Dear American Christian Church:
Walk into a Mormon Temple or Bahai House of Worship and you’ll notice something almost immediately: They are prepared for you. They know you’re coming and they’ve rehearsed their lines. They already know what you’re likely to ask and they are ready with answers.
Yeah, I know that everyone is welcome at your church. But when was the last time you were looking for them? Jesus went directly to the people, then the people started coming to him.
There is a reason homosexuals are not coming to your church. Take a look at the language you use when you talk about “outsiders” and ask yourself how you would feel if you heard someone talking that way about you.
May I suggest you build your church for non-believers and have a small class for people who are already Christians, instead of the opposite.
“Love the sinner, hate the sin” is a phrase that needs to die. It does not work in today’s world. As Christians we have hopefully found our identity in Jesus, but most of the world defines themselves by what they do. Good luck telling someone that you love them but hate their tattoos. Or you love them but hate their sexual preference or the things they say or their political stance.
Let’s try loving the sinner for the time being. Once we get that down, maybe we can consider the latter.
We are generally afraid of any contact with another religion or belief, perhaps believing it can be caught like a disease. However, we are quite prepared to argue our points and convert others.
The principle of tolerance goes like this: When you respect others, they are inclined to respect you back. Take a minute to listen to an opposing world view, and fight the reflexive urge to debate. The truth will always win.
