I have been distressed and saddened by the actions and attitudes displayed by some as they sought to correct wrong as they perceived it. What I have seen only confirm the old adage that the road to hell is indeed paved with good intentions!
Some time back images of homosexuals engaged in various acts entered my consciousness. Although done for the best of intentions the reality was that had I had 'problems' in this area these images might just have caused me to stumble. Mind you, even if a woman is a Lesbian, am I to assume that the sight of her naked body might not still cause a heterosexual male problems too?
Again, some time back we had the case of a rather, in my humble opinion, sad and ill-advised (dare I say 'silly'?) old man who had taken to posting images of aborted foetuses to people. Understandable (but still not approved in my book) had he sent them to the people who are engaged in running abortion clinics (although they were just photos of another day at the factory and might have no real effect!). The problem was that this man was engaged in sending what the British Postal System (and me too) would consider 'pornographic' images to people at random.
I was appalled and disgusted that such an act of aggression and violence could be enacted upon 'innocent' people. Imagine your wife, child or grandparent opening an envelope and finding such material. Honouring God? Standing for what is right? Is this the way to win people for Christ? I Don't think so!
More recently the words of some homoerotic doggerel-laden scribbling were brought before me. Did I need to read them? Did they edify and uplift me or did they drag me into a place where God most definitely was not? The answer are 'No' and 'Yes' respectively!
These examples raise the question, "Do we have a right to drag people into hell to make them aware of sin?"
Remembering the words of William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, when he proclaimed that he would, "Rather see every one of his soldiers spend five minutes in hell, for they would return with a greater burden for the lost!" I wonder if this is not the misplaced intention behind the acts of some fellow believers? After all, those Booth would send to hell were already signed up as members of his 'Army'. Do we have the same right with those who are not signatories to some similar covenant?
Where does the impact of causing a weaker brother to stumble (1 Cor 8) actually hit home? Can we post and publish material which shows the depravity and falleness of mankind in such a way as to cause this to occur and remain 'Christian'? How do we employ some balance and perspective?
There is a difference between raising awareness and putting a stumbling block in the way of others (Ro 14). If I publish with an intent to inform then I must still exercise caution, for as I have said, to make my point such that I condemn another to hell surely condemns me too! If I cause a weaker brother to stumble, even though my point be made, where does this leave me other than as the source for evil - for surely nothing good has come from my act, regardless of intention.
So what is the right way? We need to act with the balance and thoughfulness that demonstrates that Christ is alive and well. We need to demonstrate that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, for as Paul teaches us in 2 Cor 10:
"The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.
You are looking only on the surface of things . . . . . "
So, when we see images, hear of poems being read, find examples of places where 'God is not!' we need to pray. I see so few calls to prayer and so many calls to action and yet without prayer all our action is but inaction and merely soulish and selfish, which I am sure is not what is intended.
When we find sad little people reading sad and pathetic scribblings do we subject others to the very words that stand opposed to life or do we stand in the word with the Word and pull down those strongholds using God's own words to us?
The LORD will not be mocked and if He truly is God then He will not be confounded either. We need to learn that it is all about looking and being like Christ rather than thumping our same old tubs. It's about edification not dragging others down into the pit.
Can we can post things, publish things and bring satan into the eyes of the (hopefully) already saved and remain right?
Can we bring satan to people who do not know Christ and expect them to recognise him?
Can we portray Christians as embittered and reaction-seeking people who have no care for the individual, only our own cause?
Do we have no care for the person who reads a poem, sees an image and stumbles as a result - is God honoured? Who is blessed? Who gets the victory?
Does being right mean so much that we will sacrifice the spiritual lives of others to achieve it? Obviously (for some) it does or else why would we be having this discussion?
Being right is not right if it is not done in the 'right way' (i.e.Biblically)! IT IS SIN and probably a worse sin that that engaged against as it causes others who were not sinning to stumble - STOP IT!
Dedecus, non rectum!
V
ps. Some will read this and see in it themselves condemned. This is neither the intention nor the reality. BUT it is a condemnation of the attitude that places some of us above challenge and question - none are above or outside the law - all have specks in our own eyes. All are sinners. Some are merely forgiven sinners.
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