Brimstone: The Art And Act Of Holy NonjudgmentSample

Family Caveat

I want to stress here that, while we have some scriptural support for judgment within the church, we have to realize that the law of love should still prevail over it and guide the depth and level of confrontation. This scripture is not, as some believe, to be a carte blanche permission slip to be brutal to each other.

From an early age, I recall some terrible examples of poor judgment in the church. In eighth grade, my friend Kristin had to stand up on stage at our church and repent in front of the entire congregation for making out with a kid at youth camp. In high school I remember the pain of having to watch my Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, and rap CDs burn at the annual New Year “purification” bonfire. Believe me, it wasn’t optional if you were to stay in good favor with the rest of the group. Post college and into adulthood, it seemed like I was in constant judgment from those inside the church over having a beer, hanging out in saloons, being late to the Bible studies, poor church attendance, and so on. Now that I’m a writer, it gets even uglier. The most personal attacks on my writing always seem to come from inside the ranks with very little attempt to understand. I wish I could say that I think these events are isolated but as I’ve shared a few of my stories, it seems that many people have had similar experiences. By simply watching Christians bash each other on Facebook, it’s quite obvious that we still feel our job is to straighten everyone out. In the end, the idea of love covering a multitude of sins takes a back seat to “expose the immoral brother.” We’re worse than TMZ! I understand the pressure to want to call out false teaching and false teacher, but there is a distinct difference between them. False teachers in the time of the New Testament were people who intentionally tried to lead people astray. Those Paul and other felt comfy calling out. But most of the people we call out in no way have a heart to tear the church apart. At worst, they are bad teachers, and lousy interpreters of scripture, history, and context—and God is more than able to weather that storm.