They Don’t SPEAK for ME!

by Bruce Gerencser of Restless Wanderings

They all use the same Bible.

They all believe the same Bible.

They all worship the same God.

They all believe the same about Jesus.

They all believe the same about man’s need of redemption.

They all believe in heaven and hell.

Whether they call themselves Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant or Baptist they believe the same.

Whether they are a part of a denomination or independent they believe the same. Whether they are liberal, charismatic, conservative, or fundamentalist they believe the same.

Regardless of the name over the door every Christian Church essentially believe the same.

The cardinal doctrines are settled. God is God. Jesus is Jesus.The Bible is truth.
 
Yes, they differ in matters of eschatology, worship styles, music. social rules, government and politics BUT these matters are peripheral to the central truth of the Christian Church, Jesus the Christ crucified and raised from the dead.

Yet, a funny thing happens when a noted Christian pastor/bishop/elder/priest/para-church leader says something controversial…

Well, they don’t speak for me!

They don’t represent me.

They don’t speak for all Christians.

As with real families when the crazy uncles says or does something bizarre we are quick to distance ourselves from them. We pretend they are not a part of our family.

But they are.

So it with the Christian Church.

Try as they might to distance themselves from the crazy uncles in their midst, the uncles are still part of the family.  It is called the family of God. The blood washed band.

So stop trying to pretend that Pat Robertson, Benny Hinn, Paul Crouch, Jack Van Impe, Al Mohler, John Piper, Billy Graham, Franklin Graham, Creflo Dollar, Jimmy Swaggart, Ted Haggard, Joyce Meyers, Paula White, Jack Hyles, Bob Gray, Ernest Angley, Rick Warren, Bill Hybels, Jim Wallis,  the Pope, etal are NOT a part of your family.

TBN, GOD TV, and the Church channel represent you.

When Pat Robertson gives his latest prophecy he speaks for you.

When the Pope condemns condom use in Africa he speaks for you.

When Rick Warren condemns homosexuality he speaks for you.

As with real families when the crazy uncles says or does something bizarre we are quick to distance ourselves from them. We pretend they are not a part of our family.

But they are.

So it with the Christian Church.
When Al Mohler, John Piper and every Calvinist let the world know that God is in the killing, maiming and destruction business they speak for you.

When hate-mongering Christian Michele Bachmann waxes eloquently about God she speaks for you.

When James Dobson, Tony Perkins, Doug Phillips, Gary Demar, Rousas Rushdoony speak they speak for you.

When the Southern Baptists pass resolutions about homosexuality and women in the ministry they speak for you

When a politician invokes the name of the Christian God they speak for you.

When a priest molests a boy his actions reflect on you.

When Ted Haggard smokes crack and has sex with homosexual prostitutes his actions reflect on you.

When your pastor steals, lies, and sleeps around his actions reflect on you.

When a Christian nation on behalf of a Christian God bombs the hell out of Iraq, Afghanistan, and

Pakistan and kills tens of thousands of people they do it in your name.

They are YOUR family.

They worship the same God as you. They read from the same Bible as you. They believe in the same Jesus as you do.

Object all you will about my unfair judgment…

The NON-Christian world sees things just like I have represented them here.

The FORMER-Christian  sees things just like I have represented them here. They see the Bible as the problem. They know to abandon the Bible is to abandon Christianity. They see no other solution to this problem but rejecting the Bible. It is the Bible that is at that foundation of all the speaking that goes on in God’s name. God has spoken! Where? In the Bible.

Every wild, bizarre, vile pronouncement that Christians make are propped up by the Bible.  Book, chapter, and verse.

What is your response to this post? Do you want to beat me up, in Jesus name of course? Do you want to straighten me out? Do you want to expose my biases, my errors in judgment? Do you want to attack me and tell me I have an axe to grind or that I am jaded, cynical, and hateful? (all true BTW)

Anything but deal with the main premise of this post.

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