"Do I contradict myself? Very well then, I contradict myself. I am large, I contain multitudes."
-Walt Whitman
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Friday, July 2, 2010
No Jew Nor Gentile
I'm currently reading The Politics of Jesus and its been on my mind a lot the last 48 hours or so. Something that really stuck out to me was that Yoder did a word study on the word, "justification" and how it was used in the New Testament. Despite the assumptions of most Protestants for centuries, the word was usually used making reference to the process of the Christian Jews and Christian Gentiles as they formed a unified, multicultural Church, and has less to do with the redemptive process within the heart of the individual.
He also noted that the Holy Spirit seemed to always be spoken of as moving in ways that helped this Jewish/Gentile relationship progress. The early Church, it turns out, really was following Jesus. They really were trying to figure out how to love their enemies, whether they be Jews traditionally against Gentiles or vice versa. Jesus instructed them to love their enemies and they took him seriously!
And so its got me thinking about the people I don't like very much. There are a lot of them. Mostly its other Christians too, actually. There's some girls at my church, for example, who I have never invited to the Place2Be or even talked to, because years and years ago they weren't very nice to my sister when we all went to the same church or Christian school, and frankly, I'm still pissed off at them for making her Church experience so miserable.
As just or as unjust as my bitterness may be, my attitude needs to stop. And not just towards those girls, but to several different Christians, whether they be individuals in my personal life from the past or present, denominations, Republicans, people I perceive as not worth my time because they are either too cool or not cool enough for me, et cetera.
I'm not sure how to make this change. I need Jesus.
Speaking of Jesus, I think He likes this.
He also noted that the Holy Spirit seemed to always be spoken of as moving in ways that helped this Jewish/Gentile relationship progress. The early Church, it turns out, really was following Jesus. They really were trying to figure out how to love their enemies, whether they be Jews traditionally against Gentiles or vice versa. Jesus instructed them to love their enemies and they took him seriously!
And so its got me thinking about the people I don't like very much. There are a lot of them. Mostly its other Christians too, actually. There's some girls at my church, for example, who I have never invited to the Place2Be or even talked to, because years and years ago they weren't very nice to my sister when we all went to the same church or Christian school, and frankly, I'm still pissed off at them for making her Church experience so miserable.
As just or as unjust as my bitterness may be, my attitude needs to stop. And not just towards those girls, but to several different Christians, whether they be individuals in my personal life from the past or present, denominations, Republicans, people I perceive as not worth my time because they are either too cool or not cool enough for me, et cetera.
I'm not sure how to make this change. I need Jesus.
Speaking of Jesus, I think He likes this.
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