Christian Love

I read in a post by another blogger the statement, "The consumption of alcoholic beverages is arguably the greatest social evil of our time." I strongly disagree; I believe the lack of Christian love is the greatest social evil EVER - at least with respect to those who claim Christianity. Our "Christian" culture is rampant with arrogance, pride, and selfishness. We speak of love, and then turn and devour each other. We have lost Christ in our desire to Christianize the world. I am reminded of Paul's words in I Cor. 13; he said that even though he spoke with the tongue of angels, but had not love, he was nothing more than a clanging symbol. Isn't that what we've become - clanging symbols? Aren't we, for the most part, a pack of self-righteous zealots spouting our own brand of Christianity and denouncing those who disagree with us as heretics? Again, Paul said that there abided faith, hope, and love, but the greatest of these is love. When we look openly and honestly at the life of Christ (as observed by the Gospel writers), we see one who pours himself out to those whom the Church has pronounced as unworthy of God's love. The poor, the prostitutes, the tax collectors, the brawlers, the crude fishermen. What a travesty that the church today has lost it's first love - no, has lost love altogether. Sure, we send missionaries to poor and underdeveloped countries, but what about His body here? I love the passage in Rom. 10 where Paul says, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news." Have you ever really read that passage? Why in the world would Paul make reference to "feet" when he's talking about those who spread the gospel? Wouldn't it have made more sense to say, "How beautiful are the mouths of those who spread the Gospel"? No, and here's why: we've distorted the gospel into making it a "spoken" gospel. You know, the Roman Road stuff. But that's not the Gospel - the true Gospel is a living Gospel - one that speaks and acts in accordance with Christ's kind of love. You see, we've taken the command to make disciples and turned it into a command to "make people confess Christ." A little like the Crusaders - only we don't use swords and dungeons. We use fear of an eternal hell and fear of ostricization. We use the power of the pulpit to manipulate the masses into conformity to "doctrines of man". That's not love. Love is pouring oneself out for those around him/her. Love is becoming so selfless that your needs, desires, wants become my own. Love is releasing our expectations. Take a look at Christ again - who was it that received the bulk of Christ's antagonism? It wasn't the prostitutes, it wasn't the imbibers, it wasn't even the theives (tax collectors); it was the Pharisees. And why? Was it not because, for all their religious zealotry, that they were unable to love? Christ called them "whitewashed tombs" - very lovely and "religious" on the outside, but inside full of decay and rot. Brothers and sisters, this should not be so. How can we say that we are filled with Christ's love when the Christian divorce rate is roughly equal to that of the secular world? How can we say that we are filled with Christ's love when churches split over what kind of music is played during the worship service? Or when Deacons run the Pastor off? Or when the Pastor runs members off? When will we learn to let go of our selfish expectations of others and empty ourselves into those around us? Please don't misunderstand - love is not some warm, fuzzy feeling where we all turn into "flower-children" and run around hugging each other. Sometimes love is hard - but ALWAYS love is centered on the other person - not ourselves. Until we turn the tide of self-centered religious zealotry toward self-less love for others, the church will be nothing more than a meeting place for those who wish to seek God's approval through their religious works.
Post Tinebrae Lux