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Lady Gaga Snerd


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Onward Christian Pansies
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Last week, a young Christian male asked me a pretty direct question. He wanted to know whether I ever worried that my blunt commentary on social media was “turning people away from Christianity.” I thought it was an honest question. So I gave him an honest answer. I told him that I believe the problem is just the opposite of what he considers it to be. In other words, it isn’t occasional blunt commentary that turns people away from Christianity. It is the constant displays of Christian cowardice that make people both reticent to join and quick to attack us.

 

During the year 2000, when I was in the process of my conversion, there was only one prominent pastor I would even listen to on television. His name is Greg Laurie. He was bold without being rude. He was physical fit, casually but sharply dressed, and, to top it all off, he rode a motorcycle. And he could deliver the Gospel in a way that made even gang bangers weep and respond to an altar call in front of thousands at his Harvest Crusades in Anaheim Stadium.

 

In the fall of 2000, after I actually converted and joined a church I started to notice something unusual about my pastor. He was a lifelong Republican leading a liberal denomination. But the only time he ever talked about politics or social issues was when he quoted people like Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson. The blanket statement that always followed those quotes was that he wasn’t “that kind of Republican.” In fact, he was so afraid of his mostly-liberal congregation that he never told them what he actually believed. He only told them that he did not believe what all the other “mean Republicans” like Falwell and Robertson believed. It got old pretty fast. So I left his church and found another.

 

 

CARTOONS | GARY VARVEL

VIEW CARTOON 

I wish I could say my next pastor was different. But he was not. He was privately appalled by the concept of same-sex marriage. But every time he broached the subject you could see him shaking from the pulpit. His voice would tremble as he tried to express his views in coded phrases. Unfortunately, the congregation was too obtuse to know what he was saying. When push came to shove, he failed to take a firm stand on Amendment One, which was North Carolina’s traditional marriage amendment. Clearly, he cowered out of fear of offending the droves of Obama supporters that helped pay his massive mortgage. I could no longer stomach his cowardice. So I left his church in frustration.

 

A personally anti-abortion pastor led another church I attended briefly. The problem was that his personal anti-abortion stance remained private and did not make its way into his sermons. In fact, he would not allow any discussion of the topic in his church for fear that someone in the congregation might have had an abortion. So he tossed any chance of redemption out the window for the post-abortive congregant. To make matters worse, he adamantly opposed pro-lifers showing pictures of aborted children in the public square. In other words, he was “pro life” so long as no one ever talked about it inside or outside the church. To make matters even worse, two of the members of his congregation later castigated pro-lifers for showing pictures of abortion on the UNC-Wilmington campus (where I teach). There is an obvious lesson here: If the pastor is a coward, it will always spread through the congregation.

 

 

It has taken several tries but I am happy that I have finally found a pastor and a church that is solidly pro-life and pro-family and not afraid to say it. I’m just sad that in the last sixteen years, I have learned that at least three quarters of the pastors who actually know what is right still lack the intestinal fortitude to take a stand for what they believe.

 

Many Christians are fed up with the capitulation of the church and respond in a way that is different from my chosen response. Rather than continuing to try and find a courageous pastor, they simply stop going to church. So this raises an interesting question: If Christians actually stop going to church because they are tired of pastors refusing to take a stand is it possible that some people never seriously consider Christianity in the first place for the same reasons?

 

 

I think I got the answer to that question nearly five years ago when I received an email from a troubled reader. Some of my regular readers may remember the story as I have written about it before. The man had lost his home and job and family and was about to commit suicide. Before he did, someone forwarded one of my columns to him. The column was one of those typical “blunt commentaries” where I was tearing into a corrupt administrator who was intentionally violating the rights of college students. The suicidal reader was captivated by the tone and content of the article and decided to start reading other columns from my archive.

 

 

After reading several hundred of my “blunt commentaries” he came across one talking about the New Testament and how to approach reading it. So he sat down and read the New Testament. Instead of killing himself, he converted to Christianity.

 

I had the pleasure of meeting this fine young man two years ago when I was speaking in Ohio. He is now very happy and living a productive life working in the conservative movement. I’ll never forget his explanation for previously refusing to consider Christianity. It is a paraphrase but he basically told me the following: “For a long time I would never consider converting because I thought you had to be weak and passive in order to be a Christian.”

 

Let that sink in for a minute. The next time you self-censor you may be hurting Christianity, not helping it. We need brave young warriors not spineless “evangelists” who are more concerned about being liked than influencing the culture.

 

In a nutshell, Jesus was not Mr. Rogers. He had little tolerance for the smug moral superiority of those who grasp the truth but lack the faith and courage necessary to defend it.

 

http://townhall.com/columnists/mikeadams/2016/07/08/onward-christian-pansies-n2189346



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apple


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ahh... if you look hard enough you will find someone who supports your rude behavior eh?

