does what they do simply because we can't experience what they are going through, and what we all must start doing to be more loving and caring towards LGBT people.
What grieves me doesn't have as much to do with your naive cry for more tolerance and all that wholesomeness, or that your post reflects a unequivocal endorsement of people acting on their sexual confusion and dysfunction, or that you have the most elementary understanding of the real meaning and impact of the gospel message.
What truly grieves me is that so many people, so many, are on board with you in applauding it -- lots of "Likes" and comments about how bold and brave you are, many of them from people with their profile pictures rainbow-shaded, some of them other good Christian friends of mine. I'm also tremendously grieved that this rank misconception about who Jesus is and what He is about is virulently rampant through most Christian churches, but I've come to the understanding that a lot of that is put there by people who's job it is to keep people on a greased slide to Hell.
For one, I can't judge Bruce Jenner, I can't. Jesus said He didn't even judge, but He did insist that there was something that did, the law. And the law judges Bruce Jenner and he stands condemned by that measure.
Fact is, I too am condemned by the same measure. Yes! I cannot say anything about Bruce Jenner either because I've got a huge stick in my eye, so to speak! I've done deceitful, murderous things too, and by virtue of that perfect law I'm going straight to Hell also. So yeah, we're all on our way to an eternity of nothingness, separation, despair, loneliness, darkness.
Yes, Christ is the answer. He's the rescue, He's the Savior, He's the only One and belief on Him is the only thing that gets me out of this predicament. But that means repentance, and it means full commitments to not do any of that crappy stuff again. To say "I believe in Jesus!" and then participate in or endorse the things that betray that commitment, I'm telling Jesus I don't really want Him to save me from myself and my benighted "lifestyle choices."
Now, you can say "I don't believe in that" or "That's not the way I see it" or "That's your interpretation" or "It's all hokum" or "Jesus just isn't for me" or "Jesus is supposed to be loving and caring" or "That's just not the way I see Jesus" or anything you want.
But that IS the gospel.
And I've become convinced that those who say "You go Bruce Jenner!" without the requisite explanation about how he's destroying the lives of himself, his family, and the millions of those watching who are now more entrenched in their consideration that this stuff is perfectly fine, are simply believing in another Jesus.
Hey, that other Jesus doesn't even have to be anything close to looking like the Jesus we generally think about, you know, white-ish robe and long hair and full beard and piercing eyes and all that. The atheist has a Jesus too, it is the Jesus of "There is no god so feel free to do what you want except for the things some people you kind of like would be angry about if you did them."
See, everybody is going to judge anyway. How come you are judging all the people who you see as doing too much judging? You say, as so many do, "Who am I to say?" That sounds so non-judgmental! But it too is judging -- you are judging that you or anyone else can't say! On what basis can you make that judgment?
What if I went to your house and cut off my finger, bled all over your front porch, and left it there? You'd judge! You may say "That's disgusting!" I'm saying what Bruce Jenner did to himself is disgusting too. How come you get to judge but I can't? You may say, "But you're invading my property to do that!" (Sounds like judging to me) But then, isn't Bruce Jenner and his "courage" and his "decision" and his, yes, judging being poured into my living room when I watch the news or sports on television, or simply when I look at someone posting about it on Facebook?
You may even say, "But cutting off your finger is different than what Bruce Jenner did." Really? How? In what way? Cutting off my finger is connecting with who I really am. I should've been born a four-fingered man. Aren't I brave and courageous for doing what I did so I can be who I really am?
There are a few logically consistent folks who would say, "Okay, I'm with you. I applaud you for your decision. You be a four-fingered man, I'll stand with you. I'm a fully tolerant and open-minded person."
The problem is when you take that philosophy to its logical end. Do you know what that is?
Nothingness. Nothing has meaning any more. We've eliminated all distinctions about things. And there is a philosophy for that, there is. It is called nihilism, and it indeed is what people must adopt when they reject God's standard for distinctions among things.
And the truth from there is that no one ever truly lives that way. No one.
Everyone makes the most intolerable judgments about things all the time or they would go insane.
In the long run, there is Christ and His beautiful salvation from sin and woundedness and destruction and wickedness and death and the worst sexual dysfunction there could possibly be.
Or there is nothing -- a hell all unto itself.
And I weep because looking at all this, looking at your post, looking at all the people who foolishly go right along with it all... they're rocketing their way to Nothingness.
