Saturday, August 26, 2006
Why Merciful and Just Christians? In our present world we hear the shrill and judgmental voices of so called conservative Christians pedaling Hellfire like it is the heart of the Gospel. Pick out a behavior they don't like and watch the entire body of scripture be twisted to drop sulfuric brimstone on their sinner du jour. Point out to them that they somehow manage to excuse their own behaviors even when scripture finds it objectionable and suddenly they know about interpretation.
Mercy is at the heart of the Gospel, not judgment. In fact scripture is quite clear on denying us the franchise to exercise judgment at all, and certainly not on God's behalf. Justice is at the heart of it too and again it is not about judgment but understood as bringing people into right relationship (tsdaq) with God.
Merciful and Just Christians are those who have decided to focus upon and explore how we might better live into those dimensions of the Divine call to us and leave the judging to God.
Mercy is at the heart of the Gospel, not judgment. In fact scripture is quite clear on denying us the franchise to exercise judgment at all, and certainly not on God's behalf. Justice is at the heart of it too and again it is not about judgment but understood as bringing people into right relationship (tsdaq) with God.
Merciful and Just Christians are those who have decided to focus upon and explore how we might better live into those dimensions of the Divine call to us and leave the judging to God.
# posted by Mike R. @ 2:59 PM 