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Lawyerlady


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apple wrote:

ahh... if you look hard enough you will find someone who supports your rude behavior eh?

 What's your excuse?



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Lady Gaga Snerd


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Apparently atheists need no excuses! LOL!

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Lady Gaga Snerd


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Oh, so giving your opinion and telling it like you see it is now 'rude". I guess you must have graduated from "hater" to "ruder". Maybe you can create a new slur.

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apple


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Its a fact.
If you look hard enough you will always find someone to support your behavior, be it rude, nasty or whatever.

I don't think I am wrong here, you seem to have done just that. :)


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Lady Gaga Snerd


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I am neither rude or nasty. Those are just slurs that you toss at people when someone says something that doesn't fit your world view.

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Lady Gaga Snerd


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BTW, you seem to jump on any new thread i post quite quickly. If I am so offensive to you, then why do you follow me around?

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flan327


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Lawyerlady wrote:
apple wrote:

ahh... if you look hard enough you will find someone who supports your rude behavior eh?

 What's your excuse?

 Obviously, the same as many posters here.

flan



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apple


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Lady Gaga Snerd wrote:

I am neither rude or nasty. Those are just slurs that you toss at people when someone says something that doesn't fit your world view.

 Yes, you are probably the sweetest person I have ever come across on these boards.

 



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flan327


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How many followers did Christ win by calling them "pansies?"

flan

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Lady Gaga Snerd


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apple wrote:
Lady Gaga Snerd wrote:

I am neither rude or nasty. Those are just slurs that you toss at people when someone says something that doesn't fit your world view.

 Yes, you are probably the sweetest person I have ever come across on these boards.

 

 You can like me or not like me.  Makes no difference to me.



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Lady Gaga Snerd


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flan327 wrote:

How many followers did Christ win by calling them "pansies?"

flan

 Well hmmm, he called some of them "whitewashed tombs, full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean".  So, yeah, pansies would actually be much more mild.  Try again.



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flan327


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Lady Gaga Snerd wrote:
flan327 wrote:

How many followers did Christ win by calling them "pansies?"

flan

 Well hmmm, he called some of them "whitewashed tombs, full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean".  So, yeah, pansies would actually be much more mild.  Try again.

 Did they follow him because of that?

flan



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Lady Gaga Snerd


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Wow are you really that obtuse flan? Christ doesn't want phony followers. He spoke the harsh truth. If they didn't follow that was their choice.

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apple


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Lady Gaga Snerd wrote:
apple wrote:
Lady Gaga Snerd wrote:

I am neither rude or nasty. Those are just slurs that you toss at people when someone says something that doesn't fit your world view.

 Yes, you are probably the sweetest person I have ever come across on these boards.

 

 You can like me or not like me.  Makes no difference to me.

 Seriously? you've known me long enough to know that I don't hold grudges.



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Lady Gaga Snerd


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Really? You sound pretty grudgy today!

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Lady Gaga Snerd wrote:

Really? You sound pretty grudgy today!

 biggrin You made up a word, 2 points for you.

On a serious note, it is great to have conviction but you have to (in my opinion) temper it with kindness and understanding.

YELLING your POV at someone does little to forward your ideals.

I'm flashing back to my days in the Baptist church....



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flan327


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apple wrote:
Lady Gaga Snerd wrote:

Really? You sound pretty grudgy today!

 biggrin You made up a word, 2 points for you.

On a serious note, it is great to have conviction but you have to (in my opinion) temper it with kindness and understanding.

YELLING your POV at someone does little to forward your ideals.

I'm flashing back to my days in the Baptist church....

 Pretty obvious to me.

flan



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flan327


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Lady Gaga Snerd wrote:

Wow are you really that obtuse flan? Christ doesn't want phony followers. He spoke the harsh truth. If they didn't follow that was their choice.

 Did I infer that he did?!

flan



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Lady Gaga Snerd


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apple wrote:
Lady Gaga Snerd wrote:

Really? You sound pretty grudgy today!

 biggrin You made up a word, 2 points for you.

On a serious note, it is great to have conviction but you have to (in my opinion) temper it with kindness and understanding.

YELLING your POV at someone does little to forward your ideals.

I'm flashing back to my days in the Baptist church....

 Who is yelling?  Or is that something you infer now along with the hater thing?   It's what you do.   There is no "yelling" other than what you are imagining in your offended mind.  I can't help you.



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apple


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Lady Gaga Snerd wrote:
apple wrote:
Lady Gaga Snerd wrote:

Really? You sound pretty grudgy today!

 biggrin You made up a word, 2 points for you.

On a serious note, it is great to have conviction but you have to (in my opinion) temper it with kindness and understanding.

YELLING your POV at someone does little to forward your ideals.

I'm flashing back to my days in the Baptist church....

