No, Jesus didn’t ‘hang out’ with sinners

No, Jesus didn’t ‘hang out’ with sinners

by Matt Walsh May 11, 2017

I was recently informed by a fellow Christian that it’s perfectly OK for a follower of Christ to march in a gay pride parade because, as he explained it, “Jesus hung out with sinners.” It was far from the first time that I’ve heard a clearly objectionable act justified on these grounds. This is just one of the many dubious slogans that has overwhelmed and suffocated the faith in our country. For many of us, our faith is really nothing more than a collection of these empty mantras, which we confidently shout over and over again, hoping repetition will make them true.

Of course, “Jesus hung out with sinners” is a loaded statement. There’s always some erroneous insinuation or conclusion attached to it. “Jesus hung out with sinners, therefore [xyz].” Jesus hung out with sinners, therefore it’s OK for me to do whatever it is I’m doing right now. Jesus hung out with sinners, therefore I need not follow whatever commandment or moral teaching we’re currently discussing. Jesus hung out with sinners, therefore this sin that we’re discussing isn’t as bad as you suggest.

I’ve heard “Jesus hung out with sinners” as a sincere justification for going to strip clubs and gay bars. I’ve seen “Jesus hung out with sinners” trotted out during debates about pornography. Somehow “Jesus hung out with sinners” tends even to enter discussions of abortion. “Jesus hung out with sinners, therefore killing babies is alright.” Generally, whatever the application, the argument is always that Jesus “hung out with” such and such a sinner, which means He didn’t mind such and such a sin.

Last week I wrote a piece about misconceptions around the idea of Christian compassion, and many of the critical responses hinged on this theme. One example:

“Matt, this was nothing but a badly disguised anti-gay diatribe. Jesus would have hung out with the people you are judging. Jesus wasn’t judgmental and in your face like you. He didn’t shove religion down people’s throats. Jesus hung out with sinners….” Etc. and so forth.

Leaving aside the bizarre contention that any discussion of Christian morality is automatically “anti-gay” (I didn’t mention gays in the post at all), what we have here is just your standard “Jesus hung out with sinners” formulation. Jesus “hung out” with people who sinned, ipso facto Jesus had no problem with the sins they committed. And if it were true that Christ merely “hung out” with people, this line of logic would hold a little water. 

Memorial Day 2017

Random Bits

"I walk through this sinful world as a 

pilgrim in a foreign country" - CH Spurgeo

An 18 year old girl attending a Christian academy finds out she is pregnant, chooses life, and is not being allowed to participate in graduation. At first I was a bit outraged at this, but after prayer and considering all sides of the argument I'm going to have to side with the school's decision. 

No, they're not denying her the diploma, she will be a high school graduate come June. She did sign an agreement signifying that she would follow guidelines of behavior and the school is holding up their end of that agreement. Yes there were some students that committed some vandalism, but to compare the life of a baby with some minor property damage is beyond the pale. 

Hooray that she chooses life for that baby, and that shows character, but so does standing up for your agreement and admitting your transgressions and taking the consequences for those actions. If this was a public school this would be a different story, but this was a Christian covenant school which holds to higher standards. 

Yes, teens make mistakes, and in 16 years she's going to find that out the hard way. Heck, when that baby turns two that young mother is going to learn all about the Doctrine of Total Depravity. I say this in love Maddi; take your lumps and praise the Lord every time that baby takes a healthy breath, this will be a huge blessing. (The responses to this article are worth reading too)

Brothers and sisters - how secure is your church? I suggest your greeters make sure they have 911 on speed dial

False Teacher of the Day I think we all need to review Titus 1:1-16 and practice what Paul preached

Runner up False Teacher of the Day. He may be the runner up, but his audience may be the goats of the decade

Is exposing false teaching an ad hominem attack? Not if you do it biblically 

Spurgeon Thursday - Christian Soldiers

5 

The Church of Christ is continually represented under the figure of an army; yet its Captain is the Prince of Peace; its object is the establishment of peace, and its soldiers are men of a peaceful disposition.

The spirit of war is at the extremely opposite point to the spirit of the gospel. Yet nevertheless, the church on earth has, and until the second advent must be, the church militant, the church armed, the church warring, the church conquering. And how is this?

