Jesus Didn't Teach Christians To Be Nice

[UBERROGO]

No one is advocating we do.

The point is secularists use Christian admonitions to promote situation ethics and moral relativism.

I am so sick of secularists defending the indefensible by whining, "Doesn't the Bible say 'judge not lest thee be judged"?'

Yes it does say that. But it doesn't command us to be potted plants.

I have always refered to this as the "Ricky Lake Theology", because I first witnessed this on the Ricky Lake show where the fornicators and liars would sit on stage to display thier every sinful way and then declare that they should not be judged. I wonder if they tell that to the judge when they go to pay thier speeding tickets.

 

[irishseventysix]

I agree with this. I think he did teach us to be nice, in that, love thy neighbor. How are you to love your neighbor if you are not nice to them? We as christians are to be Christ like. It is important to understand these qualities. Misinterpretations of that bible is really teaching, can be dangerous. God bless.

He also said "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth". And "Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy". And "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God."

I think those things count for something.

 

[irishseventysix]

We should not compromise the Truth (in love) in any way. That said, I also see no Scriptural case for us to wage this "culture war" where we as Christians become known more for yelling about how bad everyone else is, rather than focusing on our Lord and how well WE'RE living according to the Truth.

It seems like the actions of many Christians is like that of maladjusted hippies who never got past the "my rights" issues.

I think the world knows that most Christians are against homosexuality, abortion, pornography, etc. I think we've been loud enough about it already. Now maybe WE should get off the soapboxes and start living our lives peacefully, patiently, lovingly, and mercifully.

Speaking out so much against homosexuality really helped Ted Haggard fight his struggles with that issue, didn't it? Taking all that time to tell everyone how bad they are for looking at pornography is doing a LOT for the more than 50% of PASTORS who admit to giving in to it on the internet. Speaking out so vehemently against adultery and divorce are really helping the 55% of Christian marriages that end in divorce.

We have St. Paul talking about how we need to obey our governmental authorities...and this was in the context of Emperor Nero, whose regime left untold numbers of Christians brutally murdered. Nowhere did he mention that Christians need to protest and take potshots at the outside world. This is the same St. Paul who called himself chief among sinners.

And even if what we as American Christians do experience anything on the level of real persecution, what are we commanded to do? St. Paul says, "Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse" (Rom. 12:14). And Christ says, "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me."

What's wrong is wrong. But we should stand for what's right in OUR OWN LIVES first. THAT is how we "let our light shine before men that they may see our good deeds and praise our Father in heaven". Last I checked, that was tough enough without taking time out to fight for our right to be comfortable in our cocooned culture.

 

[ModernDaySpyridon]

What he said...

 

[Voegelin]

We should not compromise the Truth (in love) in any way. That said, I also see no Scriptural case for us to wage this "culture war" where we as Christians become known more for yelling about how bad everyone else is, rather than focusing on our Lord and how well WE'RE living according to the Truth.

"Culture War" comes from the German KulturKampf of the late 19th century. It was a war not waged by Christians but waged against (some) Christians. It was messy affair Otto Von Bismarck embarked upon and one which Lenin paid great interest in. The Bolsheviks used the failure of the Iron Chancellors Kulturkampf as a learning lession. When they took power, they didn't merely censor the expression of faith, take religion out of school and imprison believers who opposed the regime, they murdered those who stood up for the faith. Over two million between 1918 and 1923. Another 7 million between 1930 and 1933.

History shows laying back and saying nothing encourages those who want to destroy religion. Now is the time to stop the slide. Not when it is too late.

You seem to put the onus of blame on Christians. They are not out polluting the culture with moral relativism. They are not seeking to have speech criminalized as secularists in some EU countries and Canada have done. They are not dragging people to court to make them shut up as secularists are demanding expressions of faith in the public square be censored. They are not creating a Culture of Death.

 

[TriptychR]

History shows laying back and saying nothing encourages those who want to destroy religion. Now is the time to stop the slide. Not when it is too late.

Certainly; it would be foolish to just let efforts to destroy religion proceed unabated. However, sometimes and for some people it seems like they don't just want to "stop the slide" as you say, but push even harder and impose a sort of theocratic rule. If we work too hard on setting the rules and less on setting the example, more and more of the unsaved will see it as oppression and not salvation.

 

[irishseventysix]

"Culture War" comes from the German KulturKampf of the late 19th century. It was a war not waged by Christians but waged against (some) Christians. It was messy affair Otto Von Bismarck embarked upon and one which Lenin paid great interest in. The Bolsheviks used the failure of the Iron Chancellors Kulturkampf as a learning lession. When they took power, they didn't merely censor the expression of faith, take religion out of school and imprison believers who opposed the regime, they murdered those who stood up for the faith. Over two million between 1918 and 1923. Another 7 million between 1930 and 1933.

History shows laying back and saying nothing encourages those who want to destroy religion. Now is the time to stop the slide. Not when it is too late.

