I don’t normally respond to social media post. But the following was posted in the Anglican Communion group on Facebook. It epitomizes the danger we’re in.
“Jesus didn’t eat with tax collectors and sinners because he wanted to appear inclusive, tolerant, and accepted [sic]. He ate with them to call them to repentance.”
Wrong, Jesus ate with them because he loved them. He didn’t “appear” inclusive, tolerant, and accepting, he WAS inclusive, tolerant, and accepting. He died for us and accepted us, now we have to die to self and accept him. The problem is on our side, not Christ’s. Repentance is about us accepting Christ, not Christ accepting us.
Eating with someone is fellowshipping with them. It is accepting them as they are. The Pharisees wouldn’t eat with the tax collectors and sinners, because they were not inclusive, tolerant, and accepting. The Pharisees wanted them to first become religious, then they would be included and accepted.
He First Love Us
“And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself” (John 12:32). Jesus draws people unto himself, he doesn’t drive them. Sheep are lead, cattle are driven. And Jesus is the Good Shepherd.
In fact, it’s hard to understand how anybody can read about the Lord being our Shepherd and the prodigal son and still think God is not inclusive, tolerant, and accepting.
He’s accepting to all those that will return to him. All you have to do is picture the prodigal son, the father ran to him with stretched arms. That’s the picture the New Testament paints of God, the Father.
Good Samaritan
Or think about the parable of the some Good Samaritan. Here we have somebody that’s moved with empathy to help somebody that they don’t know. He stops and helps that person, without a thought of reward or thoughts of whether or not that person is worthy of being helped.
But now Christianity had been so corrupted by Christian Nationalism, that these “Christians” will only help those that look like them – white American Evangelicals. Anybody else can just die.
They are basically saying, “We don’t care. We just want to make the United States a Christian Nation. But not just any kind of Christian Nation. We specifically want a Christian Nation that enforces one particular viewpoint, ours. In other words, we wanted to establish a church, and eliminate religious freedom for anybody else.”
This is the spirit of antichrist and is anti-democracy. It is also un-American, unloving, and downright evil. It is a false gospel that wants to demonize love, mercy, and compassion.
Cold Hearted Christians
“And because of the increase of lawlessness, the love of many will grow cold” (Matt. 24:12).
Of course, if you know your Bible, you know that “love is the fulfilling of the law” (Rom. 13:10; cf Gal. 5:14). Which means that lawlessness is nreaking the law of love. So unloving behavior will increase resulting in “the love of many” growing “cold.”
There are a few Christians more cold-hearted than Christian Nationalists. They are not after the gospel, they’re after power. But not power for everybody. No, just power for themselves. That’s why they’re against inclusion, tolerance, and acceptance.
