Christ is love and judgment. Nowhere are we given both roles. We are only to love God and our neighbors.
Who said anything about judgment?
I am saying what the Bible says. We are to "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."
You either believe the Bible or not. It seems you feel you have improved upon the Bible's way of dealing with false and dangerous doctrines.
But you've got to choose either your own personal preference or the Bible.
You've got to choose.
Surely, Luke, you aren't so naive as to be unaware that people's ideas are often their identity. You seem to express that here, but then miss your own point. They cannot separate the two. So when you "attack" ideas, you are "attacking" them.
Yes, for ignorant people that is true. Ignorant people cannot separate the two. That's why most people are offended when you attack an idea they hold. They are too ignorant to be able to NOT take it personally.
But see, you could be a liberal and me a conservative. I could think you are a fine person, a good father, a faithful Christian, a good husband, a productive member of society, etc... and still think your politics are terrible. I can attack liberalism without attacking you personally. Now, if you are stupid, you may TAKE it personally. But I cannot help that. It is still my duty to do my little part of moving the world from where it is to where I think it needs to be.
I cannot help it if insecure and ignorant people take it personally. If they give me a chance, I'll try to prove to them that it is not personal. I'll serve them, bless then, help them any way I can. But I'm not going to quit doing my duty just because they are stupid.
See, you are attacking my idea here. My idea is that you ought to confront ideas that are contrary to the knowledge of Christ. But I am not taking it personally.
We need to teach the world to be that way.
There is a reason that words used to describe war are often used to describe such efforts. They are all-out assaults on deeply held principles and concepts, and people cannot separate themselves from the intangibles that make up their worldview and philosophy of life. To do so would be to admit what for every single one of us is unthinkable: That we have made mistakes in choosing our belief system.
I've done it plenty. We all need to do it from time to time. And you and I are supposed to challenge people to do it.
I want you to show me a passage in the Bible that specifically -- or even generally -- tells us to "attack" ideas that are held by fellow Christians. You cannot successfully deny that Charismatics and Pentecostals are our brothers and sisters. Heck, I'd take an indirect reference. But you won't find one. We are to love one another, not attack them.
I share one above. The word is demolish. Now, I've shown you that. Do you yield?
Are you willing to accept the Bible or will you stubbornly hold to those ideas you prefer?
Luke, my brother, you have taken the wrong attitude. It is more than "unfortunate," it is the way God made people, and when we alienate them, we destroy any ability we may have at bringing correction to them.
Luke, Luke, Luke ...
That's why we try to be warm as long as they will let us. But when they stubbornly set their heels- we have to do what we have to do to "demolish" their dangerous ideas.
