It’s happened again — an “emergent” professing Christian on his Facebook profile posts a note making imbalanced claims, and I start offering responses. Others then add more responses, and they seem not to get anywhere with the post-writer or others sharing his views.

They tend to say things like “Christians seek both religious and political power and prestige,” without qualifier, as if seeking religious and political power is the only problem in the professing Church. Others like me say back that the Church has many problems, resulting from worse lack of belief in the Gospel. We get ignored in favor of more trendy slams against the Church, and on and on it goes, the great circle of internet time-wasting life. It’s quite a kick.

Here’s one sample, edited only slightly.

Counting up the stereotypes in your recent comment [. . .] I think you’ve been reading too many [George] Barna surveys without critically evaluating the kinds of people surveyed or the language used to qualify real “Christians.” (However, I’m surprised you also didn’t mention “Christians’ divorce rate is the same as the world”! )

Are all these supposed greedy-power-hungry-warmongering folks true Biblical *Christians* or merely professing ones?

(Even if they are Christians, should we condemn them for surface symptoms, or seek to understand and correct the roots of these errors: wrong views of Christ and the Gospel?)

Anyway, I know plenty of Christians who are not all about Stuff. They give their lives and resources for others. Plenty of popular Christian leaders, such as John Piper, directly oppose the idea of Christianity-and-the-”American-dream.” If you truly haven’t seen them, you need to get out more.

I don’t need to remind you of Jesus’ infamous (and sobering) reminder later on in Matthew 7: 21-23 that not everyone who calls Him Lord will enter His Kingdom.

“Jesus told us not to judge”? Actually, He cautioned against hypocritical judgment.¹ Then He goes on to warn of false teachers that come in among the flock like wolves. You yourself are doing quite a lot of judgment in your comment. So am I, and judging in itself is okay, as long as we strive to judge without hypocrisy and with Christ-honoring love.

I think you already believe this. Still, I hear a lot of Christians being careless with their language. “Jesus told us not to judge” is a wrong statement that reinforces wrong views.

No, Christians are not perfect and have a lot to learn. Who would say otherwise? Yet looking to Him and the Gospel, not bemoaning problems, is the solution. Pulpit-pounders of previous generations (and some survivors today) decry the lack of moral behavior in the Church, but stop there.

Let’s not do that. Let’s point to Christ Himself and His Word, His Truth, His love for us and our resultant love for Him, our gratitude for Him saving us, as the basis for better living. That is the only way to wash the Bride’s garments cleaner: looking to its Groom and loving Him before than ever.

Naturally, this resulted in several Prayers of Salvation right there in the Facebook discussion.²

Well, maybe next time I’ll have this next quote on standby — thanks to my re-reading a little book by Randy Alcorn called The Grace and Truth Paradox. It’s the best summary I’ve seen so far by a popular yet Biblically based Christian author, about how Jesus is both grace and truth — and therefore, His people should be too.

Grace without truth is no longer grace, Alcorn writes in this little 90-page hardback. Without truth, “grace” turns into harmful, dangerous “tolerance,” a pathetic substitute.

And truth without grace ceases to be truth, he adds. “Truth” alone becomes self-righteousness.

That could summarize the entire book, which a trained reader could likely start and finish inside one afternoon. Thus a lengthy review might be half the length of the actual book! Yet I thought I’d post this brief excerpt, specifically addressing how the Christian grace/truth living affects how we perceive modern political platforms. Christians cannot claim a single party or cause without qualification, Alcorn says — something I wish “emergents” and others would remember.

Political Grace and Truth

Often, conservatives emphasize truth (morals), and liberals emphasize grace (compassion). Conservatives want to conserve what’s right; liberals want to liberate from what’s wrong.

Liberals’ commitment to fighting racism in the sixties was commendable. But sometimes liberals fight against true standards, life the beliefs that abortion, fornication, adultery, and homosexual behavior are wrong. They embrace tolerance as a grace substitute. Liberal Christians often end up being liberals first, Christians second.

