In Dean Merrill's book, Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry Church: Finding A Better Way To Influence Our Culture, he relates a wonderful story about Abraham Lincoln's encounter at a wartime reception.
At a reception during the Civil War, President Lincoln made a passing reference
to Southerners as "erring human beings"--a much softer term than his
audience would have preferred. A woman quickly chastised him for his choice
of words. In her mind, they were enemies to be destroyed, and the sooner
the better.
"Why, Madam," replied Lincoln, "do I not destroy my enemies when I make
them my friends?"
to Southerners as "erring human beings"--a much softer term than his
audience would have preferred. A woman quickly chastised him for his choice
of words. In her mind, they were enemies to be destroyed, and the sooner
the better.
"Why, Madam," replied Lincoln, "do I not destroy my enemies when I make
them my friends?"
Isn't President Lincoln's lesson the same lesson Christ teaches His Church? A man asks Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” And Jesus teaches the parable of “The Good Samaritan”. Jews despised Samaritans, because Samaritans are half-breeds, and therefore did not hold to the whole truth of God, revealed to the Jews through Moses. If Jesus were to tell this parable today he might change it up a bit. Perhaps instead of “ The Good Samaritan” the story would be called, “The Good Homosexual”. In the modern parable the injured person could be a fundamentalist Christian, and his caretaker could be a drag queen(s), in full regalia and makeup. The story would most certainly produce the same response in Christians, that the original likely produced in the religious Jews of Jesus' day.
Just a thought...
2 comments:
Lonnie,
Very good observation—and unfortunately accurate.
James
James,
"Knowing is half the battle," I think the old saying goes. The rest of the battle is figuring out how to get knowledge to blind and deaf people who choose blindness and deafness.
I like the "Idle Musings" idea. I hope you don't mind if I adopt it for myself. Someone else's work lays a good ground work, and there is room for one's own observations.
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