I'm Critical of Critcism

Not so very long ago, I listened as a man addressed a group of Christians. He was responding to the concept of whether or not the world was worse off for Christianity coming into existence. Wars have been fought in God's name, religious persecution; a fair amount of misery might be blamed at the feet of Christianity, so was it really worth it?

I of course argue no. That while people's attempts may not always go as I would like, their intentions were hopefully to further God's kingdom. In my view, it is the every day little decencies we perform that lead us to a belief in Christianity, not the wars and attacks that we're a little too quick to jump to.

Well, the leader's response was to start off with, "All due respect, but" and then went on to call this specific author he had named an imbelic, uncomprehensible, dumb, moron.

... : Uh huh...

Now, I have my opinions about people. There are actions that my friends and coworkers do that simply boggle my mind. I'm not stupid, I'm not flying off the charts, I'm what I refer to as: smart enough. I'd like to think I'm smart enough not to replicate this mistake.

Look, the specifics don't really matter. It was a respectable enough fellow addressing a group of Christians. Knowing that much alone, I would argue that most would agree that different actions probably should have been taken. Singling out one author and calling them unintelligent because they think differently? That we think things through in opposing manners? That's not being stupid, that's offering up a possiblity for debate.

Bill Maher and I think very differently. But he, in so far as I can see, is no dummy. There are people that have been President in the past few decades that I think were unwise in their policies and how they executed (sometimes, literally) those policies. But having acknowledge our differences, I wouldn't go so far as to call them evil.

In my book, God is love. Insulting someone and claiming they lack intelligence seems unloving; unkind, if you will. I like to think that we, as Christians, can be better than that.

I like discord. I don't like how it frustrates me when others won't agree, but I do appreciate that we can all see things differently. It just solidifies my beliefs in my head and sorts them out that much clearer.

...and a response

Apparently I'm in the clear. ;)

"Thank you for your questions, and for your honest and forthright manner. For us, it is not a requirement for those who attend Quest to take communion. It sounds like you have an understanding of what communion is all about, and that you choose to celebrate it in a manner authentic to your faith roots does not pose a problem for us. Obviously, we have differing points of view on some of these matters, but we can certainly still enjoy worship and fellowship together. We serve the same God, after all. :)"

So now the question becomes, do I really still want to church search? I mean, if you find a cute girl who agrees to go out with ya, do you spend the rest of your night looking for another one that you might like better? If you find a great beer at the pub, do you keep ordering different stuff, or do you stick with what ya like? (Yes. I just mentioned alcohol in a church-y blog. I'm reaching out to the common man in their vernacular! Deal with it.)

Yeah, there are two other churches on my "list". But how much do I really care about finding a new apartment to live in when the place I just checked out is welcoming in a new tenant with open arms?

But still... if I don't church surf now... then when?

"Too many questions... there's just too many questions!" -Riddler, Batman Forever