It is the very order of things that so it must be. Truth could not be truth in this world if it were not a warring thing, and we should at once suspect that it were not true if error were friends with it. The spotless purity of truth must always be at war with the blackness of heresy and lies. ~ Charles H. Spurgeon

WWUTT Wednesday - Look At Me Being Humble!!!

I've always been very skeptical of those who profess to have the gift of healing and the gift of tongues. Not to be picking on Benny Hinn (I'll let the IRS do that) but where are these people he is said to have healed? In fact there is no documented evidence that a single one of these miraculous healings ever occurred. Mr. Hinn should be leaving a swath of perfect health in his wake as he jets around the globe.

And what verse in the bible covers "being slain in the spirit" anyhow?

Then there's glossolalia, the phenomenon of speaking in an unknown language, especially in religious worship. "Unknown language" is not what the bible says speaking in tongues is all about. If a visitor from Central Mongolia walked into your church and desperately wanted to hear the word of God but doesn't speak English, and the person sitting next to him who only speaks English suddenly begins translating the sermon in flawless Buryat so that the visitor understands, that's the gift of tongues. Suddenly babbling in something no one in the room understands is not. If I was in one of these churches that I've heard about that locks the door until someone starts speaking in tongues, after a long enough pause I'd break out in tongues:

Iyay eed-nay a andwich-say. Otty-pay Ake-bray!

There's Nothing 'Compassionate' About Helping People Get To Hell

Dear Christians, there’s nothing ‘compassionate’ about helping people get to Hell

By Matt Walsh, May 2, 2017

I received this email yesterday. The subject line, as you could guess, was “Compassion”:

Matt, you call yourself a Christian but you have no compassion. The Jesus I believe in just wants people to be compassionate towards each other. We are not told to be judgmental to others because of who they love or what lifestyle they choose to have or what gender they identify as. Who are you to say what is wrong or right? We shouldn’t be focused on talking about “sin” or telling other people that they might be going to Hell. You have no right to say what a “sin” is. Our job is to be compassionate to all! Compassionate isn’t when you’re judging or telling other people about their sins. I pray that you realize the error of your ways.

This is a good example of the bland salad of empty feeling and meaningless sentiment that often passes for “Christianity” in this country. You’ll notice that the adherents to this false version of the faith — and they certainly outnumber Christ’s true disciples by a large margin in our culture — have kidnapped, tortured, and destroyed many words that were previously very useful to Christians. A word like “judge,” for instance, has been so often misapplied and misconstrued by the Sentimental Christians that the rest of us almost have to leave off using it.

No word or concept, though, has been more thoroughly ruined by the Sentamentalists than “compassion.” They have settled on “compassion” as the most noble euphemism for their self-centered and lackadaisical theology, and now they can’t seem to talk about their faith for 2 minutes without tossing it out a dozen times. Unfortunately, there is no indication that they actually know what the word means.

The word compassion comes from the Latin for “co-suffering.” When we are “compassionate” towards another, we take on their suffering in the hopes of helping them towards some good end. This is what Christ did in the most perfect way when He came to Earth to suffer and die for the sins of Man. It was the greatest act of compassion in the history of the universe. The key point in Christ’s compassion is that it was a saving act. He didn’t just come down and give us a hug and say, “Hey, you guys are super. No need to change anything! Good job! Well, anyway, see ya later!” Rather, He shed light on the darkness and corruption of the world and then did something about it. He sacrificed Himself. He suffered with us and for us so that we can go to Heaven. 

Random Bits

"I walk through this sinful world as a 

pilgrim in a foreign country" - CH Spurgeon

I'm not sure if you noticed it, but the world is getting weird. And guess what - it's going to get worse. Accusations, incriminations, and lies are flying faster and faster. Are you dizzy yet? I have survived the days of student riots, civil uprising, presidential assassination and resignation, and personally I think it's worse now than it has been since the days of the civil war.

What as Christians do we do? We step back. We take a deep breath and try to calm the spinning heads of those that are caught up in the maelstrom of nonsense this world is becoming. We Do Not Do This! This is a time for Christians to stand apart from the crowd. We do not withdraw from society, we play our role as citizens, we obey the law and live on a level that transcends the law. We pass these days of turmoil reminding ourselves and our brothers and sisters that we are citizens of heaven.