Conservatives want to restore lost values. They want to go back to the days when prayer was allowed in schools. But they forget that the same schools that allowed prayer didn’t allow black children! By trying to conserve so many things—even things that were clearly wrong—conservative Christians have sometimes been conservatives first, Christians second.

Why should we have to choose between conservatism’s emphasis on truth and liberalism’s emphasis on grace? Why can’t we oppose injustice to minorities and to the unborn? Why can’t we oppose greedy ruination of the environment and anti-industry New Age environmentalism? Why can’t we affirm the biblical right to the ownership of property and emphasize God’s call to voluntarily share wealth with the needy? Why can’t we uphold God’s condemnation of sexual immorality, including homosexual practices, and reach out in love and compassion to those trapped in destructive lifestyles and dying from AIDS?

We cannot do these things if we are first and foremost either liberals or conservatives. We can do these things only if we are first and foremost follower of Christ, who is full of grace and truth.

(Continued from Christian myths, part 1: Cautions before busting.)

On Monday afternoon I came home from work, and about tore out several of my personal hairs.

It was because of my wife. Yet let me quickly say I was not being mean; my frustration wasn’t because of anything she said. It was because of a Friday Wretched Radio broadcast that she played for me.

“Let me ‘splain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up.”

A woman called in to this Christian talk-radio program, hosted by Todd Friel. She didn’t pick much on Todd, but on one of his friends, a guy named Justin Peters. This teacher/speaker has a ministry particularly geared toward pointing out the wrong teachings and heresies of “Word Faith” leaders, such as Joyce Meyer, Benny Hinn and (everyone’s favorite) Joel Osteen. A victim of mild cerebral palsy, Peters’ purpose is to show video clips of the “prosperity” preachers at churches, then carefully, Biblically explain why their teachings are anti-Biblical.

Well, this myth-busting of people who had made Such a Difference in this dear lady’s life didn’t sit well with her. She started off by condemning Peters for being so mean and for condemning other Christians … uh, yeah. Think about that last sentence from a logical-fallacy perspective. Todd brought up that little inconsistency, very graciously yet clearly.

Bing went one hair from my head.

Then she went on into general admonitions that Peters should be more “loving.”

Boink. Bing. Out went a few more hairs, along with a howl — loving, but lamenting.

Toward the last, the woman even brought up the “judge not lest ye be judged” notion. By that point she was just hurling clichés, leading by her own feelings, arguing from emotions, not a lot of Biblically informed thought. And I had pulled out at least a few more clumps of hair.

Finally she parted with a gushing blessing on Todd Friel, but without willingness to see her inconsistencies or even lack of concern for those who have been deceived by false teachers.

Even if God had worked through the false teachers to convey some truth to her, it didn’t matter that almost all of what they said otherwise was heresy. All that seemed to matter to her was her own experience. So regretfully classic. “Bless her heart.”

What would she say if she met the young man I heard interviewed, who had been “healed” by Benny Hinn yet was still partially blind?

What about a man who has worked for years to honor God and provide for his family, yet doesn’t have enough “faith” to get a ministry empire like Joel Osteen?

What if she had bought steak from a grocery and had no problems herself — would it matter much to her if almost all the other packages were putrid and gave people salmonella poisoning?

Please, before moving on to this post, pray for this woman — and for many like her! Such persons, even if they are true Christians, have adopted the belief that it’s almost always wrong (except for them) to myth-bust other Christians, even directly and in public. It will hurt people.

You have met them. Maybe you are one of them yourself — or maybe just a little.

Either way, I hope you’ll read the rest with a spirit of Christ-honoring open-mindedness. If this is the case, might you for a moment dismiss whatever experiences you’ve had with abuses of Christian myth-busting, or God using a particular teacher for you despite his un-Biblical beliefs, and consider: is myth-busting, when done right, Biblical? ¹

Starting on Saturday, I’ll list at least three reasons why it is.

