Saturday, February 28, 2009

Offended

I've had people tell me proclaiming the Gospel is "hateful". Some find it rude, offensive, intrusive, unwanted.

Al Mohler tells of an interesting trend - politically correct editing of Christian messages.

Mohler is concerned with the "culture war" aspects of this story - even to the point where he agrees with arch-atheist Barry Lynn:
"The only thing worse than having these prayers in the first place is to have them vetted, because it entangles the White House in core theological matters."
"I rarely find myself in agreement with Barry Lynn, but I am with him on this issue -- at least with respect to his argument that this practice 'entangles the White House in core theological matters.'"
I am concerned more with the theological aspects. In particular, one statement by Dan Gilgoff:
"a black Baptist preacher delivered a prayer that carefully avoided mentioning Jesus, lest he offend anyone in the audience"
First, quickly, I am amused by the irony. If Jesus is a myth, or just a teacher (as atheists assert) - why the offense? No one complains about the mention of Zeus or Gandhi...

More importantly, the Scripture:
"even as it is written, Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense: And he that believes on him shall not be put to shame." Romans 9:33
Jesus is the rock of offense, the stone He spoke of in Luke 20:18 (c.f. Matthew 21:44):
"Every one that falls on that stone shall be broken to pieces; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will scatter him as dust"
We must throw ourselves on this stone, and be broken, and repent - else, He shall grind us to powder at the judgment.
"You saw until a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon its feet that were of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken in pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing-floors; and the wind carried them away, so that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth." Daniel 2:34-35

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