Things I Need to Own – Condemnation

Greetings Dear Reader,

I had an excellent discussion with my Son, Bezel yesterday regarding where the line is on avoiding supporting things that are wrong and loving and accepting people.  His words were compassionate and helped me clear some of the muck in my head.  The burgers we had were good as well.

There are some things that I will never see as right, good, or wholesome.  There are things the church rightly labels as sin and those who follow Christ should not participate in supporting these things.  The issue is that in the first half of the last (20^th) century the church mostly had a fortress mentality.  It allowed the questions of the world that did not believe to drive it into tight circles of judgment, rejection, and like us or leave us.

Those with conservative theology also adopted lifestyles that condemned things that were not a part of that theology.  Intentionally or not many churches developed a Christian snobbery that caused more division than anything else.

One cannot hide in a fortress and live out the Gospel.  We turned living the Gospel into programs on evangelism.  As Steve Camp puts it, “we turned a passion for the lost into the business of saving souls.”   We must own that we judge and condemn others.  This is not what the Gospel commands us to do.

There are some places where the line is not clear to me.  This, however, does not create a line of confusion about loving others.  It is very clear that I can love anyone no matter how their life is unfolding.  I have no choice about this. 

People are going to do what they choose to do in most situations.  We do not get to hate people for what they do.  We do not get to judge and condemn based on the way in which we measure the sins of another.  The “worst” sinner is worthy of a cup of cold water in Christ’s name from me. 

I must love, forgive, and be an example wherever I can.  I must give without reservation.  I must see every life as valuable and deserving of the very best that God has to offer.  I have too much of my own sin to account for and eradicate to be condemning anyone else.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store."