Monday, September 1, 2008

Protest for Jesus?



When the Democratic National Convention came to town last week, a legion of protesters arrived simultaneously. Some were anarchists, some were anti-war or pro-Hillary, and many were people without much of a cause at all but were just looking for a good time. Typically, there were a host of Christian protesters present there as well carrying their banners offering the latest in clever catchwords of condemnation -- all in the name of Jesus.

I'll leave the final assessment on their "protest" to you, but to be honest, these people irritate me to the core. Do such protests truly represent the Kingdom of God on earth? Do these people imitate Christ and how he walked among the ungodly? In my opinion, these people do not represent Christ...and they certainly do not represent me.

I have no doubt that these people believe they are doing right...as did the Pharisees and countless other religious people who have wronged humanity in the name of Jesus. Banner-carrying, slogan-shouting, street corner condemnation, and freelance judgment simply does not fit, in my opinion, into the New Testament image of Jesus.

I don't think this is the witness he had in mind.

PHOTO CREDIT: These photos were taken by Jon Purner on his visit to us in Denver.


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