In what ways do you think Christians (perhaps you yourself) have compromised your witness so that the world has a difficult time making a sound judgment about Christ?
I agree with what has been said so far. Christians, myself included, too often fail to have to courage to say what we believe: Jesus is the only path to salvation. And so, the person we've been trying to evangelize to simply walks away, thinking that whatever belief they had before the conversation is just fine.
On the other hand, I think that many Christians, most especially the ones on TV, come off as too "black and white." I'm not sure about the "Religious-Conservative Right Wing" tendency to try to legislate Christian morality. It seems that Christians are more concerned with judging whether someone is an insider or an outsider than with preaching the GOOD news of the GRACE that God FREELY GIVES.
I wonder if Christians are known more for their compassion and mercy, or for their judgment.
When I get to talking about this, I often find myself getting too pessimistic. You know what? God is working in this world, and believe it or not, He's working through us
The problem starts in the world's misconceptions as to what exactly Christians are (but then, can anyone truly determine that). I have found that there are so many ideas as to what Christianity is(often negative - judging, perfect, snobby, exclusive), that our desires to be strong witness are immediately hindered. These preconceptions combined with many of our fears to stand up and speak out for our faith, the many mistakes we make as we are human and the general malaise of our current 21st century (no one wants to make any changes that require work) all contribute to our struggles to be lightbearers of Christ. - Steph
The problem starts in the world's misconceptions as to what exactly Christians are (but then, can anyone truly determine that). I have found that there are so many ideas as to what Christianity is(often negative - judging, perfect, snobby, exclusive), that our desires to be strong witness are immediately hindered. These preconceptions combined with many of our fears to stand up and speak out for our faith, the many mistakes we make as we are human and the general malaise of our current 21st century (no one wants to make any changes that require work) all contribute to our struggles to be lightbearers of Christ. - Steph
3 comments:
I agree with what has been said so far. Christians, myself included, too often fail to have to courage to say what we believe: Jesus is the only path to salvation. And so, the person we've been trying to evangelize to simply walks away, thinking that whatever belief they had before the conversation is just fine.
On the other hand, I think that many Christians, most especially the ones on TV, come off as too "black and white." I'm not sure about the "Religious-Conservative Right Wing" tendency to try to legislate Christian morality. It seems that Christians are more concerned with judging whether someone is an insider or an outsider than with preaching the GOOD news of the GRACE that God FREELY GIVES.
I wonder if Christians are known more for their compassion and mercy, or for their judgment.
When I get to talking about this, I often find myself getting too pessimistic. You know what? God is working in this world, and believe it or not, He's working through us
The problem starts in the world's misconceptions as to what exactly Christians are (but then, can anyone truly determine that). I have found that there are so many ideas as to what Christianity is(often negative - judging, perfect, snobby, exclusive), that our desires to be strong witness are immediately hindered. These preconceptions combined with many of our fears to stand up and speak out for our faith, the many mistakes we make as we are human and the general malaise of our current 21st century (no one wants to make any changes that require work) all contribute to our struggles to be lightbearers of Christ. - Steph
The problem starts in the world's misconceptions as to what exactly Christians are (but then, can anyone truly determine that). I have found that there are so many ideas as to what Christianity is(often negative - judging, perfect, snobby, exclusive), that our desires to be strong witness are immediately hindered. These preconceptions combined with many of our fears to stand up and speak out for our faith, the many mistakes we make as we are human and the general malaise of our current 21st century (no one wants to make any changes that require work) all contribute to our struggles to be lightbearers of Christ. - Steph
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