I sent an article to Leadership Journal about six months ago. I figured they had either lost the article or lost interest in it. Then I received an email from a friend that writes for them frequently. She told me that they had my article and were going to post it on their blog (www.outofur.com) to see what kind of response it got. If it gets a good one, they will put it in print. I went to the site, and voila...there it was (edited, of course). It was exciting to me, and then the comments started rolling in. People were reading it! I'm bewildered because it feels different than I thought it would. Some of the folks read, don't like it, and say horribly judgmental things. Apparently, I'm an embarrassment to Christianity. Oh well...that's better than being an embarrassment to Jesus. Just trying to get a handle on this...
3 comments:
I dream of having my work published, its my Greatest desire... other that somehow morphing a hybrid Xbox Girlfriend (That would be great!) Anywho.. this has inspired me to try to submit my work... who know... people might actually hate it.
I only wish I could be an embarrassment to christianity
Jonathan,
The version I read of your article was not the version on the page right now. My response was to an unedited version the editors posted on the very first day the article came out. The one on the “Out of Ur” site has actually been toned down quite a bit. My response was also edited quickly and posted with your edited article.
I did not miss the point of the article; I understand with my heart and my mind what you have written. I understand that there are times when people are invited to know Christ but they are not followed up and brought to any kind of maturity in Christ. I understand that you are saying that the Jesus people are giving out is not real. In saying this you set yourself aside as have a knowledge of the real Jesus but you do not sharing just who this Jesus is.
The metaphor of prostitution, pimping out Jesus, and the greasy, trick turning Jesus, as the original article described it fail to add to the solution. Even in your response to me on the Out of Ur page you offer no solution or even a place to begin. You also set yourself up as the one who discerns the “real” Jesus over the rest of people who offer a fake Jesus.
My point is that I can point to thousands upon thousands of committed followers of Christ who began their journey of faith in the way you describe as prostitution. Your words ascribe poor motives to the people who share Christ with others. You intone by your questions that maybe they brought out a fake Jesus to give a quick answer. Your words impugn other people’s hearts.
So how does one go about beginning a friendship with God? Does not the Bible say something about confessing with our mouths? There are many people who have begun this way. Of course we know that a belief in their heart is necessary too. You place all the guilt on the one offering the gospel and none on the person seeking Christ. As one person has said, many people have tried Jesus and not found him wanting but when they tried Jesus the found him hard to follow.
How did you find this real Jesus? Were the people who pimped out the fake one the blame for your not finding him after you climbed in bed with him at the age of 14? The primal need a prostitute feeds is driven by sinful, self serving motives. Yes sex has an underlying need for intimacy, but lets not be so quick to attribute altruistic motives to an act that God says is the result of foolishness. The function a prostitute serves is not surrogate intimacy as though the john is some victim of the prostitute. The john is a willing participant in an act of deviance.
As for your response to me, you take on the persecuted for Jesus persona pretty quick. You cry misunderstood, you say that I miss the point, that I got stuck on the language and failed to listen with my heart. I responded because it is the language and metaphor that is off. Is there another way of saying what you are saying? Could you have communicated better by leaving behind language that impugns people who are convinced that people who die without a relationship with Christ are cut off from the presence of God?
You offer what feels like disingenuous humility. You will stick with the metaphor, you will stick with the fake Jesus verses the Real Jesus and by your word you know the real Jesus. The language you use, the harshness of your tone, your assertion that a fake, pimped out Jesus that people offer is not real communicates that you think you do have more than a sliver, more than an inkling of truth here. There is a difference between being persecuted and being confronted. Being persecuted is being ostracized for your beliefs, you are being confronted for offensive language not your beliefs. When you air these comments publicly, when people are offended and comment back they are considered “Horribly Judgmental.” Sounds a bit like the pot calling the kettle black.
Do we have a real problem? Yes. Many people commit but fail to connect. Almost like a story Jesus once told about a man sowing in his field. By the way he did not blame the farmer for sowing a pimped out fake greasy whore of a seed. He said there were many factors for the seed to not make it to maturity. Do we communicate an easy to believe Gospel; sure we do because it can be very easy to believe. It is also very hard to follow. You lose an important point with your use of metaphor. It is almost like you offer steak on a garbage can lid and say, shame on you for not wanting it, you misunderstand the meaning of the garbage can.
i like this paragraph that leoskeo wrote
"As for your response to me, you take on the persecuted for Jesus persona pretty quick. You cry misunderstood, you say that I miss the point, that I got stuck on the language and failed to listen with my heart. I responded because it is the language and metaphor that is off. Is there another way of saying what you are saying? Could you have communicated better by leaving behind language that impugns people who are convinced that people who die without a relationship with Christ are cut off from the presence of God?
You offer what feels like disingenuous humility. You will stick with the metaphor, you will stick with the fake Jesus verses the Real Jesus and by your word you know the real Jesus. The language you use, the harshness of your tone, your assertion that a fake, pimped out Jesus that people offer is not real communicates that you think you do have more than a sliver, more than an inkling of truth here. There is a difference between being persecuted and being confronted. Being persecuted is being ostracized for your beliefs, you are being confronted for offensive language not your beliefs. When you air these comments publicly, when people are offended and comment back they are considered “Horribly Judgmental.” Sounds a bit like the pot calling the kettle black."
I Think im going to use this text for a theory im writing on metaphor and commuication messaging.
It really has alot in it..
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