Monday, April 27, 2015
Love Requires Truth
To stifle truth in the name of love is actually quite selfish. Bruce Frohnen, law professor at Ohio Northern University, observed that, “‘Niceness’ is a rather shallow set of habits and attitudes more concerned with comfort than engagement, ease than excellence, contentment than striving to do one’s best…. Unfortunately, when truth comes to be seen as subjective, toleration becomes the chief virtue, and it comes to mean simply ignoring one’s fellows, in essence not caring what others do.” To hide from truth to be perceived as “nice” does no one any favors.
Chelsen Vicari, “Distortion: How the New Christian Left is Twisting the Gospel & Damaging the Faith, p.172
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4 comments:
I had a friend who use to say the 11th Commandment was "be nice." Which would be the only commandment most people would know today if it were true. Niceness seems to do more damage in the church than so many other attacks on the truth.
Sorry about this...I would have to say lying, slandering and tail bearing is quite common amongst "church goers." And now, for the sake of technology, if a church member is filled with hatred, anger and rage against their neighbor, Facebook is more than accommodating to spread this wickedness amongst those with whom the "lord over and entitlement" personality intends to bully.
It would be "nice" to sit in a Lutheran church and experience "niceness, love, peace, and contentment for a change" instead of being on the receiving end of jealous remarks, looks of anger and disgust, and the spirit of competitiveness that seeks glory for oneself, instead of loving our and thy neighbor, and exhibiting the fruits of God, the Holy Spirit.
So in effect, now that Jesus has left the building, we have to engage in yoga to reach that state of peace and contentment through poses and meditation.
It would be a blessing to have "nice" neighbors that truly love the LORD.
Anonymous,
I’m not sure I understand the point of your comment since it really isn’t in regards to the context of the quote.
The point of the quote is that rather than worrying about hurting people’s feelings we need to tell them the truth anyway. For example, telling homosexuals that they are living a lifestyle medically, physically, emotionally, and spiritually dangerous may offend them, but if we really love them we will tell them the truth.
The point of the citation is that too many are more concerned with being “nice” than being loving. It has become a forbidden thing to offend someone.
Your comment is about a whole different type of lying, which is meant to be damaging—which also results from a lack of love. Yes, every church has liars like that, just like every church has people who practice every other sort of sin. And it is more and more rampant in the church because of poor teaching from the pulpit, poor discipleship, and lack of church discipline.
But that has nothing to do with the quote. :)
Sorry Glen, you are absolutely right.
I sat under an a pastor who wasn't so "nice" for years. His pet doctrines were homosexuality and abortion; I guess those two doctrines are what they call "the full council of god" in these charismatic types of churches....and yet the sexual sins of the pastor went unnoticed for years until he was "caught" by the daughter of a mother this "pastor" was counseling. The proof was in the text messages.
It would be refreshing to actually see what repentance looks like within the institutional church system, and yet I have not seen this in all of my years in the 501c. 3.
Glory to God in the highest, I have seen it, experienced it, and practice this within the context of the church who has been called out of the 501c. 3. Jesus said the Way is narrow.
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