You seem to put the onus of blame on Christians. They are not out polluting the culture with moral relativism. They are not seeking to have speech criminalized as secularists in some EU countries and Canada have done. They are not dragging people to court to make them shut up as secularists are demanding expressions of faith in the public square be censored. They are not creating a Culture of Death.

Yes, we are...by living the same types of lives as these dreaded "moral relativists". We are just as morally relativistic when we, knowing God, reject Him to some degree when we sin. I can't think of anything more morally relativistic.

What are we fighting for? Our rights? Our comfort? Whatever happened to "and the gates of hell will not prevail against [the Church]" and "I will be with you always, even unto the end of the age?" Can we not trust Him like the Christians did before AD312?

We ARE polluting the culture by OUR participation in the SAME sins they're commiting. And it's worse because we KNOW better and we supposedly have this holier-than-thou "personal relationship with Jesus Christ" that makes us look like hypocrites when we judge others when we're guilty of the same sins.

Do you not think that our sin affects the world and pollutes it? If we worked more on living lives of greater and deeper focus on our Lord, on working out our salvation with fear and trembling, and on taking up our crosses daily and following Christ, and on growing in love for Him and our neighbor in ways more like His, instead of on how bad everyone else is, maybe we'll be a better light to the world.

We are promised persecution, struggle, and strife in this world. Many Christians, it seems, don't want to accept that fact. I am no better, for my sin is great. But our battle isn't against flesh and blood. But if you think that Christians haven't contributed to a "Culture of Death", I invite you to read a little American history WRT the Native Americans and African slaves.

We need to grow in love for our Lord and (therefore) humanity. It's not going to happen if we continue to carry this Us (good) vs. them (evil) mentality.

 

[mumluvsherboys]

He also said "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth". And "Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy". And "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God."

I think those things count for something.

Yes, thank you. I was just talking about that with my dad. Great reminders! God bless!

 

[A Brother In Christ]

verse to go with Galation 6:10

its Christ Gospel that naturally divides .... not us...


does a slave have rights to be upset?

romans 2:4 kindness is what draws us to Christ

 

[Voegelin]

Yes, we are...by living the same types of lives as these dreaded "moral relativists". We are just as morally relativistic when we, knowing God, reject Him to some degree when we sin. I can't think of anything more morally relativistic.

I can.

Equating Christian objective morality with relativism as you have just done.

Sinning is not the same being a moral relativist.

Leftists always equate the two. That is why "hypocrite" is the favorite charge Lenin and the Bolsheviks leveled against Christians.

In my opinion, it is far better to have standards and fail to live up to them than to have none at all.

 

[irishseventysix]

I can.

Equating Christian objective morality with relativism as you have just done.

Sinning is not the same being a moral relativist.

Leftists always equate the two. That is why "hypocrite" is the favorite charge Lenin and the Bolsheviks leveled against Christians.

In my opinion, it is far better to have standards and fail to live up to them than to have none at all.

So their bad ideology gives us the right to be jerks, even though we can't practice ours very consistently?

And though the accusations fly about moral relativism and situational ethics, ethics don't get much more "situational" than when someone knows the right and decides that they're above it by choosing wrong.

We're just as guilty.

Again, we can judge actions as being wrong. But people? That's for God to do. As long as we're still sinning, we have no right.

However, the fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Maybe, as far as we're concerned, we should work a little harder on cultivating and exhibiting those instead of warring with the culture and protesting for our "rights".

Is it realistic to expect non-Christians to act like Christians, even when Christians, who have a relationship with God, don't?

I see Christ, in the Scriptures, chastizing the religiously in-the-know and prideful. Not the foreigners who were outside the covenant.

If we're going to stand for Truth, we'd better do it out of love for others. And I don't see a lot of that in relishing in a supposed "right" of ours to be caustic.

 

[jad123]

Read this article:
Jesus Didn't Teach Christians To Be Nice

He did not preach a Rick Warren's purpose driven life, or a nice comforting Joel Osteen -like evangelism, instead
[FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil[/FONT]
[FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]I John 3:8[/FONT]
[FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]because:[/FONT]
[FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning.[/FONT]
[FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]When was the last time you heard him - the devil- mentioned at Christmas?[/FONT]

[FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]Our Lord Jesus came to save us from our sin, not merely to comfort us in our sin![/FONT]

As the old saying goes "you hit the nail on the head". But it is so much easier to accept the modern day watered down version of Christianity.

 

[irishseventysix]

As the old saying goes "you hit the nail on the head". But it is so much easier to accept the modern day watered down version of Christianity.

No disagreement here other than to say that there is a colossal difference between watering down Christianity and being intentionally caustic, abraisive, inflammatory, and judgmental...being quick to speak and quick to anger and slow to forgive.

 

[jad123]

No disagreement here other than to say that there is a colossal difference between watering down Christianity and being intentionally caustic, abraisive, inflammatory, and judgmental...being quick to speak and quick to anger and slow to forgive.

I would agree with that!