Blogotional

I am currently reading a book called A Jealous God: Science's Crusade Against Religion. In it, Pamela Winnick traces the formation and development of certain scientific ideas that have transformed our society. For example, she traces how the idea of eugenics (a concept much maligned in a post WWII world) nonetheless brought us to a world where abortion is commonplace.

Ideas matter. Thoughts matter. Merely entertaining an idea or thought leaves a trace in your thinking somehow that pops up later in the most unusual of ways. Like the proverbial putting a quarter in a vending machine makes a gentleman "anxious".

This I think is what Paul is driving at in Romans

Rom 12:2 - And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Our mind is renewed, in part, by removing those traces, by cleansing us from the stray and scattered bits of thought that can arise from seemingly nowhere and become ugly, sinful, even deadly.

I have shared before that I grew up surrounded by racism and racist attitudes. It is amazing to me how often "the n-word" comes flying up into my mind and how hard I have to work to supress it.

Yesterday I flippantly answered this question from Purgatorio.

My questions to you are, should we speculate as to an individual?s final state, much less comment about it? Is it biblical to do so?

I do not think we should enter into such speculation for it becomes one of those thought seeds. It is too easy to dismiss a person as damned when I should be seeking to save them. I don't want the temptation to fail to reach out to anyone.

This doesn't mean we cease to make judgements. We have to decide who is in our church and who is not, for example - but such a judgement is a far cry from deciding their eternal fate. More importantly, to decide someone is on the outside is necessary simply to invite them in. But to condemn them not only says they are on the outside, but it also says they and not worthy of invitation to the inside.

As to the biblical basis for such judgement

1 Cor 5:11-13 - But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he should be an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler-- not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church} But those who are outside, God judges. Remove the wicked man from among yourselves.

This passage makes clear, I think, that we are not called to judge about eternal destination, but only whether someone is in the church or out of it. More importantly, even when judging those in the fold, we judge them not on the basis of theology, or polity, or other such matters, but on the basis of behavior, and only behavior.

This creates an interesting dilemma for those that wish to pass judgement on Roman Catholics for example. If they do not think the Roman Catholic Church is a true church, they seem to have no option but to leave them to God's holy judgement. To judge them at all, they must first admit they are indeed Christians. But once that admission is made, they cannot judge them on anything save behavior, something that can only be considered on an individual basis. Thus condemnation of the entire body of Catholics becomes simply impossible.

But in the end, why bother? What is gained by such judgement,more importantly by pronouncing them? This only serve to build walls, to isolate, to drive apart.

Marines are fond of saying "Kill 'em all, let God sort 'em out." Not a bad senitiment for a soldier. But for us who fight God's eternal fight, I think that needs to be altered a bit to simply, "Let God sort 'em out."

Related Tags: judgement, Christian, evanglism, invitation, hell, condemnation