All Things Made New.

I can sincerely respect you as a person, and hate everything that you believe. I can honor you as a child of God and see nothing but Christ in you, and still despise your doctrines.

When will we get this through our heads? What we believe is not who we are. What we believe may determine our experience, and it will certainly determine how we behave, but what we believe does not determine who we are. Who we are has already been settled totally regardless of the beliefs we choose to hold onto. We are children of God. We are reconciled to God because of Jesus. We are accepted and cherished before the Lord. Yet, there are millions of people who believe they are the opposite. Does that change the fact that they are made in the image of God? Of course not! Look at it this way. Say a child molester believes that assaulting children is what will fulfill him? Should I respect that belief? ABSOLUTELY NOT. Because it hurts people, including the person believing it.

I’ll give you an example: John Piper. I can look at videos of that man, and see nothing but goodness. It is so obvious that he loves God with his whole being. He is genuinely an amazing, God-fearing man. But what he believes and teaches others…I despise. He teaches people that everything that happens is God’s will (including disasters, rape, murder, sin, disease, death). Now, how could I love God and not HATE that everything His Son died for is being attributed to His own will for mankind? How could I love God and not HATE that His heart is being made out to be malicious and inflictive of pain? I hate what John Piper teaches people. And every time I hear someone I know and love say they listen to him, I grimace and probably look a little pissed off. But, that does not change how I view John Piper as a man and as a child of God. What he does, I hate. But who he is…is beautiful and whole and holy and wonderful, just like God made him to be.

How could I love the Church and not hate what binds her in chains? Even if it is Her own doing?

I can love and respect you, and hate what you believe, all the while being your friend and never acting vindictive or mean to you. Because who you are is separate from what you believe. I choose to see Jesus in people regardless of the garbage they choose to believe that they’ve been spoon fed in dead churches. BECAUSE I love you, I hate what you believe. It really is just that simple.