But I get to dish it out too. Ha!
This week I'm starting a new series called "Fighting Words" that should lead to plenty of heckles (and not just from the Dare 2 Share staff, but also from my online friends.) This seven week series is built around seven sentences that should start a "fight" when Christians utter them. In other words these are sentences that I believe that we as Christians should stand up against.
Of course when I talk about this "Fight Club for Christians" I'm not talking about flying fists. I'm not even talking about angry screaming, pointing and blog flogging. I'm talking about engaging in real conversation in defense of the truth with gentleness and respect. Our Fight Club doesn't end in bloody noses but paper cuts...from scouring the pages of Scripture in search of the truth.
Here are the seven sentences that, in my opinion, are fighting words:
1. "Christians shouldn't debate theology."
Did you know that it is a command of God to defend the truth of God's Word against those who dare oppose it? Check out the words of Jude, "Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints. For certain men whose condemnation was written abou long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord."
Christians need to "contend for the faith" in love, but they need to do it. If we don't then the garden of truth will be overrun with the weeds of heresy.
2. "Every religion ultimately leads to God."
There is a growing universalism in the church today that states or implies (my more tricky friends do this a lot) that if someone truly follows their religion and whoever their concept of God is that God will let them into heaven. But Jesus himself took serious exception to this when he claimed to be the sole way to the Father in John 14:6. Someone once put it this way, "All roads do lead to God, most to his judgment, one to his forgiveness."
3. "If a person lives a good life God will probably let them into heaven."