Maybe you can think of a few more reasons. Or maybe you’ll think of rebuttals.² Regardless, please post your thoughts. “Discernment” can be done wrong, that’s for sure! Yet done right, with love and Biblical balance, busting Christian myths honors God and points people toward His truth and His love — and most of all, His glory.

Of all the Christian myths out there, this one is surely among the big kahunas.

One might even argue it’s the biggest — at the very top of a top-ten list of Christian myths. In fact, if we can’t see its un-Biblical basis, we may not see the un-Biblical basis of anything.

The Bible has 774,746 words. This error comes from just two, ripped screaming from context.

Ye have heard that it was said …

The Bible says: “Judge not”!

AKA: The Bible says not to judge.

AKA: Christians are so judgmental.

Figure A:

A ranting fundie street preacher¹ is hollering in a secular university’s free-speech area. He catches the attention of some, the derision of most. One girl passing by think she’ll try a little drive-by shot. “The Bible says not to judge!” she blurts, and then goes on, very satisfied with her deep knowledge of Scripture.

Figure B:

Some Christian-spirituality book author, or sermon preacher, decries the image Christians have in the world. We’re too often seen as being judgmental, the leader proclaims. We need to be more loving. We need to win people with love. The Bible says, “Judge not.”

Figure C:

Christians: Since the bible says NOT to judge, why are you always judging Pagans?²

From Yahoo Answers, mid-October 2009 ³

What’s the truth in this?

Judging someone for being guilty of a sin must be done with care for at least three reasons:

1. Those who practice the same sins for which they condemn others risk God’s judgment; He is the ultimate judge (Romans 2: 1-2). That counts for sins against Him, and sins against each other — true judgment and repayment of personal wrongs is up to God, not us (Romans 12:19).
2. Sharing truth must be done with a spirit of humility and love (even if it’s tough love). All Christians have been guilty of the same kinds of evils as everyone else. The only difference is that God has saved His people from those consequences (1 Corinthians 6: 9-11).
3. Judgment should be done more in the Church than in the world, the Apostle Paul says strongly (1 Corinthians 5: 12-13). This is done to protect the boundaries of the Church, where immorality would defame the Name of Christ and must not be tolerated. To an extent, outsiders are expected to have immoral behavior. Still, that does not mean we must never point that out.

What’s the lie in this?

1. No judging allowed never ever is nowhere near what Scripture says. The whole Scripture and hundreds of separate passages assume the idea that judging is necessary. More on this below.
2. No judging allowed never ever is rarely people’s real meaning anyway. Few in practice truly mean Never judge anyone for any belief or action. Rather, it’s a card played for personal use: Don’t judge me, at least not what I’m saying now. Logically, that backfires and utterly fails.

But we needn’t even delve into all those other passages yet. Matthew 7 itself rebuts the wrong.

What’s the Word?

Two words: “Judge not”? Try reading the other 103: Christians must evaluate their own hearts before pointing out sins in others. Going from point A to point B without taking out the plank in your own eye makes little sense (note how Jesus’ hyperbole still translates to the present day). But Jesus never says always avoid point B, removing someone else’s speck. Instead, work on yourself first. “Then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”

If somehow Jesus really had meant never to judge someone, by his actions or character, these verses would make no sense. To avoid giving holy things to mangy dogs or pearls to uncaring pigs, you must judge what/who is a dog or pig. Watching for false prophets requires judging.

Elsewhere, Christ Himself and epistle writers go into detail about how that looks.

Further in

The Bible is clear that Christians can and should make spiritual judgments for three reasons: to love their fellow believers and guard the glory of God; to prevent lies and their resulting evils from infesting the Church; and to emulate Jesus Himself, Who loved both grace and truth.

1. Right judgment is loving and guards God’s glory.

Too often no-judging critics treat Christian criticism of them as if it’s always about merely personal wrongs. But for matters of morality and Law, God sets the standard. If a Christian talks about the standard, he’s just the messenger.

