Comments on: Respect

By: tonysteward

tonysteward — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 12:56:06 +0000

To often we let religion get in the way of our faith. People are drawn to faith, but religion has something to protect. I saw this graphic over on an atheist blog as well and this resonates heavily with them. Most aren't anti-faith, they are anti-religion, or at least what religion has done to faith. Does that make sense?

By: Rich Kirkpatrick

Rich Kirkpatrick — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 14:30:42 +0000

I am reading a cool book, The (Un)offensive Gospel of Jesus… the author says we gotta show Jesus before we share Jesus. Remember that bridge illustration? Its like there is another chasm…not just sin between us and God, us Christians are a chasm between God and people.

By: Garrett

Garrett — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 06:54:20 +0000

There is a difference between calling someone a pervert and calling someone out as having perverted thoughts. I would very rarely, if ever, support someone calling my friend Ashley a bitch, but she sure can act bitchy sometimes. We mustn't stop calling each-other (outside and inside the church) out when we fall. Yes we all fall, but that doesn't mean we shut up about it all together and just…fall. We work at getting back up again. It sucks, it ain't fun, but that's why we need each other. I'm sooo thirsty for some brothers and sisters to start holding me to a higher standard. I have found myself becoming gradually less moral the older I get; I have also been finding my moral integrity in correspondence to the level of moral acceptability that surrounds me.

We don't need to label each other in categories – sometimes it can be called for (ie. Jesus calls the Pharisees “hypocrites” and “snakes in the grass”) though I would suggest that the harshest language is to be reserved for those within the church – yet for all whom we respect and love, we hold to a higher standard. We, like God, love each other just as we are, yet we love each other too much to let each other stay that way.

History has taught us that there are some things that are pretty arrogant to try and “not let stay that way” for example, culture, language, personalities. It's one thing to try and change someone from being an extrovert to an introvert; it's another thing to change the desires of a friend from hard-core partying and getting drunk to social justice initiatives and charity feasts. Everything must change, our challenge it to identify what to change and what not to – the ever popular dilemma of contextualization.

There's more to say, many books are being written on this issue right now. This is an important topic.

By: Andrea

Andrea — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 00:29:24 +0000

LOL, I thought that picture did a pretty good job. No really, calm yourself before you speak. I found that when I stop fuming I can certainly find a more loving way to put whatever it is I am trying to get out. And well, if there is no time for that, try not to sweat and follow with a large sigh, like you had to get it out or you were going to explode. Then of course apologize for not being able to hold it in. But never for your passion, never for your conviction. It seems that usually the other person understands. They feel just as strongly about something….

By: Tyler

Tyler — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 00:23:19 +0000

I believe in Atheists, so does God

By: cb

cb — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 23:14:53 +0000

This quote really touches me, b/c it reminds me of a story I read the day before yesterday in my local news. A town in my state recently elected a transgendered mayor. Whether people agree with the lifestyle or not, he has proven over the years to be the best choice for his community. While many of the community may not support his choices, they respect him as a leader, and see him as more than a transgendered person.

This if from part of the story:

" A large group of counterprotesters overmatched three young women and a man from a Kansas church who came to Silverton to protest Stu Rasmussen's election win. The protesters from the Westboro Baptist Church arrived with an assortment of signs, such as "God Hates You," "Fags Are Beasts," "Your Pastor is a Whore" and "Barack Obama: Antichrist."

Seriously?! How can these people act this way...in the name of their religion? I think the quote speaks perfectly to this situation, and how these people have NOT managed to avoiding stepping in it. The whole situation really saddened me. It really did.

By: shayne

shayne — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 22:41:33 +0000

I started out with a big 3 page long comment. I've pared my answer down to this…

As Christians, we need to cultivate and protect our daily personal time in the Word. This will keep us rooted and grounded in Christ. Not to mention it will also keep us falling in love with Him. And with that kind of relationship, we won't be able to help but overflow and as He is lifted up in our lives, He will draw those within our sphere of influence to Himself.

Second…we've got to stop being drawn into petty arguments over semantics. Our desire to love should supercede our need to be right.

By: PastorT

PastorT — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 20:48:57 +0000

Reminds me of the beginning of a song….”The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians….Who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, walk out the door, and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.” No words have ever said it better for me!

By: Kyle

Kyle — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 20:22:46 +0000

For me, the most important act is love.
If I disagree passionately for something someone is doing, I won't just sit back and allow it to happen, but I try my hardest to be sure that however I react, that it's in an act of love.
I find that really difficult at times when I see what the person is doing is hurting people all around them.
However, I constantly think of the way Jesus loved. It wasn't always soft and gently, but more times than not it was stern and harsh.
If we get so caught up in the sin of someone, then all that's going to happen is that we're going to forget we are sinners, and our actions towards that person will be covered with ourselves instead of God.

If that made no sense...I'm sorry.

http://interpression.wordpress.com

By: josiahpotter

josiahpotter — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 20:05:24 +0000

loving God, loving others