Confessing our practice of selective Christianity
October 13, 2014
John Pierce
When threatened, we easily toss aside Jesus’ teachings that do not fit our fears—as if we were given an exemption card to play at will.
When too many others are getting in line ahead of us for whatever we really desire, we excuse ourselves from the gospel notion that the first become last.
Perhaps one of the most needed confessions among modern American Christians is that we practice a pick-and-choose faith that resembles a food product stuffed with fillers and preservatives but mislabeled as 100 percent pure.
Such confessions keep us from wrongly assuming, and publicly presenting ourselves, to be fully representative of the faith we claim and even seek to live. Then when others see our shortsightedness and shortcomings, they will know we see them too.
Nothing harms the public witness of the Christian faith more than arrogant claims of faithfulness that don’t fully represent the gospel. However, a humble confession of seeking to follow Jesus, while admitting we have miles to go, better represents the available grace we should both experience and extend.
Reduced for personal convenience
The full demands of Jesus are more than I am willing to accept. So it is more constructive to my faith and the faith of others to admit such failings than to suggest the gospel is less than it is—reduced for my personal convenience.
Read more at http://nblo.gs/10GtSt
- By John Pierce
John PierceWhen threatened, we easily toss aside Jesus’ teachings that do not fit our fears—as if we were given an exemption card to play at will.
When too many others are getting in line ahead of us for whatever we really desire, we excuse ourselves from the gospel notion that the first become last.
Perhaps one of the most needed confessions among modern American Christians is that we practice a pick-and-choose faith that resembles a food product stuffed with fillers and preservatives but mislabeled as 100 percent pure.
Such confessions keep us from wrongly assuming, and publicly presenting ourselves, to be fully representative of the faith we claim and even seek to live. Then when others see our shortsightedness and shortcomings, they will know we see them too.
Nothing harms the public witness of the Christian faith more than arrogant claims of faithfulness that don’t fully represent the gospel. However, a humble confession of seeking to follow Jesus, while admitting we have miles to go, better represents the available grace we should both experience and extend.
Reduced for personal convenience
The full demands of Jesus are more than I am willing to accept. So it is more constructive to my faith and the faith of others to admit such failings than to suggest the gospel is less than it is—reduced for my personal convenience.
Read more at http://nblo.gs/10GtSt
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