I love trying my hand at a good puzzle, figuratively and literally. To me, the most fascinating people are those who are uniquely mysterious - I'm drawn to what I do not understand.
I'm somewhat of enigma. Slightly withdrawn - though you would never know it. And different. I embrace diversity. I like meeting and understanding people who don't hold the same beliefs/hail from the same circumstances.
Dark Christianity (my term for the modern church who's emphasis is on judgement rather than love) does not. Dark Christianity says that anything different must be shut down, for fear that the church body might become "contaminated." Anything different is automatically bad.
Complexity is suddenly scary, instead of fascinating.
Mercy?
Grace?
Those terms seem to have become nothing more than catchy phrases for their church websites and Sunday worship pamphlets.
I've come across a lot of Dark Christianity in the past two years. Divorce is considered a "contamination", and people run from it like a disease.
They forget that Jesus cleansed the leper. He embraced the hurting.
Christ wasn't scared of the things we're scared of.
He loved.
But so many of His followers don't. The modern church runs from pain - literally shunning the hurting because of fear. If any of you listened to the sermon I posted as a "P.S." on my last post, you'll remember that:
"fear is nothing but the FAITH in SATAN to triumph over Christ in our lives"!
In trying to oust sin through judgement, the modern church is literally opening wide the doors to the Devil, instead of embracing truth - and love.
Lets examine the typical Christian homeschool family:
Mom, Dad, three kids. Dad is in leadership at the church, Mom is a full time stay-at-home Mom. She raises the kids with a love of cooking, pottery, little-league, sign language, long skirts, and babies. Life is happy - the parents love each other - the kids go to Sunday school - everything is cheery. When this otherwise beautiful family is part of Dark Christianity, they'll turn their backs on a family with a single-mom, who can't afford the extra-cirriculars. Or the teenager who doesn't believe you have to wear extra long skirts, to be modest. Or the son who goes to public school.
When will the Church put "Christ" back into Christian?
Do they realize what their judgement is costing?
Souls.
Do they realize what their judgement is costing?
Souls.
I have friends who have turned away from Christ because of Christ's "followers." Dark Christianity is slandering the very name of God. Reevaluate yourselves, before you judge. There's a reason for the parable Jesus gave about taking the log out of your own eye before scrutinizing the speck in your neighbors.
Judgement is a sin. Satan is tricky - he tells you to parade your holiness "so that the world will see it and turn to Jesus!" No. Instead of parading ourselves, we must put Christ first, and follow HIS example. We are CHRISTians.
If you do all the exterior "Christian-ly" things, but don't love, you are a fake. Instead of running from what is different, let's learn to embrace it. Lets learn to be fascinated once again with what we can't understand. Lets extend ourselves to the mysteries of a hurting world, instead of recoiling into our perfectly quaffed dining rooms to do our Bible studies in our own little space, where we feel the most comfortable.
1 Corinthians 13:1-3
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
~His Daughter
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
~His Daughter
4 comments:
Thumbs up all the way for this post!! Love it :).
Totally relate to what you're saying. My family has been judged. We were judged because we decided it would be ok to wear a pair of jeans, judged because Mom let the kids go to Sunday School, judged for my family's testimony and what we stood for.
I've fallen in this area. Sometimes it's difficult to look past what a situation seems to be like and look at it through the eyes of Christ. So many times, our own assesment of a situation is just flat out wrong!! Things would be so much better if we would stop taking things into our own hands and let God do what He wants. And also, I think it is very important that we remember that we are brothers and sisters in Christ... why in the world would you hurt family?
Anyway, hope you have a lovely day!
Moe
Wow, this was a great post. I have enjoyed your blog, because I love the way you write, you have a talent.
I know what you mean by Dark Christianity, thanfully, my church is not one of those. My church accepts those who are different, or struggling, and I as a person accept these people.
You are a great girl, thank you for this post.
"Does Anybody Hear Her" by Casting Crowns is playing right now. It went right with your post. Only thing I have to say about that is that it's a God-thing. ♥
So, so true. I've been going through a phase where I realized I've fallen into that "acts like a Christian" thing. You know, I read my Bible, I pray, I go to church.
But where did the love go? Where did my faith go?
Today is the first day of the rest of my life.
dear Jesus.
change my heart.
i desire to love like You love.
show me how.
amen.
Wow, this was so beautiful! So many people feel rejected because they don't fit into the box. I've seen it way to often. Thank you for saying the words that need to be said.
Have a beautiful day!
Jessica
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