Tuesday, March 09, 2010

Who do you love?

I think we Christians have a case of "bizzaro-world." We've got everything backwards. Jesus said the 'greatest' commandment was to love God and love others; and that we will be "known by our love." Yet it seems we are known more for who we dislike... what we're opposed to... who we disagree with. And I'm not even talking about enemies of the church, but those OF the faith.

We could probably trace this back to the first century and people arguing over which apostle they followed; or the schism dividing Roman Catholics from Eastern Orthodox; or the Protestant Reformation; or the fundamentalists and modernists; right on up to the growing hatred of evangelicals (or liberals); suspicion of the emerging church; and disdain for the church as a whole, even.

And things seem to be getting more and more personal now. Rather than groups, we're hating on individuals. Whether it's Robertson, Macarther, McLaren, Jones, Driscoll, Warren, or the schmuck down the street. It seems we no longer disagree with what someone says (or writes), but instead we disagree with the someone!

I'm sure I am just as guilty as the next person, but I have always tried to learn whatever I could from any book I've read, or sermon I've heard, or person I've listened to. Even with those I may disagree with on a lot of issues, I think there is usually something I can learn from just about anyone.

There just seem to be more and more blogs or Facebook posts I read that are only about who people dislike. They never write about what they like, or who they like... and the negative energy is getting to be a bit much for me. I don't really care who you hate; what I want to know is... who do you love? After all, if you say you're a Christian, I think we are supposed to love somebody (if not everybody). I'm not even sure some would say they love Jesus if they heard one of his sermons on Youtube or read his book!

Even the song... I love The Raconteurs version just as much as George Thorogood's; and George's just as much as the Doors; and the Doors just as much as Bo Diddley's; and...

I don't know... I would like the church to be known more for their love, not their hate. But maybe that's asking too much. Sigh...
1 John 4:11-12
Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

3 comments:

Jim L said...

I plead guilty as charged.

I am going to try and fix that.

Tom said...

Jim, I love you man. And you too Dan.

dan said...

Yeah, yeah, yeah...

Jim, I was pretty much just talking about you. Not. :)

I actually wrote this not long after McLaren's last book came out. Seemed there were a bunch of reviews - many from people who had not even read the book. Of course, I think a lot of the negativity towards McLaren comes from his own criticism of others (in a nice way, of course). So I wasn't necessarily pointing a finger at anyone in particular. Even this post makes me guilty of what I am speaking against. But, you know, where does it stop?

Seems I keep hearing 1 Corinthians 13 every day when I enter the blogosphere... So much gonging and clanging (and then there's that nasty drip phrase in Proverbs).