April 14th- Why Are Christians So Mean

Matthew 7:3-4 ³ “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? ⁴ How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye?

I started thinking about this subject recently (that is, the subject of Christians being mean) after reading an article online. It's not important what the article was about. What really made me think was the way that people responded to the article in comments. There were a ton of people that completely discounted what the author said, and focused on how he made one point by using a Greek translation instead of a Hebrew translation. People were arguing, and tearing each other apart over an issue of translation!

I'm sure you have been in similar situations. You go to a bible study and find people vehemently arguing over one or two words, and what they "really" mean. This isn't always a bad thing, but I believe that it is a symptom of something else. Many Christians like being right, more than they like to love one another. I have heard "non-denominational" believers say that all Catholics aren't followers of Christ, I've heard Lutherans say that Pentacostals aren't believers, Pentacostals have told me that I don't know Jesus unless I have spoken in tongues, Baptists will say that you aren't following Christ unless you were baptized the right way, after you hit the magical age when you you are aware enough to receive God's grace, Orthodox Christians have refused me from partaking in communion with them, and I have heard Catholics say that all protestants preach heresy.

All of this stems from our desire to be right being stronger than our love for our brothers and sisters in faith. If you disagree with that statement, then I suggest that you ask yourself to think of the times when you had a conflict of faith with someone. Did you spend more energy in the interaction trying to prove yourself, or did you spend more energy in praying for them, asking God to correct the error in their perspective? Oswald Chambers says that God never gives us discernment about another person for the purpose of judgment, but so that we can lift them up in prayer. This is part of what I think Jesus was talking about in Matthew 7 (The scripture above). We spend ourselves so fervently on proving ourselves right that we forget the purpose of the freedom that we have in Christ; Galatians 5:13b "Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love."

Another Scripture that I love is:
1 Corinthians 8:1b "But while knowledge makes us feel important, it is love that strengthens the church."
also Romans 14:4 "Who are you to condemn someone else’s servants? They are responsible to the Lord, so let him judge whether they are right or wrong. And with the Lord’s help, they will do what is right and will receive his approval."

I'm not against discussing what God commands us to do in the Bible. Lets just try to do it with genuine love.

-Jon

P.S. Today I decided to get a break from Peruvian food and to eat some fried chicken. I found a place that was selling chicken strips for 5 soles ($1.80). I made the fatal mistake of just looking at the picture and going with it. I wrongfully thought that mollejitas was just a fancy name for chicken fingers. I get my food and notice that it's kid of grey, and completely different than any other part of the chicken I have ever had. I rush home and look it up in my Spanish dictionary. Turns out I ate some deep fried Chicken gizzards. Yum...