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If I hear someone say one more time, “Well, we’ve just got to love the sinner and hate the sin” – I’m gonna scream! Christians quote this like it’s a Bible verse – right next to “God helps those who help themselves” and “cleanliness is next to godliness!”  But where is it in the Bible?  The Book of Hezekiah?  Paul’s letter to the Deuteronomy’s? Each section of this statement is true – God does love sinners and hates sin. But here’s the problem, as a collective statement it’s not true.

The real problem with “Love the sinner; hate the sin” is that it is rarely meant. It is really just a Christian-sounding platitude aimed at people whose behaviour we really struggle with; people whose sin we really hate and people that, if we were brutally honest, we don’t really love. This statement just salves our conscience and makes us feel like we’re being Christian when we are really displaying unchristian attitudes towards others.

Of course, the only way we can really know if we love the sinner is by spending time with them and helping them when they’re in need. How do we really feel about the drug addict with needle scars and missing teeth? What is our real attitude towards the homeless person who hasn’t bathed or changed their clothes for days or weeks? Do we really love the gay man or woman at work (or in our family) or do we merely tolerate them? Do we pretend to love people but then say derogatory things about them behind their back? We only know the true nature of our heart when we are confronted by someone we struggle with.  And let’s be honest about our struggles rather than hide behind “love the sinner; hate the sin.”

Another reason why this saying is so wrong is that often the sinner and the sin are inseparable. In other words, someone’s behaviour often defines him or her as a person so when we say we “hate the sin” what the person hears is “I hate you.” The Bible talks about loving the person – “For God so loved the world!” (John 3:16).

The statement “Love your neighbour as yourself” is found nine times in the Bible – divine emphasis for a reason.  In Galatians 5:14 the apostle Paul says that this truth sums up the entire law.  In James 2:8 this command is called “The Royal Law.”  Jesus illustrated how we are to love our neighbour as ourselves by telling the story of The Good Samaritan.  Samaritans were hated and despised by Jews in Jesus’ day. The Samaritans were half-cast Jews because they had intermarried with Gentiles.  They were viewed as worse than gentiles – the lowest of the low, the greatest sinners.  Jesus could not have found a more powerful illustration to prove His point. He didn’t teach “Love the sinner; hate the sin.”  He taught “Love the person like they were you.”  May this challenge us to the core of our faith!

Hypocrisy.  That’s when our words and our actions don’t match up.  We’re all guilty of it and we find it in all sectors of society including the church.  Some people even use it as an excuse not to join the church but they don’t follow their faulty logic to others walks of life.  For instance, when the media show hypocrisy do we stop listening or watching?

One glaring example of media hypocrisy happened this week with Gordon Ramsey’s latest outburst against Channel Nine ACA Host Tracey Grimshaw.  Before an audience of several thousand people at the Melbourne Good Food and Wine Show, following an interview with Grimshaw the previous day, Ramsay described her as “a lesbian”.

He then showed a picture of a woman, who appeared naked. The woman was posed on her hands and knees but had multiple breasts and the facial features of a pig. “That’s Tracy Grimshaw,” Ramsey said. “I had an interview with her yesterday, holy crap. She needs to see Simon Cowell’s Botox doctor.”

Tracey Grimshaw returned fire with a withering editorial during her show the following night:

“… Gordon Ramsay made me promise not to ask on Friday about his private life. He then got on stage on Saturday and made some very clear and uninformed insinuations about mine.  Obviously Gordon thinks that any woman who doesn’t find him attractive must be gay. For the record, I don’t. And I’m not.”

I greatly admire Tracey for standing up to this arrogant individual who has made his mark and his millions through the cruel public ridicule of people on his TV program.  I’ve only ever watched about five minutes of his programs, which include “The F Word”, “Kitchen Nightmares” and “Hell’s Kitchen”.  He is the guy well known for dropping 87 “f-bombs” in just one episode.  What a claim to fame!

But this is where the hypocrisy enters loud and clear.  It is Channel Nine that has given Ramsey star status in Australia by airing his program. It’s not news that he is arrogant, rude and crude. That’s what’s made him famous. And that’s what earned the Nine Network mega-bucks especially when Kitchen Nightmares was Australia’s most-watched program. The masses wanted to be shocked by his tirades, temper and tongue and advertisers used Ramsey’s popularity as a vehicle to promote their products. It’s all about the money! No one gives a rip so why should we be surprised now?  It’s all hypocrisy!

Nearly 2000 years ago Paul the Apostle wrote these words to the Christians in Rome: “Don’t live any longer the way this world lives. Let your way of thinking be completely changed.”  In other words, the way the Christian thinks is not to be influenced by the world’s way of thinking.  This, of course, is easier said than done as we are constantly bombarded with what the world thinks.

One area of the world’s influence on Christian thinking that concerns me is the consumer mindset and how it influences our response to God and to church.

A number of years ago Christie and I lived next door to a couple from a Catholic background. A year or so after we moved in they shared with us that she (the lady of the couple) had been diagnosed with a severe form of breast cancer.  She had all sorts of drastic treatments but nothing worked and she eventually lost her battle at the age of 32 leaving a husband and a one-year-old son. In her last months Christie spent a lot of time with her, shared the gospel and led her to the Lord. Surrounded by God’s presence she testified to having no fear of death and that she was looking forward to going to heaven. In the weeks following her death I had the privilege of leading her husband to Christ and he is still an active member of our church.