 Who is yelling?  Or is that something you infer now along with the hater thing?   It's what you do.   There is no "yelling" other than what you are imagining in your offended mind.  I can't help you.

 Its a metaphor ..

Here maybe you will understand this.

 

1 – Kindness benefits the giver as well as the receiver

The final words of the preview of the video are from a friend of Leigh Anne’s: “You’re changing that boy’s life,”  to which she replied: “No, he’s changing mine.”  Those who care for others, whether through adoption, illness, disability, etc, often say that they gain immensly from the experience of giving to others.

This truth is taught in the Bible also:

“Those who are kind benefit themselves, but the cruel bring ruin on themselves.” (Proverbs 11:17, NIV)

It reflects what Jesus similarly taught:

“It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35, NIV)

2 – God’s chilren are called to be kind – in the power of the Holy Spirit

Click image for Sunday's service sheetThe second reason that we should be kind, is because that is what God’s children are called to be.  Being a Christian is not just about being forgiven our sins, but it is about being renewed into the fullness of what humanity ought to be.  This includes being kind to others.

“What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8, ESV)

“Love is patient, love is kind….” (1 Corinthians 13:4, NIV)

Christians are called to be kind to others, because God is kind.  As Jesus said:

““Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked.” (Luke 6:35, NLT)

In fact, being unkind is actually a rejection of God:

““He who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty.” (Job 6:14, ESV)

Christians are called to be tender-hearted and forgiving:

“See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.” (1 Thessalonians 5:15, ESV)

“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32, ESV)

While kindness is natural, to some extent, we cannot be what we are called to be unless we are relying on the strength of the Holy Spirit.  Kindness does not come naturally to us, at least not in the amount that we ought to have.  Abundant kindness in the Christian is the outworking of God’s Spirit within.  The fruit or result of the Spirit working to change a person is:

“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness…” (Galatians 5:22, NIV84)

3 – Because of God’s kindness in Christ Jesus

Yet, the main reason for the Christian to be kind to others is as a reflection of the kindness they have received from God.  God is kind in all that he does (Psalm 145:17), and has been kind to everyone in many ways (Acts 14:17).

But the most significant way that we can know God’s kindness is through the forgiveness and blessing that comes from faith in Jesus as our Lord and Saviour.  All God’s kindness is to point us towards faith in Jesus:

“Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?” (Romans 2:4, NLT)

“But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared,” (Titus 3:4, ESV)

The fullness of God’s kindness towards believers will be known when we go to meet him:

“so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:7, ESV)

“But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.” (Luke 6:35, ESV)



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Lady Gaga Snerd


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Oh, ok. I didn't realize that you defined "kindness and caring" for everyone else. Funny thing is , i know lots of liberals who put a bumper sticker on their car to show they really, really, really care and are all syrupy sweet. But, they aren't the ones who show up when the real work needs done. Soooo, yeah. You have no idea what i do or don't do, so I think you can stop the nonsense. Or, maybe i will have to yell! LOL!

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Lady Gaga Snerd wrote:

Oh, ok. I didn't realize that you defined "kindness and caring" for everyone else. Funny thing is , i know lots of liberals who put a bumper sticker on their car to show they really, really, really care and are all syrupy sweet. But, they aren't the ones who show up when the real work needs done. Soooo, yeah. You have no idea what i do or don't do, so I think you can stop the nonsense. Or, maybe i will have to yell! LOL!

 I don't think you can really define those types of people by their religion or political affiliation.... ya I know a lot of them, all talk.

 



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There's a lot of truth the the saying about catching more bees with honey than with vinegar (or whatever it is).

There's no need to be rude or disrespectful when sharing Christian views with others.

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Pastor Frank Bumpus yelled. Every Sunday. Every sermon was about something you were going to hell for. He would get bright red in the face and then start spitting he was so mad.

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flan327


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WYSIWYG wrote:

There's a lot of truth the the saying about catching more bees with honey than with vinegar (or whatever it is).

There's no need to be rude or disrespectful when sharing Christian views with others.

 Is this REALLY so hard to comprehend?

flan



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Lady Gaga Snerd


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In some of your minds, it is 'rude and disrespectful" to tell the honest truth about sin. It isn't "rude and disrespectful" for a Pastor to say that abortion is wrong . It is "rude and disrespectful" to the Gospel of Christ for a Pastor to just pat people on the heads and leave them in their sin. That is what is rude and disrespectful.

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Lawyerlady


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Gaga is right. Saying "homosexuality is a sin" is not rude. People just like to scream "rude" to shut people up.

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Lady Gaga Snerd


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I am not sure what they see as "rude and disrespectful" about the article ? Honestly discussing what the Bible says is rude and disrespectful to them i guess.

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flan327


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From the OP:

"In a nutshell, Jesus was not Mr. Rogers."

That depends on who he was dealing with AT THE TIME.

flan

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