Are you willing to bet your soul on what you teach on these forums,as judgement will start from us,ie,from the pulpit
Why are we so mean to each other,yet we call ourselves Christians?
Well, I think that, maybe unintentionally, you've hit the nail on the head. "What you
teach on these forums".
Too many people come here to do just that...use it as a teaching place, when it's only supposed to be a meeting and conversation place. I don't want to preach here and I don't want someone to preach at me here. It drives me nuts when people post and you can just tell it not for a conversation, it's 'cause they're pulling out their soap box. If they really feel the calling to preach that strongly....
go to seminary and then GO PREACH! Go get a church and a congregation who will love to listen to you. But I think this place should be for conversations between Christians. "hey, what do you think about this?" ...."what have you heard about that?"....."was really inspired and uplifted by this song, how about you?"...."Am struggling with this, please help"....
And I think it's the fact that so many come here to preach that things get nasty. If you come to a place with something you need to sell, then you are going to get defensive and a little aggressive if people start putting holes in it, or making you look less authoritative then you feel you are, with all your knowledge and teaching up there in your head. It shouldn't be how a Christian should act, and so, in regards to the OP, perhaps they should be judged. All we can do, I suppose, is keep looking at our own hearts as they are reflected by scripture (wanting), and pray that God will keep us humble and open. And that none of us will fall into that trap...as it's fearfully easy to do...
I come from a different cloth than some other Christians. From where I'm coming from, you either believe the Bible or you don't. When someone points out something in scripture that even a ten year old can understand, and you still claim "it doesn't say it", then its not my or anyone else's doctrine said person has a problem with, they have a problem with the scriptures themselves. We see this continually from certain members on here, and I really can't stand it. Its a waste of time even having a simple discussion with their ilk. There is nothing more you can possibly do for them.
While I applaud your desire to stick to the truth, and nothing but the truth, I'm not sure it's so cut and dried as that. The problem being, people seem to think so differently. We see that here, do we not? What you may see as the bible clearly saying x....that person over there may, quite sincerely, see it as reading y. Do we say that it's a case of different life experiences? Different brain chemistry? Different heart yearnings (sin, perhaps, or just hopes). Is it because they were taught something else all their life and are struggling to put on different lenses? Different revelation? How can we know which, and how do we respond? That's the question, really, isn't it? When you come up against someone who disagrees with you, how do you respond? Do you shut them down like a brick wall and leave them feeling bruised and hurt and wondering why the 'truth' just body slammed them? Or do you attempt to find out why they disagree? I think perhaps Aspen is saying that with love and empathy coming into a conversation we have a better chance of discovering where people are at, how they think, where they come from, why they disagree with you, and maybe even the best way to persuade them. Because you shouldn't just want to slap down the truth in a "take it or leave it" way. Regardless of anything else or how stubborn they are, God loves them, and may be wooing them...it's not, ultimately, your call. You don't have to compromise your truth to do this, in fact, you shouldn't, but I don't believe it impossible to do both.
