Oh Boy!!!`

WARNING: Strong Personal Convictions and utterances ahead!!!

Tonight (after our high school gathering) my wife and I watched an installment of the GOD'S WARRIORS on CNN. It is a conversation look at Judaism, Islam & Christianity and it's effects on politics. Tonight we viewed the Christian one. Through the whole thing the biggest push was for the religious right. I was highly offended and hurt at times.

One of the biggest hurdles that the church has to come across is the arrogant & prideful statements of "WE ARE RIGHT, YOU ARE WRONG" from "Christian role models" in the religious right. The religious right stance is if we get enough people, with enough voice we can FORCE people to live & believe like we do. Funny i never saw Jesus do that?

I give serious credit to CNN for an extensive and deep look at different aspects and leaders in the Christian community and their involvement in the public and private sector of government and the community. But what really irked me was in majority of these peoples language (GREG BOYD excluded) there was not talk about serving, unconditional love, sacrificial empathy for our neighbor. What was talked about was how the "CHRISTIAN community needs to shout louder so the world can hear us!"

It almost made me want to vomit in my own mouth!

Then comes on Ron Luce. Now i do believe Ron and TEEN MANIA ministries has served some good in many students lives. But to deliberately create a "warrior" mindset in the lives of teens, to "stomp out" the evil culture around them, and "deliberately attack back" the issues that offend them to me sounds like you are creating an US vs. THEM mentality. So what you are really doing is opposite of what Jesus did?!?

In our ministry as we have successfully helped students see what is God's standard and pursue that with your entire heart while loving those around, even when they are not living the way God desires, we have seen God move in amazing ways.

I see Jesus example of loving, serving and being very strong in who God is & what he says but creating an atmosphere to talk openly, love openly and respect each other. I really had a hard time watching an intentionally rally on San Fransisco's streets to YELL back & forth to people that problem would be willing to converse and share life if they new you did not have an agenda.

I respect the work the the late Jerry Falwell did with Liberty University, but for him to have the face of "CHRISTIAN AMERICA" really does not settle well with me. For Pat Robertson to be the "voice of the moral community" does not give me encouragement.

My only hope is that as followers of Christ we would be able to allow Christ in us to shine out to our communities as a whole and serve them. And while serving them challenge and love them in their understanding of who God is before we care what politic stance they take.

That we would care more about the condition of their heart than their stance on creation or evolution. We would share life with them and value their being than care what their vote was on abortion.

Again i really respect CNN for the work and look forward to the other episodes. I am glad for the GREG BOYD (see his blog here) interview to shed some light on how other Christian leaders think.

If anything i know i can use some of what i saw for a good laugh and know that God can work through even the most agenda based individuals.

I know that my entire view point was not fleshed out here [so please don't rush to a judgement] but i had to through out a bone to start with. I may return to comment on this, i may not. But would encourage you to go to CNN download the episodes and watch for yourself.