Comments on: How Bible-Study Ruined My Sermon http://nakedpastor.com/archives/544 david hayward is an artist trapped inside an pastor's body Fri, 05 Dec 2008 08:22:14 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.4 by: Heidi http://nakedpastor.com/archives/544#comment-3271 Tue, 30 Jan 2007 20:12:56 +0000 http://nakedpastor.com/archives/544#comment-3271 I guess discussions like this always bring to my mind the echo of my brother's lament in Bible college....."they don't teach about God's love enough". Discernment of good and evil without the foundation of deep love risks judgement and condemnation, and not to mention self-righteousness. I just can't see long suffering becoming something that will destroy a community. Long suffering (fruit of the Spirit) = destruction...that's an oxymoron. Love covers a multitude of sins. I guess I believe that love in how it is defined in 1 Cor. 13 is powerful enough to be a catalyst for exposing our hearts and bringing about change. I guess discussions like this always bring to my mind the echo of my brother’s lament in Bible college…..”they don’t teach about God’s love enough”.

Discernment of good and evil without the foundation of deep love risks judgement and condemnation, and not to mention self-righteousness. I just can’t see long suffering becoming something that will destroy a community. Long suffering (fruit of the Spirit) = destruction…that’s an oxymoron.

Love covers a multitude of sins. I guess I believe that love in how it is defined in 1 Cor. 13 is powerful enough to be a catalyst for exposing our hearts and bringing about change.

]]> by: ttm http://nakedpastor.com/archives/544#comment-3269 Tue, 30 Jan 2007 19:26:45 +0000 http://nakedpastor.com/archives/544#comment-3269 I think the back and forth comments here have helped me to answer my own questions. I believe that if longsuffering becomes the mantra of a community at the expense of discernment of good and evil, the community will destroy itself from the inside out. Of course, people should be slow to anger and quick to forgive. But they should also be slow to sin and quick to repent. Even God destroys evildoers. And we don't always have to wait thousands of years for Him to do it. Some examples are given in the following link: http://72.14.209.104/search?q=cache:02wH0oRRUMMJ:www.biblicaltheism.com/0609GodIsLongsuffering.pdf+%22longsuffering%22+AND+%22christians%22&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=1 I guess in my opinion, a God/church without longsuffering is ruthless and a God/church without discernment of, and judgment for, unrepentence is pointless. I think the back and forth comments here have helped me to answer my own questions.

I believe that if longsuffering becomes the mantra of a community at the expense of discernment of good and evil, the community will destroy itself from the inside out. Of course, people should be slow to anger and quick to forgive. But they should also be slow to sin and quick to repent. Even God destroys evildoers. And we don’t always have to wait thousands of years for Him to do it.

Some examples are given in the following link:

http://72.14.209.104/search?q=cache:02wH0oRRUMMJ:www.biblicaltheism.com/0609GodIsLongsuffering.pdf+%22longsuffering%22+AND+%22christians%22&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=1

I guess in my opinion, a God/church without longsuffering is ruthless and a God/church without discernment of, and judgment for, unrepentence is pointless.

]]> by: Heidi http://nakedpastor.com/archives/544#comment-3266 Tue, 30 Jan 2007 18:23:26 +0000 http://nakedpastor.com/archives/544#comment-3266 Or a man who suffered torturous beatings and nailed to a cross and died for political reasons even though he was completely innocent? Or a man who suffered torturous beatings and nailed to a cross and died for political reasons even though he was completely innocent?

]]> by: ttm http://nakedpastor.com/archives/544#comment-3260 Tue, 30 Jan 2007 15:56:03 +0000 http://nakedpastor.com/archives/544#comment-3260 That's a very good point. How would you respond to a woman who was sexually abused for most of her childhood by an unrepentant father? Or a man whose gay son's murderers have duped the court and have been declared innocent? Or a woman whose sex addict husband continues to seek out anyone or thing that will bring him pleasure? Do these situations demand that they as victims and we as "support systems" be longsuffering--slow to anger and willing to go the long haul--for thousands of years? That’s a very good point. How would you respond to a woman who was sexually abused for most of her childhood by an unrepentant father? Or a man whose gay son’s murderers have duped the court and have been declared innocent? Or a woman whose sex addict husband continues to seek out anyone or thing that will bring him pleasure? Do these situations demand that they as victims and we as “support systems” be longsuffering–slow to anger and willing to go the long haul–for thousands of years?

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