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No! I am the only one who is preachy and judgmental. It's just me!Just me!
"May the most offensive thing unbelievers see or hear from us be that we preach that no man can come to the Father but through Christ."
Yes?
No?
Maybe?
Why or why not?
How do we communicate the Gospel to unbelievers in a way that it can be received?
Yes?
No?
Maybe?
Why or why not?
How do we communicate the Gospel to unbelievers in a way that it can be received?
What is up with all this weird questioning Perg? God is too judgemental to the world. Why would you consider what the world says. It should be about God and His character. The world hates him. So they will hate us also. And they will cast aspersions upon us. What is new. Who cares what they think? If someone is acting in a wrong way and bringing shame upon Christs name for the wrong reason the church should approach him. That is why we have the church. Pastors, Elders, and teachers are gifts to keep us in line. That is who we should consider to be our friends and judges of character flaws. Not those outside.
How do we communicate the Gospel to unbelievers in a way that it can be received?
There has to be some level at which even the world's opinion has *some* validity, because an elder is to have a good testimony with those that are without?
Also, Paul quotes one of their own (presumably unbelieving) poets against as I understand it, a faction in the church -- they're always liars, etc., says this is true, and commands Titus to rebuke them sharply.
Adam, thanks for your response. Yes I understand that sometimes doing something good gets us a very bad reputation (I remember reading about Jonathan Wesley in a sermon saying something about how he'd been accused of everything but a certain sin, which a woman then rose up and accused him of: he lifted his eyes to heaven and thanked God that he had been accused of *all* unrighteousness for his names' sake). We experienced this in Mexico: extra efforts were sometimes made on behalf of being a good testimony that resulted in even more heinous slanders than could have been made otherwise. Yet that still is a general consideration, because even unbelievers have some sound judgments.
And I do understand about the statement being made of the culture. Nevertheless, it was a judgment about sinful character qualities that Paul applied to certain people groups in the church, though a statement made by an unbeliever. As a cultural movement and a 'faction' in the church, fundamentalism tends to be too judgmental because they are not centered on the word of God in their judgments: I think it very likely that most people polled in the states about Christianity will be thinking in some way of fundamentalism? In this critique we who have left fundamentalism for a reason would have to agree; not because we want to think or speak evil of our brothers and sisters but because striving to do better in this area is one of the reasons we left. The critique is true not because the culture says so of course; but by the standard of God's word. yet even the culture can recognize that some people are really liars, etc. In other words, I think we ought to stop and examine ourselves when people say such things: if by God's word our consciences are clear, the world is obviously lashing out at God via us. If though we find that we are not living up to Christ's meekness as well as His zeal, we ought to recognize that even god hating unbelievers are able to experience and be hurt by our failings, and have something valid to say about them when they are.
and some need a good dose of preachiness and judgmentalism.
What is up with all this weird questioning Perg? God is too judgemental to the world. Why would you consider what the world says. It should be about God and His character. The world hates him. So they will hate us also. And they will cast aspersions upon us. What is new. Who cares what they think? If someone is acting in a wrong way and bringing shame upon Christs name for the wrong reason the church should approach him. That is why we have the church. Pastors, Elders, and teachers are gifts to keep us in line. That is who we should consider to be our friends and judges of character flaws. Not those outside.
yes.
simply because it seems alot of folk, attempt to dogmatically declare something that is not so dogmatically found in scripture.
whether any non western classical music is sinfull
permissible to drink
movies
plays
cards
etc.. certainly, there are principles that are to be followed, but i dont think the principals entail a cease and desist.
I don't really care.
I looked one of my good friends dead in the face at law school and told him he would go to Hell without Christ. We're still friends. I don't wake up everyday and wonder whether the world will think im too wierd or preachy or judgmental, etc. etc. because it's all hypocrisy for them in the end. The same friend pulled the judgmental card on me and I showed him how he, too, was being judgmental, and that being judgmental isn't bad, particularly in light of Scripture.
What is up with all this weird questioning Perg? God is too judgemental to the world. Why would you consider what the world says. It should be about God and His character. The world hates him. So they will hate us also. And they will cast aspersions upon us. What is new. Who cares what they think? If someone is acting in a wrong way and bringing shame upon Christs name for the wrong reason the church should approach him. That is why we have the church. Pastors, Elders, and teachers are gifts to keep us in line. That is who we should consider to be our friends and judges of character flaws. Not those outside.
Perhaps I am misunderstanding something, but are we not to be concerned at all about what the world thinks of us? What of those traits that are to characterize believers, i.e., mercy, godliness, love, meekness, peace? In my opinion, demonstrating these traits is one of the primary tools whereby the laity share their faith with the world.
Those outside of the faith are often in a very good position to point out our own shortcomings. We ignore them to our detriment. Sometimes when the world condemns us for hypocrisy, it's because we're hypocrites. Yes, the world will often be wrong, but hasn't God used ungodly men in times past to chasten and correct believers?