What is crazy is that I'm pretty sure there've been thousands of posts and remarks and comments out there everywhere that are not a whole lot different than this one. What I've shared here, really -- how much different is this content different from all the other ones from disciplined Scripture-versed followers of Christ? I don't think it can be that much different, really.
It's just the gospel, that's all. It's actually pretty simple, really.
And yet, how much are these words having an impact? How much, out there in the real world with flesh and blood people -- many of whom are wounded beyond belief and in desperate need of a real flesh and blood Savior? Where is the powerful movement among people with Christ on their lips to minister the most loving and caring things you're concerned about in your post -- so that people are truly embracing grace and truth? Where are they?
I confess, I'm with you, I don't see it. But I don't see it because you and your devotees and so many millions of others are being played like cheap violins to think and believe and say the things you do. Doesn't matter that you're in a Christian church, the gospel is just not being shared there if the people attending are thinking these things.
Would you be willing to look further into how you're being seduced by the System into posting stuff like you did -- stuff that is wonderfully well-intended but actually ruthlessly destructive? Would you and your friends consider spending time with Jesus, the Jesus, and listen carefully to what He says? Yes, you don't have to listen to me at all! You can continue to dismiss me as an intolerant narrow-minded butt-in.
But there is a reason I do this. And it is because I do make judgments, and this one is that I love you just like Christ loved me. I wouldn't bother otherwise. Thank God He allows us those kinds of judgments, the ones where mercy triumphs, even over judgment itself. There must be judgment, however, for that to make sense! Jesus knew that even so we do judge, and that when we do, we should judge righteous judgment.
He said that, by the way, His words -- look in the seventh chapter of John, you'll see it there.
"Mercy triumphs over judgment." That's in the letter of James, by the way. Hate to say it, but the World's obsession with sex and power and autonomy and smiley politeness in the face of the most wretched things people do to one another, you can still seek to wallow around there, there's so much of it. Not hard to do, I understand. Some people get so far into it I don't know if they can ever get out. Wow. Is that you? I pray it isn't. It is so intoxicating, that World, it is. You can certainly continue to be held in its grip...
Or you can step out and explore the Kingdom.
Thanks for your time.
David
__
My webzine is here in case you're interested for a bit more of my take on things.
Dear Christian Friend on Facebook,
I was directed to your lengthy post about how much more loving we need to be toward Bruce Jenner about his personal decision to turn himself from a man into a woman. You brought up points related to how much we must try to understand why someone does what they do simply because we can't experience what they are going through, and what we all must start doing to be more loving and caring towards LGBT people.
What grieves me doesn't have as much to do with your naive cry for more tolerance and all that wholesomeness, or that your post reflects a unequivocal endorsement of people acting on their sexual confusion and dysfunction, or that you have the most elementary understanding of the real meaning and impact of the gospel message.
What truly grieves me is that so many people, so many, are on board with you in applauding it -- lots of "Likes" and comments about how bold and brave you are, many of them from people with their profile pictures rainbow-shaded, some of them other good Christian friends of mine. I'm also tremendously grieved that this rank misconception about who Jesus is and what He is about is virulently rampant through most Christian churches, but I've come to the understanding that a lot of that is put there by people who's job it is to keep people on a greased slide to Hell.
For one, I can't judge Bruce Jenner, I can't. Jesus said He didn't even judge, but He did insist that there was something that did, the law. And the law judges Bruce Jenner and he stands condemned by that measure.
Fact is, I too am condemned by the same measure. Yes! I cannot say anything about Bruce Jenner either because I've got a huge stick in my eye, so to speak! I've done deceitful, murderous things too, and by virtue of that perfect law I'm going straight to Hell also. So yeah, we're all on our way to an eternity of nothingness, separation, despair, loneliness, darkness.
Yes, Christ is the answer. He's the rescue, He's the Savior, He's the only One and belief on Him is the only thing that gets me out of this predicament. But that means repentance, and it means full commitments to not do any of that crappy stuff again. To say "I believe in Jesus!" and then participate in or endorse the things that betray that commitment, I'm telling Jesus I don't really want Him to save me from myself and my benighted "lifestyle choices."
Now, you can say "I don't believe in that" or "That's not the way I see it" or "That's your interpretation" or "It's all hokum" or "Jesus just isn't for me" or "Jesus is supposed to be loving and caring" or "That's just not the way I see Jesus" or anything you want.
But that IS the gospel.
And I've become convinced that those who say "You go Bruce Jenner!" without the requisite explanation about how he's destroying the lives of himself, his family, and the millions of those watching who are now more entrenched in their consideration that this stuff is perfectly fine, are simply believing in another Jesus.
