One of the things about T & B preaching is that it is very hard to turn a believer's heart from extreme fear, back to love in the way that God wants us to love Him and others. Almost every person I know that has been saved by T & B preaching also shares the gospel (I say 'gospel' loosely as it means 'good news') to others in the same manner they were taught. I don't really see those people ever cross over into love as who and what God is.
The second thing is Jesus never used this type of sharing with people. Jesus even spent time with the type of people who proabably would be a T & B archtype in describing who was going to hell. As He is the only sinless one and the only perfect one I cannot see directly contradicting His own style of sharing truth with the T & B style of preaching. It doesn't exist.
The other thing with T & B style preaching is even if the preacher is crying that really has minimal if any effect on the people listening.
But just like here on CF most will use the style they feel comfortable with. or better yet, what worked for them to get saved. Even though Jesus said to follow me and do as I do, most think that their way is better than even Jesus.
Hi,
Using your last lines only to say something in support of your observations on Christ and His style, note what Paul really speaking under the inspirations of the Holy Spirit said to T&B types and the rest of us back then.
You are given faith, you did not earn it. You did nothing. Nothing. God has done it all in you. You have not. You have done no great work.
He then, and there or in other sections again speaking under the inspiration of The Holy Spirit, lets us know everyone on earth will see Jesus in the end, not just us who have been given faith.
The point in case it is missed so far, is it is God Who determines when and if any of us will know Jesus on this earth. it is not T&B preachers. It is not I. It is not you. God calls, and that is also reiteraterd earlier in John 6 I think, and maybe John 7. It is that Jesus and not any of us is our teacher. He also if He wishes to do so, introduces us to His Father.
The idea that unless one accepts in the way we think, not the way God thinks and feels, Jesus and God, is most certainly at the heart of the problem with many Christians.
Nowhere does it say, that unless you are specifically this or that, then God punishes you, with Hell. On the contrary, that guy on the cross next to Jesus, is the least of us in a way. He did know Jesus did no wrong and said so. He told the other man to be quiet. He also admitted to Jesus that he did wrong, when he said you and I deserve to be here, but just how many ways do you think there are to do that. It is many.
Jesus is ~Infinitely Infinitely Infinitely and then some tender and mild.~ He is also God, and as such historically like in Sodom and Gamorrah, helped the world by removing those who hurt the rest of us.
Do you think God wanted to hurt those people? He did not. Look at Ninevah, and the conversations with Jonah. It is clear there that He does not.
To understand God in this way, being tender and mild, but the amount that I propose to you and said, think each of us of our mother. When she had to, was she not scary? When she did not have to was she not tender and mild? Did she not punish sometimes? Did she not punish to really keep us from hurting others? Did she not love us always?
How is tender and mild that much different from that example above? I don't see the difference except in magnitude, or in accuracy with God, as even moms some of the time are wrong. So are dads wrong some of the time. God is..... Well you decide. I have my observations.
...Kateina.