July 11
10 MORE clichés Christians should avoid
By Christian PiattPage:
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After writing up my first list of “10 Clichés Christians Should Never Use,” some folks wrote me with other suggestions. After simmering on it for a while, I came up with a second list of 10 to supplement the first.
And as there was some confusions from a handful of fellow Christians about the intent of the articles. These are not intended to tell you to believe or not believe a certain set of things. Christians have a public relations problem, that much is self-evident. So inasmuch as I can respond to that, I want to offer these as advice on how to change the way we approach people about our faith.
On to the next 10 clichés for Christians to avoid:
1) Love the sinner, hate the sin. This is a backhanded way to tell someone you love them, at best. It also ignores the command by Jesus not to focus on the splinter in our neighbors’ eyes while a plank remains in our own. Bottom line: We all screw up, and naming others’ sin as noteworthy while remaining silent about your own is arrogant.
2) The Bible clearly says… Two points on this one. First, unless you’re a biblical scholar who knows the historical and cultural contexts of the Scriptures and can read them in their original languages, the Bible isn’t “clear” about much. Yes, we can pick and choose verses that say one thing or another, but by whom was it originally said, and to whom? Cherry-picking Scripture to make a point is called proof-texting, and it’s a theological no-no. Second, the Bible can be used to make nearly any point we care to (anyone want to justify slavery?), so let’s not use it as a billy club against each other.
3) God needed another angel in heaven, so He called him/her home. Another well-meaning but insensitive thing to say. This assumes a lot about what the person you’re speaking to believes, and it also ignores the grief they’re going through. The person who died is, well, dead. Focus on the needs of the living right in front of you.
4) Are you saved? I’ve addressed the theological understandings of hell and judgment in other pieces, but regardless of whether you believe in hell, this is a very unattractive thing to say. First, it implies a power/privilege imbalance (i.e., “I’m saved, but I’m guessing you’re not based on some assumptions I’m making about you”), and it also leaps over the hurdle of personal investment and relationship, straight into the deep waters of personal faith. If you take the time to learn someone’s story, you’ll likely learn plenty about what they think and believe in the process. And who knows? You might actually learn something too, rather than just telling others what they should believe.
5) The Lord never gives someone more than they can handle. What about people with mental illness? What about people in war-torn countries who are tortured to death? And this also implies that, if really horrible things are happening to you, God “gave” it to you. Is this a test? Am I being punished? Is God just arbitrarily cruel? Just don’t say it.
6) America was founded as a Christian nation. Honestly, I find it hard to believe we are still having this conversation, but here we are. Anyone with a cursory understanding of history understands that we were founded on the principle of religious liberty — not just the liberty to be a Christian — and that many of the founding fathers explicitly were not Christian. Thomas Jefferson, anyone?
7) The Bible says it; I believe it; that settles it. If ever there was a top-shelf conversation killer this is it. You’re not inviting any opinion, response, thought or the like. You’re simply making a claim and telling others to shut up. Also, I’ve yet to meet someone who takes EVERY WORD of the Bible literally. Everyone qualifies something in it, like the parts about keeping kosher, wearing blended fibers, stoning adulterers, tossing your virgin daughters into the hands of an angry mob … You get the point.
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Comments
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Wild applause for both this and the previous post.
We should always seek to understand and appreciate each other -- not preach and judge.
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I must say I agree with very few of these points. Yes Christians do have a public relations problem but that doesn't mean that what we believe is incorrect. The concern I have with modern day Christians, including this author (if he is a Christ-ian?) is that the loving, saving, forgiving, sacrificial person/deity of Jesus Christ has been totally thrown out, and a focus on our human desire seems to overshadow what Christ has given to us through His finished work on the cross. The author also seems to ignore the fact that Satan is still master of this world (He who is in you is stronger than he who is in the world). Satan makes the seas rage, he makes the earth roar. The evil man does is not from God. 'Take away free will!!' and the world will be better, right! and how would we witness to others about a loving sacrificial God who controls our every aspect of our life. Think about it. Yes a first impression describing Christ's blood washing you clean is a little shocking, but that is not a reason for us to stop 'discipling all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father, son and holy spirit. To be a Christian Christ must be Lord of your heart, your centre being. You are the temple of God, where the Holy Spirit resides. What he did for you on the cross is the only reason we have any right to come before God with boldness and the promises of heaven the bible mentions, in the old testament and new. We have become a society of mixture (new wine in old wine skins). Jesus was all about grace and love, not works. He had the biggest problems with the pharisees, white washed tombs. The 'Gospel' means literally (in greek) 'unbelievably too-good to be true news'. The gospel is offensive to unbelievers and even overly religios people because they feel they can fill their lives up with knowledge and 'truth' of man, and the over-the-head truth of Christ is so backwards to them they are offended almost immediately. Christ says that we will have trouble, we will be rejected because the world has already rejected Christ. You grace bases Christians out there go whole heartedly out and share the love of Christ, your Lord, to those in your social circle. Following the promptings of the Holy Spirit and blessing people with your words and deeds, not cursing (as some Christians love doing - '...and man will live by the fruit of their tongue..."), claiming Christ's finished worked on the cross over all you know. That we all may know the depth, length, width, height, etc...of the love of Christ.
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Satan is the father of lies, including religious teachings steeped in tradition that aren't even scriptural. John 3:16 is so common people don't even understand the power of it anymore. God SO loved the world that He GAVE is one and only Son, whosoever may BELIEVE in Him will have everlasting life! JESUS LOVES ME THIS I KNOW! I AM THE DISCIPLE THAT JESUS LOVES! All we have to do is accept Christ as our Saviour and we will know where we are going when we die. The love of Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit will prompt us to shy away from carnal, lustful, worldly desires. Only when we know how much power we have as children of a loving God, given to us through Jesus' finished work on the cross (finished means there is nothing we can do, say or preach to make it work more efficient, faster, and more effective our lives and those around us) will we truly reach out to the lost and broken hearted, show them the face of Christ and experience the true, all encompassing transformations. Praise the Lord!!! DO NOT FEAR FOR I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD!!!
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