As followers of the One who is the Truth (John 14:6), we are commanded to “speak the truth to one another” (Zechariah 8:16). As followers of the One who is love (1 John 4:8), we are commanded to do so “in love” (Ephesians 4:15). As followers of the “King of kings and Lord of lords” (Revelation 19:16), we are commanded to respect those in authority (Romans 13:1) while serving our highest authority (1 Corinthians 15:58). Our Lord, Master, and Savior is coming soon, let's be ready for Him.

Steven Furtick officially comes out of the closet and admits he's one of the New Apostolic Revelation. I can't wait for some Furtickated prophesy

This is the best reason I've seen in a while for homeschooling. This is what is teaching your children

The United Fellowship Center, a church whose doctrine solely centered on love and nothing else, closed it's doors a full year ago and said they were selling their building. When Nashville codes inspectors visited the building they found the congregation in full swing... so to speak

Do Women Bloggers Create an Evangelical ‘Crisis of Authority’?

In a recent story at Christian Headlines.com Emily McFarlan Miller posited this accusation: Women Bloggers Spawn an Evangelical ‘Crisis of Authority’. The article quotes the Anglican priest Rev. Harrison Warren who wrote an article a few months ago and remarked 

... a lot of women are going outside their congregations to the internet for discipleship, is that they don’t have women in their congregations who can come to them, not just as buddies but with pastoral authority

The good reverend Harrison-Warren wrote an article entitled Who's In Charge Of The Christian Blogosphere? in  Christianity Today. The Reverend asks that Christian bloggers (and the article is primarily directed toward women bloggers) "have oversight and accountability that matches the weight of their authority and influence."

Oh, and by the way, this is Reverend Tish Harrison Warren. Her complaint is people, especially women type people, are *gasp!* writing about Christianity without any training or structure of authority.  

Random Bits

"I walk through this sinful world as a 

pilgrim in a foreign country" - CH Spurgeon

With all the mud slinging and fingerpointing going on I've been doing a lot of thinking and praying about our government lately. Going back to my civics class (yes, I'm old enough to have been in school when they taught civics) I know that this country is governed by law, not by people. The true leader of our country is The United States Constitution. Mr. Trump leads leads the executive branch, Mr. Pense and Mr Ryan lead the legislative branch, and Justice Roberts is the head of the judicial branch. Each man has immense responsibility, but each one gets their "marching orders" and their political power from The United States Constitution. 

Trump, Pense, Ryan, and Roberts can all be legally replaced but The United States Constitution cannot The Constitution is what they and military men swear a sacred oath to defend and uphold. I firmly believe that when Romans 13 tells us to obey our leader, in the Untied States God is talking about The United States Constitution,. yes we are to respect these elected and lawfully appointed officials as they carry out the requirements of The United States Constitution, but to blindly follow them in a cult of personality is political idolatry, and God our Father told us quite clearly  “You shall have no other gods before me"

No one in the bible talked more about hell than Jesus

Mr. Furtick promises to commit to teaching and not engage in hollering or wild stuff during his sermon. Yeah, right. While watching the video why not play the Steven Furtick Sermon Game - count how many times he says I, Me, or My.

5 Signs Your Church Might Be heading Toward Progressive Christianity

Article by Alisa Childers

Several years ago, my husband and I began attending a local Evangelical, non-denominational church, and we loved it. We cherished the sense of community we found among the loving and authentic people we met there, and the intelligent, "outside the box" pastor who led our flock with thought-provoking and insightful sermons. Sadly, the church started going off the rails theologically, and after about a year and a half, we made the difficult decision to leave. Today that church is a self-titled "Progressive Christian Community." 

Back then I had never heard of "Progressive Christianity," and even now it is difficult to pin down what actually qualifies someone as a Progressive Christian, due to the diversity of beliefs that fall under that designation.  However, there are signs—certain phrases and ideas—that seem to be consistent in Progressive circles. Here are 5 danger signs to watch for in your church:

 1. There is a lowered view of the Bible 

One of the main differences between Progressive Christianity and Historic Christianity is its view of the Bible. Historically, Christians have viewed the Bible as the Word of God and authoritative for our lives. Progressive Christianity generally abandons these terms, emphasizing personal belief over biblical mandate.

Comments you might hear:

• ​The Bible is a human book...
• I disagree with the Apostle Paul on that issue...
• The Bible condones immorality, so we are obligated to reject what it says in certain places...
• ​The Bible "contains" the word of God...

