There have been times when...
Illustration
There have been times when I have wanted to write an article or do a television interview and apologize for the church. So much in our day has been said and done in the name of religion that distorts the gospel of grace. The religion of intolerance seems to prevail everywhere.
A woman was very upset when she called me a few days ago. It seems that her brother-in-law, a so-called "born again Christian," had written a letter to this woman's mother saying that she was not a "real" Christian and that she would be punished eternally in hell. No one can receive a letter like that without feeling devastated. This mother, who has worshiped at the Lutheran church in her little community all her life is more the picture of a saint. Her son-in-law condemns her because she attends the "wrong" church, and because she doesn't display some of the "spiritual gifts" that he does.
It seems that hardly a day goes by without hearing or experiencing an episode like this. Jesus had to deal with the scribes and the Pharisees. Paul had to deal with the "super-Christians" in Corinth. We in our own day are no different. The intolerance of supposedly religious people is frankly intolerable. More than ever we need to cling to the words of Jesus, "Beware that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name and say, 'I am he!' and 'The time is near!' Do not go after them."
A woman was very upset when she called me a few days ago. It seems that her brother-in-law, a so-called "born again Christian," had written a letter to this woman's mother saying that she was not a "real" Christian and that she would be punished eternally in hell. No one can receive a letter like that without feeling devastated. This mother, who has worshiped at the Lutheran church in her little community all her life is more the picture of a saint. Her son-in-law condemns her because she attends the "wrong" church, and because she doesn't display some of the "spiritual gifts" that he does.
It seems that hardly a day goes by without hearing or experiencing an episode like this. Jesus had to deal with the scribes and the Pharisees. Paul had to deal with the "super-Christians" in Corinth. We in our own day are no different. The intolerance of supposedly religious people is frankly intolerable. More than ever we need to cling to the words of Jesus, "Beware that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name and say, 'I am he!' and 'The time is near!' Do not go after them."
