Wednesday, June 01, 2005
Ban the Bumper Sticker!
Yeah I know I'm a free speech guy too, but I've had enough and I am asking that all Christians cease and desist from using the bumper sticker as a tool for getting the "Christian message" out. What has caused this? Well as many of you know I had a health scare some time back and as a result I am a lot better about caring for my temple these days. I was walking the streets of beautiful downtown Hamburg PA and I saw this stroke of geniuus adorning the bumper of a non descript blue sedan. It said, "Any kind of sex that can get you thrown into hell, isn't safe!" No you don't understand, this walk is supposed to be good for my heart and all of the sudden that little vein in my temple is throbbing. I can think of only one thing...Ban the Bumper Sticker.
Why, you may ask? Do I believe that all kinds of sex are okay? No I hold to the conservative view that sex is reserved for marriage. I do believe there is such a thing as sexual sin, the it is defined in the word of God and that if there isn't a special place in hell for child molesters, maybe there should be. Okay that last part may bave been out of bounds. But that bumper sticker has an agenda too. It is defining certain sexual practices as being able to send us to hell. It is not sex that sends us to hell, it is sin in general and pride in our filthy rags righteousness is a sin too. Where is the love in that statement. We were created in God's image and God is love. Rather than pronouncing judgment on thois in sexual sin (or any other sin for that matter) we should be showing people a better way, the way of love. Our heart should grieve over the things that grieve the heart of God. I can think of nothing that grieves the heart of God any more than people perishing in their sin. So instead of spending our time trying to figure out who is going to hell, let's spend our time introducing people to a risen savior.
What are people thinking when they slap a message on their cars like this? Someone will see it as they drive by and turn from their wicked ways. I suppose that this could happen but by and large they'll either shake their head, ignore the sticker or give you a finger gesture you'd probably just as soon not receive. I don't want to judge the motives of the person placing the sticker on their car, but to me this sticker does nothing but say look how good I am. We feel like we are so much better than the world. We say we are the church and they are the world as if the world is to be despised. And a lot of people do despise the world. Not me, I think hating the world is evil andd ungodly. Oops I can hear the hate mail coming now, but think about it. Why did Jesus come? To save the world! Why did God send Jesus? Because he loves the world! Who did Jesus send his church to and command them to reach? The World. I hate sin. I hate what it has done to my life and I hate what it is doing to the world, but I don't hate the world. I am called to love them and so are you.
When we point to certain practices and say that it will condemn people to hell we get into sin management. People will think if I can quit that, I'm good. That's not the answer. All sin condemns us and only Jesus can save us. We're not here to sell fire insurance. We're not here to manage sin. We are here to make disciples of Christ, followers of the sinless Christ. We don't "sell" a faith that is for some time beyond death, we are here to teach people to follow the one who came that we might have life and have it more abundantly. Eternal life starts at the moment we come to Christ. Christianity is for the here and now. How can you start down this path? For starters scrape your bumper and live your life as a message of the love of God.
Yeah I know I'm a free speech guy too, but I've had enough and I am asking that all Christians cease and desist from using the bumper sticker as a tool for getting the "Christian message" out. What has caused this? Well as many of you know I had a health scare some time back and as a result I am a lot better about caring for my temple these days. I was walking the streets of beautiful downtown Hamburg PA and I saw this stroke of geniuus adorning the bumper of a non descript blue sedan. It said, "Any kind of sex that can get you thrown into hell, isn't safe!" No you don't understand, this walk is supposed to be good for my heart and all of the sudden that little vein in my temple is throbbing. I can think of only one thing...Ban the Bumper Sticker.
Why, you may ask? Do I believe that all kinds of sex are okay? No I hold to the conservative view that sex is reserved for marriage. I do believe there is such a thing as sexual sin, the it is defined in the word of God and that if there isn't a special place in hell for child molesters, maybe there should be. Okay that last part may bave been out of bounds. But that bumper sticker has an agenda too. It is defining certain sexual practices as being able to send us to hell. It is not sex that sends us to hell, it is sin in general and pride in our filthy rags righteousness is a sin too. Where is the love in that statement. We were created in God's image and God is love. Rather than pronouncing judgment on thois in sexual sin (or any other sin for that matter) we should be showing people a better way, the way of love. Our heart should grieve over the things that grieve the heart of God. I can think of nothing that grieves the heart of God any more than people perishing in their sin. So instead of spending our time trying to figure out who is going to hell, let's spend our time introducing people to a risen savior.
What are people thinking when they slap a message on their cars like this? Someone will see it as they drive by and turn from their wicked ways. I suppose that this could happen but by and large they'll either shake their head, ignore the sticker or give you a finger gesture you'd probably just as soon not receive. I don't want to judge the motives of the person placing the sticker on their car, but to me this sticker does nothing but say look how good I am. We feel like we are so much better than the world. We say we are the church and they are the world as if the world is to be despised. And a lot of people do despise the world. Not me, I think hating the world is evil andd ungodly. Oops I can hear the hate mail coming now, but think about it. Why did Jesus come? To save the world! Why did God send Jesus? Because he loves the world! Who did Jesus send his church to and command them to reach? The World. I hate sin. I hate what it has done to my life and I hate what it is doing to the world, but I don't hate the world. I am called to love them and so are you.
When we point to certain practices and say that it will condemn people to hell we get into sin management. People will think if I can quit that, I'm good. That's not the answer. All sin condemns us and only Jesus can save us. We're not here to sell fire insurance. We're not here to manage sin. We are here to make disciples of Christ, followers of the sinless Christ. We don't "sell" a faith that is for some time beyond death, we are here to teach people to follow the one who came that we might have life and have it more abundantly. Eternal life starts at the moment we come to Christ. Christianity is for the here and now. How can you start down this path? For starters scrape your bumper and live your life as a message of the love of God.
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