A Rant...

I don't know exactly where I'm going with this post, so bear with me. It is, after all, a rant. I've been extremely upset by something I see happening within the Christian community lately, and I need to get some thoughts out before they drive me crazy.

Let me begin by saying that as a Christian, I have not forgotten the first and greatest commandment Jesus gave us in Matthew 22:36-40: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." Knowing, understanding, and living by these verses is hugely important, and something I try (very imperfectly) to do each and every day.

My specific problem is this: I think Christians have misinterpreted and misrepresented the second half of that verse. In an effort to love their neighbors (good), I see a lot of Christians ignoring the TRUTH (bad), in favor of melding in with the accepted cultural norm (also bad). The USA has undergone some major shifts within the last 50 years, the greatest being that our media and celebrity culture are almost entirely responsible for influencing the way we think. There is an overwhelming call from our larger community to live by one rule alone: TOLERANCE. The modern-day interpretation of love.

I think this 21st century concept is one of Satan's most brilliant lies. Instead of allowing for a distinction between RIGHT vs. WRONG and GOOD vs. EVIL, we are taught to accept and "love" everything and everyone. Tolerance, BY ITS DEFINITION, calls us to uphold, accept, and protect where there is NO truth, NO trust, and NO faith.

This way of thinking is SO dangerous, and is one of the biggest problems facing the Church today. We have forgotten that part of LOVING those around us means that we will take a stand AGAINST evil when and where we see it. For example: the overwhelming support for Polanski and his "artistic contributions" is just plain wrong. The man drugged and raped a minor. That is evil, and he should face the proper punishment under the law. The tendency (among Christians specifically) to advocate socialism? Also wrong. It is simply not a Christian concept. We are ALL sinners, and are totally bent on moving away from God. A political theory that bases its success in the inherent GOODNESS of man, therefore, is not only WRONG, it's prideful. Remember the 2 Kingdom concept: Kingdom of God vs. the Kingdom of Man. We need to keep the distinction between the two.

Now, what I'm NOT saying here is that we should ignore helping those in need, stop working with people in opposition to our faith, or forget our calling to be servants to our fellow man. No. What I AM saying is that Christians CANNOT uphold our culture's definition of love and tolerance in PLACE of the Gospel. There is real evil in the world, and we need to take a stand against it. Now.