accepting the unacceptable

If you, LORD, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could stand?
Psalm 130:3

"Let us not, therefore, be insensible to his kindness. For were he to reward us according to our works, we should cease to be. Therefore, having become his disciples, let us learn and live according to the principles of Christianity. For whosoever is called by any other name besides this, is not of God. Lay aside, therefore, the evil, the old, the sour leaven, and be changed into the new leaven, which is Jesus Christ. Be salted in him, lest any one among you should be corrupted, since by your savour you shall be convicted. It is absurd to profess Jesus Christ, and to Judaize. For Christianity did not merge into Judaism, but Judaism Christianity, that so every tongue which believes might be gathered together to God."
The Epistle of Ignatius to the Magnesians, first century A.D.


It is a very sad (sickening) observation to witness Christian groups so easily accept and live under God's grace but never offer that grace to anyone else. This is especially true of the way some denominations or church groups exclude other believers on the basis of stupidity, such as which Bible translation is the "only one" or what color of carpet is the only acceptable means by which flooring should be adorned (o.k., so maybe the carpet-thing is a stretch).

Then there are those groups who like to hide their hypocrisy behind more "important" sins. Perhaps homosexuality. Those who know me understand that I have an unwaivering position of homosexuality as a sin on the basis of clear biblical teaching. However, I have always stressed the necessity for churches to be places where those who struggle with this sin may be welcomed and guided - right alongside the rest of us vulgar, despicable sinners.

I once had a discussion (argument) with a local pastor who was standing on a street corner with signs condemning practicing homosexuals to hell on the basis of various prooftexted Bible passages. All I had to do was ask why he chose to do this for him and his group to accuse me of being evil for "defending them." Tact was not in his vocabulary. The point at which I almost blew chunks was when he said: ". . .if one of them f*****s would come up to me and showed some repentance, well I would kneel right there and pray with him."

(I considered a momentary conversion to Islam so that I could punch him. . .)

Although to some (twisted) folks this may sound like an admirable act of love and acceptance, it made me sick to think of how vulgar he treated his fellow humans. As Psalm 103 reminds, if transgressions were being counted. . .none of us could stand. How quickly we forget. There seems to be an insatiable drive to accept grace and then keep it for ourselves. God isn't fooled by this either.

Churches are afraid to touch these topics. There is either the tendency to accept without moral standard or the tendency to inflate moral standard to the loss of the ability to accept. Christ came to embrace. . .then to change. We have a real need in this world to do the same.