Dumb thing #2: Putting God's name on things that go against his character
I was on Facebook today, and I saw something that blew me away. There was a post from a girl who is in the process of changing genders from female to male. (Why any girl would want to be a guy is beyond me, but that's not the point...) Anyway, this "girl" put up a status update that "she" was about to go into one of her gender-change surgeries. One of her friends responded, "That's awesome! I'll be praying that your surgery goes well!" I stared at the screen for a moment, trying to understand.
My first thoughts were big-guy-behind-the-keyboard thoughts, like "What god are you praying to you idiot??" But then the Lord gave me perspective, and I quickly calmed down and saw this for what it truly is: Someone who is lost has a wrong perspective of who God is, and they need people in their life to show them truth in love. So I prayed for the guy. And the soon-to-be guy.
But it got me thinking: how often do Christians put God's name in places it doesn't belong? I'd say, roughly, all the dang time.
When pursuing a relationship that they definitely shouldn't: "I really feel like God is leading me to him!"
When supporting a lifestyle of sin: "You know, God made them that way, so I support it."
When teaching poor theology: "God just wants you to be happy and rich!"
We put his name in front of a curse word. We use his name as an excuse for poor decisions. We put his name in the "blame" column when bad things happen. The list goes on.
How about we stop trying to mold God into what we want him to be and start respecting and honoring who he actually is? How about we start supporting what he supports, loving what he loves, and hating what he hates? Instead of trying to change God, how about we just humbly serve God? Let's line things up with scripture before we start putting his name in places where it doesn't belong.
In whatever context you use Christ as your lobbying tool, imagine whether or not (based upon scriptural truth) he would come behind you and say: "My name is God, and I approve of this message." If the cumulative message of the Old and New Testaments don't support it, you made that junk up yourself.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Sunday, June 5, 2011
SCL
Dumb Thing number 1: calling this blog a rip off of the blog, Stuff Christians Like.
I bet I'm gonna have to keep referencing this one, so I'm putting it up first. I happen to be a fan of SCL, so there are no hard feelings. But seriously. I'm not ripping off that blog at all.
He, (Jon Acuff, I mean) writes about... stuff christians like! Catchy title to suggest that, I believe. I (Sweh Velilla) write about... things that Christians do that are stupid! And sure. There may be some inevitable similarities, since we're both writing about stuff that involves Christians. But a rip off? Hardly.
It would be like saying that your english teacher is ripping off your public speaking teacher because they both teach aspects of communication.
Am I annoyed? No, not yet. Just trying to head this one off before it becomes the popular dig. "Sweh's blog ripped off SCL!" Thank you for putting my blog in the same sentence as SCL, because like I said, I'm a fan, but no. I did not.
I bet I'm gonna have to keep referencing this one, so I'm putting it up first. I happen to be a fan of SCL, so there are no hard feelings. But seriously. I'm not ripping off that blog at all.
He, (Jon Acuff, I mean) writes about... stuff christians like! Catchy title to suggest that, I believe. I (Sweh Velilla) write about... things that Christians do that are stupid! And sure. There may be some inevitable similarities, since we're both writing about stuff that involves Christians. But a rip off? Hardly.
It would be like saying that your english teacher is ripping off your public speaking teacher because they both teach aspects of communication.
Am I annoyed? No, not yet. Just trying to head this one off before it becomes the popular dig. "Sweh's blog ripped off SCL!" Thank you for putting my blog in the same sentence as SCL, because like I said, I'm a fan, but no. I did not.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
1st post of probably... a million.
Hello?
Hi.
You are probably one of six, maybe seven readers of my new blog, Dumb Things Christians Do. Does Blogger automatically copyright?
If you're planning on reading any posts from here on out, I need to give a few words of advice before you go any further.
1) Most of what I say (er, write) is only half serious. So you should only take me half seriously. But which half am I serious about, and which half am I joking? Figure it out. I can't tell you people all my secrets!
2) You may get pissed off about some of the things I write on this blog, such as me using the word 'pissed.' Here's the deal: I'm not intentionally trying to piss you off. My goal is not to offend anyone. I don't wake up in the morning, stretch, then say to myself in the mirror: "Dude. Today is a perfect day to crap in someone's cornflakes." But here's the other thing: If I know that my opinion is biblically accurate, I really don't care how angry it makes you. If it's in the Bible, don't get mad at me for telling you. Get over it.
3) As much as you may sometimes believe, I'm not a racist... All the time.
4) My heartfelt opinion is that we as Christians should be able to live and function with more wisdom, discernment, and sound judgment than the average Tom, Dick and Harry. Why? Because we have the Bible and the Holy Spirit to guide us. If we're not seeing more success, we must be morons.
So there you have it folks. Enjoy the blog, leave your angry comments, and spread the word to more over-sensitive people who'll be too easily offended. Just remember: Jesus didn't always communicate the truth in a sensitive, polite, accommodating way, which offended a lot of religious people. I think I'm ok with following his example.
Hi.
You are probably one of six, maybe seven readers of my new blog, Dumb Things Christians Do. Does Blogger automatically copyright?
If you're planning on reading any posts from here on out, I need to give a few words of advice before you go any further.
1) Most of what I say (er, write) is only half serious. So you should only take me half seriously. But which half am I serious about, and which half am I joking? Figure it out. I can't tell you people all my secrets!
2) You may get pissed off about some of the things I write on this blog, such as me using the word 'pissed.' Here's the deal: I'm not intentionally trying to piss you off. My goal is not to offend anyone. I don't wake up in the morning, stretch, then say to myself in the mirror: "Dude. Today is a perfect day to crap in someone's cornflakes." But here's the other thing: If I know that my opinion is biblically accurate, I really don't care how angry it makes you. If it's in the Bible, don't get mad at me for telling you. Get over it.
3) As much as you may sometimes believe, I'm not a racist... All the time.
4) My heartfelt opinion is that we as Christians should be able to live and function with more wisdom, discernment, and sound judgment than the average Tom, Dick and Harry. Why? Because we have the Bible and the Holy Spirit to guide us. If we're not seeing more success, we must be morons.
So there you have it folks. Enjoy the blog, leave your angry comments, and spread the word to more over-sensitive people who'll be too easily offended. Just remember: Jesus didn't always communicate the truth in a sensitive, polite, accommodating way, which offended a lot of religious people. I think I'm ok with following his example.
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