Hey, that other Jesus doesn't even have to be anything close to looking like the Jesus we generally think about, you know, white-ish robe and long hair and full beard and piercing eyes and all that. The atheist has a Jesus too, it is the Jesus of "There is no god so feel free to do what you want except for the things some people you kind of like would be angry about if you did them."
See, everybody is going to judge anyway. How come you are judging all the people who you see as doing too much judging? You say, as so many do, "Who am I to say?" That sounds so non-judgmental! But it too is judging -- you are judging that you or anyone else can't say! On what basis can you make that judgment?
What if I went to your house and cut off my finger, bled all over your front porch, and left it there? You'd judge! You may say "That's disgusting!" I'm saying what Bruce Jenner did to himself is disgusting too. How come you get to judge but I can't? You may say, "But you're invading my property to do that!" (Sounds like judging to me) But then, isn't Bruce Jenner and his "courage" and his "decision" and his, yes, judging being poured into my living room when I watch the news or sports on television, or simply when I look at someone posting about it on Facebook?
You may even say, "But cutting off your finger is different than what Bruce Jenner did." Really? How? In what way? Cutting off my finger is connecting with who I really am. I should've been born a four-fingered man. Aren't I brave and courageous for doing what I did so I can be who I really am?
There are a few logically consistent folks who would say, "Okay, I'm with you. I applaud you for your decision. You be a four-fingered man, I'll stand with you. I'm a fully tolerant and open-minded person."
The problem is when you take that philosophy to its logical end. Do you know what that is?
Nothingness. Nothing has meaning any more. We've eliminated all distinctions about things. And there is a philosophy for that, there is. It is called nihilism, and it indeed is what people must adopt when they reject God's standard for distinctions among things.
And the truth from there is that no one ever truly lives that way. No one.
Everyone makes the most intolerable judgments about things all the time or they would go insane.
In the long run, there is Christ and His beautiful salvation from sin and woundedness and destruction and wickedness and death and the worst sexual dysfunction there could possibly be.
Or there is nothing -- a hell all unto itself.
And I weep because looking at all this, looking at your post, looking at all the people who foolishly go right along with it all... they're rocketing their way to Nothingness.
What is crazy is that I'm pretty sure there've been thousands of posts and remarks and comments out there everywhere that are not a whole lot different than this one. What I've shared here, really -- how much different is this content different from all the other ones from disciplined Scripture-versed followers of Christ? I don't think it can be that much different, really.
It's just the gospel, that's all. It's actually pretty simple, really.
And yet, how much are these words having an impact? How much, out there in the real world with flesh and blood people -- many of whom are wounded beyond belief and in desperate need of a real flesh and blood Savior? Where is the powerful movement among people with Christ on their lips to minister the most loving and caring things you're concerned about in your post -- so that people are truly embracing grace and truth? Where are they?
I confess, I'm with you, I don't see it. But I don't see it because you and your devotees and so many millions of others are being played like cheap violins to think and believe and say the things you do. Doesn't matter that you're in a Christian church, the gospel is just not being shared there if the people attending are thinking these things.
Would you be willing to look further into how you're being seduced by the System into posting stuff like you did -- stuff that is wonderfully well-intended but actually ruthlessly destructive? Would you and your friends consider spending time with Jesus, the Jesus, and listen carefully to what He says? Yes, you don't have to listen to me at all! You can continue to dismiss me as an intolerant narrow-minded butt-in.
But there is a reason I do this. And it is because I do make judgments, and this one is that I love you just like Christ loved me. I wouldn't bother otherwise. Thank God He allows us those kinds of judgments, the ones where mercy triumphs, even over judgment itself. There must be judgment, however, for that to make sense! Jesus knew that even so we do judge, and that when we do, we should judge righteous judgment.
He said that, by the way, His words -- look in the seventh chapter of John, you'll see it there.
"Mercy triumphs over judgment." That's in the letter of James, by the way. Hate to say it, but the World's obsession with sex and power and autonomy and smiley politeness in the face of the most wretched things people do to one another, you can still seek to wallow around there, there's so much of it. Not hard to do, I understand. Some people get so far into it I don't know if they can ever get out. Wow. Is that you? I pray it isn't. It is so intoxicating, that World, it is. You can certainly continue to be held in its grip...
Or you can step out and explore the Kingdom.
Thanks for your time.
David
__
My webzine is here in case you're interested for a bit more of my take on things.
Comments
Post a Comment