I read an article on al.com today about a traveling evangelist, Kerrigan Skellly, that appeared at UAB today to "spread the gospel". According to the article, (which can be found here ) he stood outside the library, wearing a hat that said "Obey God", spewing his "good news." Students didn't take too kindly to his ministry and began to serenade him with Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody to drown out his message. Good Lord, this is somewhat funny, but can't we all just get along? However, there was a quote in the article that made me laugh out loud at his arrogance. When one student noted "We are all sinners"; he replied "True Christians don't sin." He then indicated he was not a sinner anymore and that "he didn't sin everyday." Really, dude? Get it together; this is why people don't read the good book. This isn't attracting people to church, calling people fornicators and telling them about "the filth in their hearts." These people, like Mr. Skelly, choose minimal parts of the Bible and use it for hate and miss all the consistent messages which if you have forgotten are love, compassion, kindness, humility, and generosity.
I am currently reading The Ragamuffin Gospel, and I actually thought about mailing it to Mr. Skelly since he seems to be the one who is lost. Brennan Manning, the author of The Ragamuffin Gospel, speaks of what Jesus did for us in very direct terms because what he did for us is simple in context. He died where we could live, and live abundantly. However, as Mr. Manning points out we can't accept what he did for us. We are ragamuffins beaten down, tired, and hopeless, and we think we have to earn our salvation ("obey God"). We crave rules and rituals to ensure we are choosing the good path, the path that will win us God's favor. What we don't realize is we already have won God's favor the second we came into relationship with him and nothing can change that. Jesus has been waiting "with bated breath" for us to accept him as our personal saviour.
I sat in my office Monday reading on my lunch break a chapter in Mr. Manning's book, Freedom from Fear, and I needed to read that chapter that day. It was like he knew my inadequacies, my fears, my insecurities, that passed through my head everyday. He leads into the chapter with a good quote, "Assured of your salvation by the unique grace of our Lord Jesus Christ." He later adds these words are "wonderful" and they are; aren't they? But still many of us live in fear, I know I do. We know God loves us unconditionally, but we can't move past our own fears. He mentions all the "what if" questions we ask and worry about on a consistent basis:
"What am I going to do if I do not find a spouse, house, job, a friend? What I am going to do if they fire me, if I get sick, if an accident happens, if I lose my friends, if my marriage doesn't work, if a war breaks out?....
Yes, some of the scenarios will probably never happen, but Mr. Manning notes when you start this line of questioning you've chosen to live in a house of fear. However, if you choose faith Mr. Manning notes you can live in "a safe place right in the midst of our anxious world", you can be free from worry. Sounds simple, but we continually choose to live in the world outside the safe house and are full of anxiety. We try to numb the anxiety with alcohol, drugs, money, religion, relationships; anything to avoid our reality. The reality is that we are trying to find our way home. We are locked out and just can't find our keys. Fortunately, God has extra keys, and all people have to do is "ask and the door will be opened." Everyone can walk inside and choose freedom over fear. It just sounds too easy, doesn't it? Just to walk inside, just to accept it. There must be rules to earn this type of freedom, but even the apostle Paul stated "no human being can be made upright by keeping the Law"
God craves your love not your good deeds. In The Ragamuffin Gospel, it notes what Jesus would say to you every morning, the pep talk he would give you-
Has it crossed your mind that I am proud you freely chose Me, after I had chosen you, as your friend and Lord? Proud that, with all your warts and wrinkles you haven't given up? Proud that you believe in me enough to try again and again?
So Mr. Skelly, apparently unbeknownst to you, we are all sinners and we do have to try again everyday. And don't forget, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth" (Matt 5:5). His arrogance is not quite how Jesus approached sinners.
"The gentleness of Jesus with sinners flowed from his ability to read their hearts. Behind people's grumpiest poses and most puzzling defense mechanisms, behind their arrogance and airs, Jesus saw little children who hadn't been loved enough and who had ceased growing because someone had ceased believing in them. His extraordinary sensitivity caused Jesus to speak of the faithful as children, no matter how tall, rich, clever, and successful they might be."
What if everyone approached people with the compassion Jesus showed others? The man who ate with sinners and helped everyone he could regardless of who they were. The man who preached of love and generosity. This is the Jesus I know, this is my friend. So Mr. Skelly, you missed the mark with your poor evangelical tactics, now someone might not get to hear the real gospel, come to know the real Jesus. And that's a shame......
Hope everyone has a good weekend!
Most of the quotes in this post were taken from The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning. (#readit)
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