The link I just posted to Shane Claiborne’s article “Letter to Non-Believers,” was recommended reading from my best friend, Beth. Privileged enough to have been Beth’s best friend since we were little girls, I am also privy to Beth’s faith journey. Beth has grown so much in her faith and has become a real inspiration for me. The article she suggested I read talks about the ugly side of spreading the gospel – you know, the preacher on the corner of the sidewalk who yells that we’re all going to hell. I cannot think of a faster way to turn people off of Christianity.
So timing goes that I’m writing this theologically minded post the night before Easter… Tomorrow we celebrate the resurrection of Christ, and for many this means getting together with family and sharing a good meal. Personally, I think tomorrow would be a perfect time to remember what being a Christian is all about: loving people. We are called to love the least of these, the poor, the down and out, the sick, the unstable, the troublemakers, etc. Instead of turning your nose up at people who look or think differently than you do, perhaps try a different angle. Being a Christian is not at all about being better than anyone else on this huge earth, but it is all about being forgiven with grace so vast and encompassing that we can’t even begin to comprehend its scope. Tomorrow, I will praise God for his grace because as the brilliant Oscar Wilde once said: “Every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future.”
SAMHOPEHANSEN 