Come to church, we'll scare the hell out of you.

I haven't had much of an opportunity to blog lately, but as I was getting caught up on some of my blog reading this morning I came across some posts from others that I wanted to share. A somewhat similar theme is present in each of them. In short: judgment and hell vs. love and acceptance.

Gary Kirkham: The Finger
Steve McVey: Confronting Other People's Sins (make sure to check out the video at the end, too).

The third post that I wanted to share is actually a "note" on the Free Believer's Network's page on Facebook. I'll post the link, but I think you have to be a part of the Free Believer's group on Facebook in order to view it. I imagine it will be posted on Darin Hufford's blog, accessible to all, and I'll update this post if/when that happens.

Update 6/11/09 (thanks Aida!):
Darin Hufford: Raising Hell

Am I here to judge or condemn your behavior?

Am I here to judge or condemn your behavior? If so, you could judge me 1,000 times over! No, I'm here to let you know that God accepts and loves you as you are, unconditionally. (Or is John 3:seventeen wrong?)

Moral police

Are Christians the moral police of the world?

Ok, I'll admit I was going to simply post that sentence and let anyone answer in whatever way they wanted. I still want anyone to answer it, if anyone wants to, but I'm going to go ahead and add my own thoughts here.

My question comes from a place of frustration. Well, perhaps not frustration. I guess I've seen so much of the Christian moral police brigade in my lifetime that it doesn't surprise me or frustrate me anymore.

If a Christian thinks his or her duty is to reward those who do good and to boycott all those who do evil in this world, then I think they've missed the point, just a little, perhaps?

In the past I've already shared my thoughts about how the last half of Romans chapter 1 is not meant as a "list of sins Christians should avoid." Indeed, they're all sins and we don't want to participate in any of them, but that's not the reason Paul listed them! He listed them in the midst of making an overall point that the whole world, apart from Christ, is guilty of sin. If a self-righteous person were to think they were righteous before God because of their own works, they could take a look at the list and hopefully be humbled to the point of realizing they were guilty just like everyone else. Paul builds up to a very telling "therefore" at the beginning of chapter 2:

"Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself..."

Anyway, even though Romans 1 isn't meant (according to how I understand it) as a list of sins for Christians to look at and be convicted of sin, if a Christian does indeed go around with a mindset that they need to police the world, or judge the sin of others, or boycott and avoid people and companies because of their sinful practices or because of the sinful things they support, then according to their own mindset I'd like them to take a look at Romans 1 and see where THEY stand, if they're really going to begin pointing fingers at the actions of others!

Do we really take care of the problems of the world by boycotting or avoiding people who sin?

Spiritual adultery

I snagged the following quotes off of the first part of an audio series simply called "Grace" by Rob Rufus that I downloaded quite a while ago from the Grace in Flood blog. I enjoy listening to the series from time to time.

In this part, Rob is talking about Christians who go back to their old marriage partner, The Law, to try to get themselves straightened out and whipped into shape so they can be presentable to their new Husband, Jesus. But the Law only condemns, the Law only kills, the Law only pronounces judgment. The Law is perfect and holy and good and just, but the Law is a terrible, terrible husband.

Rob says:

Now I believe that what Jesus does is He looks at the church that does that and I just think that tears come down His eyes. I think He just looks at us and goes, "Do you think I'm an insecure husband? Did you think I didn't know you'd have all these idiosyncrasies? I never had any illusions. I knew everything about you when I took you on and embraced you. I am the perfect husband to my bride. I'm the perfect bridegroom. I'm the perfect husband of all husbands.

And I can love you unconditionally because the integrity of heaven's high call of justice was fully satisfied by Me on the cross on your behalf...

And you think you're impressing Me by going back to him to make me happy? You break My heart. I'm not the one putting you under the laws, the rules and condemnation. I'm the one that redeems you from it so that 24 hours a day Father's love and acceptance may pour into your life."