aspen2 said:
It seems like whenever sin is discussed - homosexuality, for example - sinners are portrayed as manical, coniveing rebels who conciously flip off God every second they purposely fail to repent? Is this really accurate?
-- Funny you should mention that....
This January started yet another new semester at our colleges here in town.
As usual, they had a welcoming center set up with booths from several different local businesses, organizations, and churches.
I was manning a booth from my church as usual and our banner simply gives the name of our church and the year it was established here in my town.
We were handing out keychains with our church name and phone number.
We had pamphlets with an invitation to visit our church, our church name, address, phone number, service times and a representation of the cross.
NOTHING ELSE
No mission statement
No list of individual ministries within the church
Nothing...at...all...about...homosexuality, either positive nor negative.
Yet within 10 minutes of setting up the booth - like clockwork - we have very loud, very vocal, very abusive homosexuals and homosexual advocates come over to our booth and begin loudly questioning who we thought we were, and swearing at us for judging them.
"Who the $%&#@ do you think you are?"
"What the *%^*)+ gives you the right to judge me?"
"I am a @%^&#$% fag and proud of it so you can go &$%&@# yourself!"
Some come and bump my chest. A number have flipped over the table. Twice they have torn our banner down.
Thankfully they now have security at this event.
Neither I myself or my church has marched in any anti-gay rallies, participated in any anti-gay campus events, or distributed any documents or fliers with an anti-gay message.
What the security person said makes us easy pickings at these events is we never "fight back." We never get in their face, yell back, or stand up to bullying.
Our one fault appears to be that we handle confrontation and the anger of sinners the way Christ did.
Aspen, in all the time you have been here there are two things you simply seem incapable of understanding.
1. It is wrong to overgeneralize and paint an entire group - in this case Christians - with a sin that only a portion may commit.
2. When you share Jesus with people, How much He loves them, what He did for them, and how they can have eternity with Him,
it is when you mention what He expects of them that Christians are called judgmental, etc.
But this is where your
"seems to me that we are called to name sin, but not demonize the people who are commiting the sin" statement shows your lack of experience in actually witnessing to people.
When you tell people God loves them, died for them, wants them to spend eternity with Him in heaven, they want to know what they have to do to have that.
You then sharing with them that they have to turn away from sin is normally the point where the non-believer is then claiming they are being "demonized."
Even when you point out the specific sins you yourself were caught up in that you had to turn away from, it doesn't matter. With THEM it is different.
They see the answer to their question as judgment on them. And thus you - by answering their question AFTER telling them Jesus loves them - are called judgmental, accusatory, etc. etc. etc. Ad infinitum, Ad nauseum.
You have apparently bought into their way of thinking. Your own words play right into it:
"the only sinners who are haughty and arrogant are those pointing out sin in others"
At least according to your words, organizations like "Act Up!" are recognied as the 'haughty and arrogant" ones you speak of.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACT_UP