Is it aggravating to anyone else, or is it just me? I mean the fact that no matter what you believe, what your interpretation, someone always has a completely opposite view.
You get excited about hearing some truth that really connects, and the next thing you read an article by another Christian that completely disagrees with what you just heard.
Even more than that, most of us Christians get mad when someone disagrees with us and is different. We get on Facebook and make ourselves look crazy because we talk about brotherly love, then we fight and argue with someone because they interpret things differently….and mostly about things we can’t prove one way or the other.
We really have to stop and think that whatever it is we believe, whatever our interpretation, everyone is not going to agree with us. There is no reason for us to get mad at someone else for being different.
This life is all a matter of faith. No matter what it is spiritually speaking, no one can really prove what is right and what is not. Just because someone has a different interpretation doesn’t mean they are right or wrong.
We need to keep our ears open to the leading of the Spirit, and follow on our own path looking to Jesus. That does not mean any and every path is the right one, but we can’t be the judge of who is right and who is wrong. Jeremy Myers, in his book ‘Dying to Religion and Empire’ states, “The beautiful thing about following Jesus is that while He leads us all in the same direction, there are millions of different paths He can take to get us there. His goal, of course, is to advance the Kingdom of God on earth through the people of God who are being conformed into the image of God”. We need to follow Christ as he leads us individually, and then be ready to love all people, no matter if they are on the same path or not.
Let’s stop arguing, fighting, and demanding that everyone agree with us, and love those we meet along the journey. I think God is big enough to lead us all to His truth in His timing.
Done with Religion 
Sounds good; I look forward to it!
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Thanks Tim. I appreciate being added. I will make sure to like or comment on a couple other posts each time also.
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Hi DWR,
You asked about the Progressive Christian Bloggers G+ community:
_Thanks. I asked to join the Google+ community, and I would be grateful if Done with Religion could be added to the blog sites. Thanks for letting me know about it._
Your blog has been listed on the site’s progressive blog list. I notice that you have already joined the community, and anyone who has joined the community is able to post links to their blog posts. Keep in mind that it is very important to us (in fact it is a requirement) that each time anyone posts, they must also like or comment on at least a couple other posts.
I look forward to your coming posts! ~Tim Chastain
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Thanks for the thoughts John. Not that anyone wants persecution, but you are right. Look back at 9/11, a type of persecution, a common threat. It brought the country together for a brief period. If only we could come together in love and acceptance without it requiring persecution. Thanks for commenting.
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This perhaps is atop of my list of frustration with being a christian, I can’t image how it must disturb our Lord. It is certainly a challenge to love all our brothers and sisters, but this is our charge.
Our enemy is wise, and has for way to long gotten a tremendous victory here, and at a great cost to the promotion of Christ and the gospel. If we could truly find unity, loving those as brothers and sisters, on the common bond of the centrality and supremacy of Christ, the world would certainly change in it’s understanding of what it means to follow Him.
Unfortunately we live in this fallen world, and participate in it ourselves. Calvin’s persecution of the Anabaptist is such a example of what happens when this goes to the extreme. I fear that we are going to repeat this type of thing in the not to distant future, maybe even in our life time.
Not to beat a “dead horse” as they say, but it appears the only way to find more unity in this life,as the Body of Christ, is for persecution to break out against us. This seems to draw christian together more than anything else.
Just saying. JM.
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“Let’s stop arguing, fighting, and demanding that everyone agree with us, and love those we meet along the journey. I think God is big enough to lead us all to His truth in His timing.”
Amen, Michael. Very well said!
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Thank you for commenting. You are right, it is sad that we can’t accept each other in love. It is frustrating to see all the arguments and disagreements among brothers and sisters in Christ online. I certainly don’t blame you for getting away from it. Thanks so much for reading my article.
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Whether for good or bad, I’ve all but stopped posting on Facebook for this very reason. The public part of Facebook is like a war zone, where word bombs are lobbed about in a very public arena, especially between Christians. I have to admit; I used to get dragged into it, as well. The more connected I get to Father, though, the less I feel the need to defend my own positions and “defend God,” as some like to say. I’m becoming increasingly troubled for those who stand on the outside, looking in at us crazy, whacked out Christians who get so hung up on, oftentimes, minute, inconsequential details and are willing to kill over them. “This is what it is to be a Christian? This is the impact this guy they claim to follow has on a person? Meh, I think I’ll pass.”
Our culture lives with a very offensive posture, these days. I don’t mean that in the sense that people go around trying to offend each other, though there’s a fair amount of that, too. I mean it in the sense that it’s like we’re in a competition to prove who is the most right; whose God is the biggest, baddest, meanest, or even forgiving and lovingest of them all, and when someone’s idea of God is different than mine, I have to jump to “His defense.” Is it really in HIS defense, though? Are our motives that pure? I think not. I think what we like to call “defense of God” is, in reality, a going on the offense of our own ideas, understandings and perspectives; seeking, not to have a dialog for the benefit of everyone, but to destroy opposing views; protecting our positing and assuring that all other views, either align with ours, or are silenced. It’s the American “Christian” form of terrorism against the “infidels” (heretics). We don’t use real bombs, we just use word bombs.
The way I see it is that if God has a person at another place in their understanding of Him at this stage in their life, I’m OK with that. I may disagree, but does it really matter? I mean, really, the vast majority of these battles are not over the “pillars” of our faith and even if they were; is throwing the word, “heretic” out there going to change any minds? When it comes down to it, it’s not our job to prove, or defend God’s love, or hate and wrath, if that’s how someone sees God. It’s not my job to prove, or defend my belief in, or understanding of Him. They are MY beliefs and while I’m sure I’m off base on some of it, maybe a lot of it, none of it impacts eternity.
Besides, we all know who the real heretics are, right? :-)
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