Tim Tebow

[imjustagirl]

There's a pretty big gap between "repent or go to hell" and trying to convert. Christianity, from what I understand, has a pretty basic concept of introducing Jesus to others. Am I wrong?

 

[Mystery Meat II]

There's a pretty big gap between "repent or go to hell" and trying to convert. Christianity, from what I understand, has a pretty basic concept of introducing Jesus to others. Am I wrong?

Basically, yes.

The idea of Christianity is this: We have sinned but can be redeemed from our errors by acknowledging that we have fallen short, turning from our transgressions and accepting that Jesus, the son of God, died on a cross to take the punishment that we would otherwise receive ourselves after we leave this life. And, after accepting this, we want other people to know about it, so we spread the Gospel (an Old English term translated to modern English as the Good News, which is why those terms get used interchangeably a lot). Plus as Christians, we're commanded to in the book of Matthews.

Why this is translated to some modern Christians as "yell a lot at unsaved people and get your rocks off by looking down at them" is anyone's guess. Why this is translated by others as "don't say anything or people will look funny at you," is also anyone's guess (and before anyone says anything, I'm thinking of myself with the latter).

TL;DR yes, Christianity involves telling people about Jesus.

 

[Sneed]

There's a pretty big gap between "repent or go to hell" and trying to convert. Christianity, from what I understand, has a pretty basic concept of introducing Jesus to others. Am I wrong?

I'd say yes and no.

No, as in: not the way it's commonly thought of today. Preachers getting on TV or wherever and telling you what to think and how to repent and why you should repent and how God loves you but only if you repent. Guys going downtown to pass out tracts and preach on intersection corners and try to convince drunk college kids that they need to get their life together. Kurt Warner yelling after winning a Super Bowl.

There is what is known as "The Great Commission," that says we--Christians--should introduce the world to Jesus.

But that brings me to my YES.

YES, as in: introducing people without speaking. By that I mean introducing people to Jesus not by telling them who he is, but showing them--with the way I act. Simply treating them with respect, with integrity, with honor. It's not the greatest movie in the world, but Madea Goes to Jail has a lot of themes throughout it that really represent true Christianity. A former prostitute passing out clean needles and wrapped condoms to the ladies of the night. Trying to get them real jobs. A man opening his home to help one of those prostitutes, who just so happens to be a former childhood friend of his.

Christ says somewhere in the Bible, "What you do to the least of these is like doing it for me." Not doing it to please him. He's saying that if we buy a poor kid a new pair of shoes, it's like buying Christ a new pair of shoes. Obviously, he doesn't need shoes. (He wears sandals.) But that's the idea: love.

On the flip side, those who make you feel like **** for doing whatever sins they point out, it's like they're telling Christ he's not worth ****. Because they're not representing what he's really about worth ****.

The problem is that tons of Christians get impassioned with their message, but have no clue how to mass distribute it. And I think that's part of the problem. Christianity can't be mass communicated. (Is that a real thing?) But I think I make my point.

It's all about the time and the place. It's fine to teach, lecture, preach even, in a class setting, such as holding weekly meetings at the local Starbucks or wherever. Invite people to that.

I'm rambling like crazy, I know, and definitely not rewriting too much like I would if this was a column or something, so I might not have said all that clearly. PM me, IJAG or anyone else. I love discussing this stuff. I'm still learning myself. I was raised Christian but definitely starting thinking outside the box, to use a cliche, for awhile, and am now rediscovering the beauty in all of it.

So yeah, I'll just leave it here....seriously though, drop me a line to talk more about it.

 

[imjustagirl]

Sneed: That all makes sense. Thank you. I do judge the more vocal of the Christians and tend to tie it over to others. At the same time, my best friends are Christians (and some are Catholics). So I see all of it. And they all love me regardless.