If you saw someone trespassing on government property, it would be wrong and unloving for you not to warn him he will be shot by snipers or electrocuted if he goes further ⁴. Similarly, Christians who don’t act as if they do believe practicing sin will condemn a person to God’s “wrath and fury” (Romans 2: 3-5) would be hypocritical, anti-God and unloving.

For this reason, Paul in 1 Corinthians 5 judges all over the place. A man is shacking up with his stepmother and not being called on it, acting as though this is normal for a claimed Christian. Danger! Following the right process and throwing him out is necessary to protect the reputation of a local church and preserve the holiness of Christ’s Name. The idea is not just punishment — it is tough love. Maybe he will stop having his sin enabled, and come back and repent.

2. Not judging sins allows lies and hypocrisy to infest the Church.

One wonders if non-Christians who use the don’t-judge-ever canard take the time to think: if taken to its logical conclusion, actual tolerance (that is, peaceful coexistence with different beliefs) will go down. The hypocrisy in the church you claim you hate will skyrocket.

Failure to judge implies to the world Christians aren’t serious about sin — either in their own congregations, or in the sight of the Creator/Savior they claim to represent.

If you overcorrect for hypocritical standards or judging toward having no standards or judging at all, sure, you may allow for greater belief-diversity among “Christians.” But what you also allow is behavior like lies, backstabbing, verbal abuse, actual dangerous intolerance and thumbed noses at God’s real rules. What would keep a “Christian” from shacking up with his stepmother or a pastor with a secretary? Or a deacon from downloading child porn? Judge not.

Jesus judged people all the time — not just the Pharisees. He also encouraged His people to judge with righteous judgment, but only after first ensuring they are not guilty of the same sin.

Paul and other epistle writers did the same. Christians have the Spirit, the mind of Christ, which helps them make spiritual judgments (1 Corinthians 2: 12-16). At many points they refer to the bad guys by their very names, right there in public, such as in 1 Timothy 2:20 or Paul’s criticism of Peter himself in Galatians 2: 11-24.⁵ After all, public error sometimes needs a public correction. If you sweep public error under the rug and don’t deal with it openly, people won’t see justice done right — when they need to. Even worse, if someone is called down for sin or error and goes on to repent, no one will see that either.

And that gives quite the lie to false Christian teachers who, when confronted with public criticism, whine about how the critic didn’t come to them personally first before taking it public.⁶ If the offense were personal, there are Biblical ways of dealing with that (Matthew 18: 15-20). But for more-serious offenses against God and His truth, taking it public has Biblical precedent.

3. We must follow Christ Himself, Who brings both grace and truth.

Christ was full of grace and truth (John 1:14). His message was not just “Believe and follow Me,” but first “repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). If we as Christians want to avoid the truth parts (you are a sinner) and show only grace (Christ can forgive you) that grace is worthless. Who cares for forgiveness for sins he doesn’t know about? By acting this way, we fail to show all of God’s nature to people. He is not only kind and loving, He is holy and hates sin.

Says author Randy Alcorn:

Some people hate truth. Others hate grace. Jesus loves both. We can’t undercut either without undercutting Him.

So we have to make a choice. Are we going to spend our lives trying to please the grace-haters or the truth-haters? Or are we going to seek to please the only One whose judgment seat we’ll stand before: Jesus, who is full of grace and truth? ⁷

So, for the sake of God’s glory and loving others, the purity of His people’s beliefs and holiness, and to emulate the example of Christ Himself …

Make sure you’re not judging hypocritically. Daily do spiritual surgery on your own eye-planks. But don’t blind yourself to others’ specks — either by your own sin, or by some “spiritual” notion of I Mustn’t Judge. See the evil in the world for what it is and be grieved by it. God will punish sin. And sin comes from false beliefs. What would be truly unloving is never to share those truths with others, because we’re selfishly fearful of being seen as the unloving bad guys.

On the flip side, anger against sin can come from God-given repulsion to anything He also hates, but pity for people must accompany that anger. Christians have all been guilty of the same sins and all deserve His wrath. It’s only due to His grace that we have been saved from anything!