Should Christians act as a political force?

2008-11-10T12:43:00.000-08:00

The passage of Prop 8 in California, largely the result of evangelicals voting en masse to keep others from enjoying the same freedoms they do has prompted me to think that Christians should stay away from voting as a block. Why? Very simple. By bogging down in these small issues, Chirstians lose their opportunity to push their bigger agenda, that being the Kingdom of God. According to your Bible (if you are a christian) The spread of God's Kingdom is the only thing eternal. Religious people lost ground on their main agenda when they decided to push the side agenda. At least, that's how I see it. You?

Is the Bible God's Infallible Scripture?

2008-11-07T16:09:00.000-08:00

Most Christians use 2 Timothy 3:16 as evidence that the Bible is God's infallible and complete word, but in so doing, they completely overlook the previous verse that defines scripture, for the content of Paul's letter, as that which Timothy knew as scripture from his childhood. Since the Bible was not compiled for nearly 300 more years after that date, and given that Paul considered himself to be writing a basic letter to a friend (as evidenced by his request that Timothy return a forgotten cloak of Paul's on his next visit, later in the letter) So my question then is this: How can the Bible be considered scripture?

Christians Should Hang Out in Inner City Gay Bars

2008-09-10T09:55:00.000-07:00

I'm convinced that as a rule, so called "christians", a word that means "christlike" don't have the slightest clue what the title they give themselves means in practical terms.

People serious about living their lives in the manner in which their "Lord and Saviour" lived His, would spend their days and nights in inner city gay bars and homeless shelters. You would rarely if ever find them in a church with soft cushioned oak pews, stained glass, and grand pianos unless they were there to burn the place down. Jesus wouldn't have bothered waking up and rolling the stone away if He knew that his "followers" would create social networking hotspots for middle to upper class people to hang out.

Jesus was not the type to park his BMW outside of the St. Vincent De Paul Thrift Shop to run inside with three trash bags full of last year's styles to feel good about Himself. If He were walking the planet, my bet is he would walk or ride public transportation, passing the thrift shops right over in favor of giving the coat off of his back to the homeless guy huddled on the street corner with a shopping cart containing all of his worldly possessions. Jesus didn't spend much time with rich folks. He despised pompous religiosity. He reserved his venom for the upper crust religious snobs of his day, and as I see it, He was walking the planet today, he'd do the same thing. He wouldn't let the kids in a continent like Africa die, while his own kids had the best food on the planet and every modern convenience shoved into an overflowing toy box that was rarely opened.

The Bible says that the birds have nests, but that He, God's son had no place to rest his head. (I paraphrased. Get over it) Forget about the 4 bedroom, 3 car garage home in the newest, most impressive subdivision. Jesus didn't even have a pillow on which to lay his head. He had precious little room for rich people...and believe this: He would have considered most of us exceedingly wealthy. A rich man once asked him "teacher, how may I enter the Kingdom of Heaven?" Jesus answered him by saying, "Sell all that you have and give it all to the poor". The man walked away, and Jesus said "It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven".

The man some call Christ spent his days among society's most destitute and despised. He offered love, and never condemnation. He spoke of abundant life, and yet had no need for possessions. If Jesus walked the earth today, he'd be uncomfortable in churches. Instead he would be most comfortable in inner city gay bars, among the poor and the despised. As he said, it's not the healthy who need a physician, but the sick.

I'm not a Christian. I don't give myself that label. I am unwilling to make the required sacrifice. Say what you want about that. I find that is honest. For to truly "follow Jesus" is to put away lip service in favor of life altering commitment, devoted to a principle that our time on this planet is finite, and that 80 years of suffering for the good of the Kingdom of God is less than a drop in the bucket when it comes to the concept of eternity. Choose today whom you will serve, and be honest about that choice.

If you are not truly ready to commit to following Jesus, living your life as He would, if he walked the planet, then stop labeling yourself as a Christian, and stop wasting your time enjoying your religious social network. Don't even bother giving to charity as an afterthought, unless you are willing to sacrifice all that you have on the altar of the Christ you claim to follow. May you find your way, honestly and without pretense. It is better to be hot or to be cold than to be lukewarm and spit out of God's mouth. Cheers!

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- "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."
-Mohandas K Gandhi-

Christianity

Should Christians act as a political force?

Is the Bible God's Infallible Scripture?

Christians Should Hang Out in Inner City Gay Bars