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The War on Sin



There was a time when the church was the community meeting place, the  elementary school and center of social activities. A politician without a church affiliation would most likely lose an election. I don't believe that the church has ever been perfect, but it was respected and it's influence was broad.

Without making this an incredibly long post about the myriad of causes, let me start with this statement. Christianity seems to be losing it's influence in society. Atheism is at an all time high. The separation of church and state has been used to pull any reference of God out of our government, schools and public places. Opinions of moral values are quickly branded as intolerance.

In an effort to “stem the tide”, conservative Christians have engaged in this culture war. Picketing abortion clinics, taking a stand against homosexual marriage, and rallying for morality legislations, conservatives have drawn lines in the sand on several fronts. They are losing their battle. In fact their opposition is pushing back so hard that we may soon see legislation that goes against the church.

So what do we do? Do we give up on what we value? Before you label me as some left wing hippy new age Christian, let me be clear. I have very conservative values. I believe that there is a better choice than abortion, I believe that homosexuality is not God's best for someone's life. But I also believe that pride is sinful and I struggle with my sins just like everyone else on this planet. I can't pull on someone's splinter when I'm blinded by the tree in my face.

I propose that we stop the war. Who came up with this “fight for what's right” rhetoric anyway. When Peter was ready to fight for the life of Jesus, he was told that if you live by the sword, you would die by the sword. The philosophy of Christ is upside down to ours. He says that if you love your life, you will lose it. If you want to be first, you must be last. If we are attacked, we are to turn the other cheek (Not bowing, but loving enough to not strike back).

So why are we trying to so hard to win? What are we going to win if we do? Maybe we should focus on winning people and not arguments.

We should revisit Galatians 5:22-23. How about laying down our weapons and try love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Even if the most evil person comes to power in the U.S. and enacts legislation that goes totally against the church (like every day in many countries), the last phrase of that scripture says, “there is no law against these things.”


This is what wins people. This is what the world craves.

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