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Shane Claiborne has a message for all nonbelievers—Christians are the biggest bunch of hypocrites, and I’m not like them.
To all my nonbelieving, sort-of-believing, and used-to-be-believing friends: I feel like I should begin with a confession. I am sorry that so often the biggest obstacle to God has been Christians. Christians who have had so much to say with our mouths and so little to show with our lives. I am sorry that so often we have forgotten the Christ of our Christianity.
Forgive us. Forgive us for the embarrassing things we have done in the name of God. [What if Jesus Meant All That Stuff? – Esquire]
Every time that I have heard of a televangelist or a person in authority making a slip-up, I’m sad for the cause of Christ. But that’s never caused me to spend an entire article to an audience that is already against God disparaging the people of God.
Are some of his criticisms warranted? I’m sure that the stereotypical Christian to many non-believers is something like what Mr. Claiborne says that he’s ashamed of, but I would venture a guess that this is because they rarely know one personally.
Statistics show that Christians give more to charity, are those that pray more for others, and are actually concerned about others. They get involved when others do not.
What is the hardest attack he makes is when he positions himself as the only true follower of Christ while other Christians are not, and then draws the picture of Jesus lecturing the religious leaders. It’s true, Jesus did that to a group of people that were preaching a false religion that was leading people to believe that if they just did their sacrifices and observed the law they would get to Heaven.
Does he really want to liken all of Christianity to the Pharisees?
What Mr. Claiborne does, instead of holding a high standard and causing Christ to become attractive, is to paint all of His followers exactly like the non-believers do—agreeing with them—and calling himself more reasonable.
And that’s supposed to win people over?
We Christians are an interesting lot – yes? Non Christians are absolutely right about us and they’re absolutely wrong at the same time. We’re the same as they are and completely different than they are. We’re hypocrites and people of integrity. We’re Saints and sinners, wretched and forgiven. God bless us every one. And may God bless you through this blog. See you there!
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I didn’t get that at all from his letter. I read it a few weeks ago and felt as though he shared so humbly what many of us believe.
I’m sad you seem to have missed his intention.
Hi Kristen… The question is, what you think about other believers. Certainly there is a lot of good in what he said, but the fact that he feels that he needs to apologize for all Christians to unbelievers says what he thinks of his fellow Christians.
And I don’t read anywhere in Scripture that Jesus commanded people to go around apologizing for the group. We’re ambassadors for Christ, and although we still have sin, and there are people that name the name of Christ that do things that we might not approve of, Paul still gloried that the name of Christ as being spread.
We are to be more concerned with building up the body of Christ than we are to be worried about unbelievers– especially the militant ones that would hold these views.
There is hope that there would be those reading this who have “seen” organized ‘religion’ for what it is, and not what it pretends to be, and have realized, not just read that “the natural man does not receive the things that are of The Spirit of G-D, for they are foolishness unto him and neither can he know them, for they needs be Spiritually discerned”…….
With such a hope i submit the following, which i believe i received from “Our Father”.
“Pure And Undefiled Religion”
“Pure religion and undefiled before G-D The Father is this, to visit the fatherless (those children who know not their Father, HE WHO is The Only True G-D, Father{Creator} of ALL) and widows(those who have not been joined together as One with The Messiah) in their affliction and to keep oneself uncontaminated by the world.”(James1:27)
Simply, all other religion is impure and defiled…….
And notice that “pure and undefiled” religion is “oneself(individual)”, a Brother or Sister doing The Will of Our Father, led of The Holy, Set Apart, Spirit…….
Simply, corporate “religion” is pagan and of this wicked world…….
And “Brothers and Sisters” is not “religion”, for what are Brothers and Sisters if not Family?
Would not The Family of The Only True G-D, Father(Creator) of ALL, “The Body of The Messiah”, be much closer than a natural, fleshly family?
And so it is that most of those who have chosen to follow The Messiah on The Narrow Way have had to “forsake their natural father, mother, brothers, sisters” and all others who will not follow The Messiah because they “love this wicked world and their own life in and of it”…….
The Brethren of The Messiah have “forsaken all for The Kingdom of Heaven’s sake”…….
Father Help! and HE does…….
What is declared to be “religion” today is truly the ‘d’evil’s playground…….
Simply, Faith will not create a system of religion…….
Hope is there would be those who take heed unto The Call of The Only True G-D to “Come Out of her, MY people”!
For they will “Come Out” of this wicked world(babylon) and it’s systems of religion, and enter into “the glorious Liberty of The Children of The Only True G-D”.
And so it is that they will no longer be of those who are destroying the earth(land, air, water, vegetation, creatures) and perverting that which is Spirit(Light, Truth, Life, Love, Peace, Hope, Faith, Mercy, Grace, Miracles, etc.)…….
Peace, in spite of the dis-ease(no-peace) that is of this world and it’s systems of religion, for “the WHOLE(not just a portion) world is under the control of the evil one” (1John5:19) indeed and Truth…….
Truth is forever, lies never existed and never will……. francis