It is easy enough for unbelievers to toss Jesus’ works back on us–“Judge not, lest ye be judged,” they often say.
And, in all honesty, that’s fine. If I’m to judge the world around me according to the values and lessons I find in God’s word, I should hope that I am judged according to the same standard, though I realize I am oft found wanting.
That being said, Jesus’ words continued past verse 1 of Matthew 7, and in context the passage decries hypocritical judgment. For example, do not judge a person unspiritual based upon their appearance when you yourself are inwardly a ravenous wolf.
But in true form of not understanding biblical teachings, the world has once again hypocritically judged. The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled unconstitutional a t-shirt bearing an anti-homosexuality message warn by a student because it could affect the educational experience of homosexual students. The court found it–get this–discriminatory.
I am in no way condoning that shirt. There are much better ways to share the love of Christ with our fellow man–homosexuals certainly included.
However, is it not hypocritical to find one person’s expression of religious beliefs–which we have supposed freedom of–discriminatory because someone might by offended when someone also might be offended by the homosexual lifestyle?
Hey, I’m offended by war, but have the courts ousted the president on charges of murder and hate and discrimination against “evildoers”?
But I digress… In America we either have freedom of expression, or we do not. And I say from experience that there is plenty of hate literature directed towards Christians, probably quite a bit more than whatever “hate literature” finds its way out of the church. And it must be said that anti-Christian hate literature is not generalized into being from all unbelievers. So please stop characterizing the entire church as hateful when it is a minority who fails to see the freedom and peace of the love of God expressed in their lives.
It seems only a matter of time before the wearing of shirts which proclaim Jesus Christ to be the only way to Heaven is deemed discriminatory, and with it a great roadblock will be set before the church as general witnessing will be outlawed soon thereafter.
At that point, maybe the church in America will find out just what it’s like to be the persecuted church, to partake of the afflictions suffered by our faithful brethren abroad. And maybe then the church in America will realize that it really is blessed in persecution and didn’t know what it was missing while it sat in the lap of luxury–as it does now.
The church will then be refined as the tares leave the wheat, preferring the world to putting up with the afflictions of Christ.