Random Bits

"I walk through this sinful world as a 

pilgrim in a foreign country" - CH Spurgeon

On the first Thursday of May, the national day of prayer, Mr. Trump signed an executive order which protects our religious freedom... but isn't that what the first amendment of the Bill of Rights supposed to do the same thing? Actually all the Trump executive order really does is tell the IRS not to enforce the Johnson Amendment. In case you're wondering, the Johnson Amendment prohibits registered 501(c)(3) organizations from endorsing political candidates and participating in political campaigns. Doing so would put them at risk of losing their nonprofit status.

The executive order does nothing about Christian business owners being harassed by the gaystapo for not participating in their revelry, It does nothing to end the IRS targeting of conservative Christian organizations, it does nothing about atheist harassment of Christians in schools, colleges and the military. Since the Johnson amendment is rarely enforced this executive order is primarily symbolic. It does release the pressure a pastor would feel if his sermon strays toward politics, on both the left and the right (although I haven't seen a lot of restraint coming from the left side of the spectrum).

Genoa Township, Michigan is using zoning laws to exclude a Christian school from operating on a church’s property. In other words they won't allow a Christian institution to place a Christian institution at a Christian institution.

God - is He a criminal, or is He gangsta? 'Cause He broke the law! This is the kind of thing that our buddy Steven Furtick spews at his goats every Sunday

A college professor at Northern Arizona University has barred a student from reading the bible before her class

Spurgeon Thursday - Why Sacraments Are As Filthy Rags

WWUTT Wednesday - Yet another Christian Flavored Fad

Vegetables love Jesus too

Remember the WWJD bracelet? That was a pretty big Christian fad, and I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Jesus would not wear a rubber bracelet that said "What Would I Do" or even WWGD. Then there was the Mend Mark bracelet "a distinctive wristband that is designed to resemble the nail scar of Christ" emblazoned with the words REMEMBER and LOVE.

Welcome to the Fad Driven Church. I don't know why but many Christians seem drawn to fads like moths to a candle, and it's not just trinkets and baubles that would make any Roman Catholic proud, it's trappings that Christians use to 'enhance' their experience as a Christian. Take testimonies, our Christian autobiographies. Not sure why they are important to people, but Pastor Paratus once mentioned this and I'm going to use it forever. Here is my testimony, and you're all welcome to use it too:

I was saved 2000 years ago when Christ died for my sins

Anything else would be self aggrandizing. Other fads we enjoy are things like body counts; both the "meat in the seats" oneupmanship of the mega churches and the conversion counter where a church proudly announces that they had X number of conversions at some event while their weekly attendance doesn't change. There's also the Church Growth movement, the purpose driven (fill in the blank), the seeker sensitive church, tribulationism, alter calls, and bone spitting. The problem with these is that they're focused on people, not on God and not on God's word. And speaking of Christian fads that are focused on Christians and not on Christ, here's the Christian Diet fad. 

Feeling Good at the Church of Holy Karaoke

You've had It happen to you, I know you did. Maybe you're afraid to talk about It, maybe you're like me and still trying to figure out what It was that just happened, or maybe you're in shock that It happened at all and you're trying to deal with It using the tried and true method of denial.

What it It that I'm alluding to? It is hard to describe It and not insult someone, but It happens quite often and I'm trying to figure out a loving, Christian way of dealing with It. Let me give you an example - you have a friend that attends a large Karaoke bar Church whose pastor wears tight jeans and a perma-smile and seems to find himself in every bible verse that he uses. You mention to this friend "That Oprah Winfrey lady talks like a Christian but she sells new-age false teaching to millions of people and claims that Jesus didn't come to die on the cross but..."

Your voice drifts off because your friend is looking at you like you just grew a third eye in the middle of your forehead. So you shift gears and come at this new-age sentimentalism from a different direction. "She does this in the same way that Joel Osteen tends to..." and you've lost them before you get to the first adjective. Then all of a sudden It happens. This person you knew as a bible loving Christian starts defending Oprah and Joel; 

How can you attack someone who's just telling us how great it is to be a Christian?

Of course it's in the bible, she wouldn't have said it if it wasn't!

How can you be so judgmental? The bible says you're not supposed to judge

You're wrong because I don't hear the love in your voice