They called her a heretic and a false Christian. Comment after comment purported to know her motives and her relationship with God (or lack thereof). They accused her of having an agenda (as if approaching something with a plan is evil) and of creating a god for herself, simply because they disagreed with her.
When did people become such experts on the inner workings of others? And when did Christians conclude that calling a person’s state before God into question in a public forum is ok?
On the one hand, you could argue that if you make public statements about your faith, and your doubts, you should accept that people will misunderstand those statements, come to a wildly divergent conclusions about you and your ultimate destination in the next life, publicize those conclusions, and wield your statements against you.
Maybe that’s true. But should it be true of Christians?
Jesus said “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” In other words, what goes around comes around.
Jesus taught us to love our enemies, do good to them, and not to retaliate. Accusing someone of heresy and writing them off is a form of revenge, of seeking justice in our own time and our own way. And when we dismiss someone, we demonstrate the belief that some are beyond God’s reach and that God’s mercy and grace aren’t available for them.
Have we forgotten that the Bible teaches that we cannot know what is in another person’s heart? That our hearts are deceptive and who can know them? If it’s tough enough to assess our own hearts and our own standing before God, how do we think we can assess someone else’s?
It’s one thing to disagree with someone and to lay out a thoughtful explanation of why. This is healthy and productive, and dare I say, essential. It could very well be that I’m wrong about something. In fact, I’m sure I’ll find out I got quite a bit wrong. Same goes for you. God will show us in His own time and His own way.
When we condemn someone to hell for their different take on something, we put ourselves on God’s throne as Judge and elevate our little opinions to the level of The One And Only Standard Of Right. We show that God isn’t God enough for us.
I’m pretty sure God is not amused. Not only are we trying to take over His job as God as if we can do it better than He, but we hurt people in the process – people God loves.
Let’s keep our disagreements and discussions to the matters at hand, shall we? We can leave the assessment and correction of someone’s eternal state to God. He’s got this.
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reminds me of something i’ve read several times in my utmost for his highest:
“Christianity is not consistency to conscience or to convictions;
Christianity is being true to Jesus Christ.”
only when we let that truth fully penetrate our self-driven hearts can we rest in the freedom & joy of the reality that God is God, & I am clearly not.
tanya@truthinweakness recently posted..because pride cometh before the fender bender
Joy, this seems to be a very heart-felt blog, and is tragically one I can’t connect with right now at that level due to drama in my own life, and for that, I’m sorry. But, please, from a more “academic” point of view, allow me to express how I feel and think concerning this issue.
I do feel that many times people use the label “heretic” too loosely. They use it to define someone they disagree with, rather than someone who believes contrary to the core tenets of the faith.
Someone who believes that speaking in tongues doesn’t exist anymore isn’t a heretic, despite the fact that I believe I can show Biblical warrant that it does, or at least can. They have a different understanding of Scripture, and history, than I do, and that’s all. (and please don’t start a debate about this topic here…)
However, someone who says that Jesus wasn’t fully God and fully man, or that He became that only at the transfiguration most definitely is a heretic, and I feel no Biblical mandate to withhold that label from them because they are denying what Scripture clearly teaches. (And I would say that there are other areas where this is clear cut, no room for disagreement.)
Now, one could say they’re just lost and don’t know and need grace and teaching. This is possible. We also see Paul vehemently attacking the Judaizers and Gnostics for CLAIMING to preach the gospel but not preaching the true gospel. Paul, in effect, called them heretics.
Again, I do think that people use this term WAY TOO MUCH for all the WRONG reasons. But I don’t think a blanket statement of “never call someone a heretic” is fair either, when even Jesus called the Pharisees “sons of Satan.”
But the message of “You’re a heretic” should always be coupled with a message of “Repent to Jesus and believe and teach the gospel.” Without that, we are offering judgment with no hope, which isn’t what Jesus did. He condemned us for our sin, yes, but then gave us grace.
Don Sartain recently posted..Taking Steps
Don and Joy, I appreciate both sides of this. I have seen people (and pastors) willing to fling the heretic label at someone, but not because of false doctrine, just disagreement with practice. But I also have seen those who are truly heretic by their public proclamations, and don’t have a problem so stating… if I am in the position to make that assessment.
Joy, I think part of our problem in this labeling is that we appoint ourselves as judges over others, when we have no position to do so. This is one of the unfortunate side effects of the internet. “I can safely attack people and judge them” from the anonymity position, where there is no face-to-face encounters nor is there any accountability.
I think from the position of brokenness, we have the starting point. I know as a broken person, how what is public is far different than what’s going on inside me. Thus, I am more careful in my assessment of other people. I remember whan I was smiling, but hurting desperately inside. If I made a caustic statement, it came from the unresolved issues in my own life. Now, I begin to understand that some who are quick to judge may in fact be suffering under their own judgment, perhaps unknowingly. “Wounded people wound people.”
God’s grace for each blogger as we strive to lead lives pleasing to the Lord.
Rich recently posted..Advent: Prepare by Repenting
I have a phrase that I use for situations when I’m dealing with someone who advocates something other than Christian orthodoxy: redemptive discernment. It’s my job to warn that person about his/her potential problems in a humble and loving way. However, I don’t think I can go as far as telling that person “you are destined for hell for sure.” There’s a difference between warning and making a pronouncement. Either way, gentle correction is no picnic, but there needs to be a loving and redemptive way that encourages right-living or right-thinking. Having said all of that, I’m with you on this post. We should be very careful about drawing lines.
ed cyzewski recently posted..Divided We Unite: The Seasons of Belief
Wow, I feel like I missed something here. Maybe because I haven’t been visiting regularly? At any rate, here are my INITIAL thoughts (I haven’t read anything twice yet) on all that I read (Post and Comments included).
1) Does anyone really know what it means to “speak the truth in love?”
2) Simply knowing right from wrong (and speaking up for it) can make a person seem to be judgmental (especially to those who ARE wrong or don’t know what’s right).
3) Unfortunately for ALL of us, we are each hell-bound for SURE. It’s much harder to be certain that anyone (but yourself) is heaven-bound. How can anyone know for sure that their “desperately wicked heart” isn’t deceiving them?
4) God will Judge us all on how we lived.
I always remember the Scripture
“Who are you to judge another man’s servant? By his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand for the Lord is able to make him stand,”
and that corrects any judgmental impulse I might have.
Lady Jennie recently posted..It’s a Small World
Love that, “He’s got this.”
A quote from a friend of mine also comes to mind, “The end of this story .. is God wins.”
Keep up the great content!
Brian
Brian Reilly recently posted..Staring Down the Lion