The thing that stands out to me from this story is the way that suffering brought this couple to Jesus. They had a theology that pain and suffering is part of this life and that drawing closer to God in times like these can actually ease the pain and make some sense from the suffering. How different this is to the “consumer God” theology of many contemporary Christians. Consumer God is ever present to answer every prayer, meet every need and grant every wish.  When consumer God doesn’t respond in our way, our timeframe or to our agenda we walk away.  “God mustn’t love me or maybe God doesn’t exist after all.”

The same is true for consumer church. I met a guy recently who had taken his family out of their church because the facilities weren’t meeting his family’s needs. Now, I’m all for providing facilities to properly pastor and care for people and their needs, but there is a fine line between providing these services and a worldly expectation that “I deserve this and if I don’t get what I want I’ll join the church down the road where I can have my needs met.” This attitude treats Jesus’ church as a commodity rather than a family. It’s like me leaving Christie and the kids because I can get better meals with the family down the street.

Consumer Christians need a mind shift.  We need a revelation that God has already done more for us than He had to by providing forgiveness and eternal life through Jesus.  We didn’t deserve it – that’s why it’s called grace.  And He doesn’t owe us anything now – we owe Him everything.  I live with the mindset that if God doesn’t ever do another thing for me then it’s fine. The fact that He does continue to bless and give is a benefit not a guarantee.

And it’s the same with church. I love leading a church that provides excellent facilities and ministries to see people grow in their faith; but I’m not interested in simply accommodating those who come to “use the house.”  I’m interested in building a family of believers who love God, love each other and love making a difference in the world – and will stick it out with one another through the good times as well as the tough times because we’re family.

So if you find yourself guilty of being a consumer Christian let Paul’s words challenge you: “Don’t live any longer the way this world lives. Let your way of thinking be completely changed.”

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Recently, a well-known Australian passed away.  He was a good man most of the time – a man who grew an amazing business to become one of Australia’s wealthiest people.  A man who gave generously to many worthy causes and made an incredible difference as a result.

But this good man, like the rest of us, also did some bad things – he cheated on his wife and was embroiled in some dodgy business practices.

After his death there were the usual tributes. One family friend’s comments particularly interested me. The comments were along the line of, “He did some bad things but the good he did canceled out the bad.”

Many people I’ve spoken to over the years have this viewpoint of the justice of God. We all do “bad stuff” but we’re basically good people and as long as you do more good stuff than bad, then God will let you into heaven. I find it fascinating that our fuzzy view of a loving God distorts our view of justice.

Imagine the public outcry if our judicial system worked that way. Picture this: someone is convicted of a serious crime. In sentencing the judge says, “I’ve looked at your life and you’ve done a lot of good so I’m letting you go without punishment. Try and be better from now on, there’s a good chap!” There would be media frenzy. The victim’s family and friends would be sobbing, angry, bitter – “why this lack of justice?”

If on a human level we expect justice then why not on a divine level? If good deeds don’t cancel out bad in society why would God operate any differently? God is love and He is also just – and you can’t have one without the other.

Every human being has goodness because we are made in God’s image; but every human being is also imperfect – we have all broken God’s laws and deserve to be punished. That’s the bad news. The good news is that Jesus came and took our punishment for us – the judgment of God placed on Jesus so that all those who accept His sacrifice can go free. That’s the heart of the Christian message – not a message of fuzzy love but a message of love and justice – and an offer that’s really too good to refuse. So why would you?

Here’s a humorous and powerful story from Florida where an atheist created a case against the upcoming Easter and Passover Holy days. He hired an attorney to bring a discrimination case against Christians, Jews and observances of their holy days. The argument was that it was unfair that atheists had no such recognised days.

The case was brought before a judge. After listening to the passionate presentation by the lawyer, the judge banged his gavel declaring,”Case dismissed!”

The lawyer immediately stood, objecting to the ruling saying, “Your honor, how can you possibly dismiss this case?  The Christians have Christmas, Easter and others. The Jews have Passover, Yom Kippur and Hanukkah, yet my Client and all other atheists have no such holidays.”

The judge leaned forward in his chair saying, “But you do. Your client, counsel, is woefully ignorant.” The lawyer said, “Your Honor, we are unaware of any special observance or holiday for atheists.”

The judge said, “The calendar says April 1st is April Fools Day. Psalm 14:1 states, ‘The fool says in his heart, there is no God.’ Thus, it is the opinion of this court, that if your client says there is no God, then he is a fool. Therefore, April 1st is his day. Court is adjourned!

To our Christian friends, Happy Easter!  To our Jewish friends, Happy Passover!  To our atheist friends, good luck!

It never ceases to amaze me how religious non-religious people get in times of crisis.  When the Black Saturday Bush Fires devastated lives and property many people asked the question: “Where is God in all this?”  And, “If there’s a loving God, why did he let this happen?”  Even one Christian leader waded into this accusation by saying the bush fires were the result of God lifting His hand of protection off Victoria to punish our government’s evil decisions.  Only problem with that is that innocent people, including Christians, lost their lives and property.  That’s like punishing my seven year old for something my 10 year old did wrong.  But I digress…

On Tuesday of this week we had mass warnings of hazardous conditions that could lead to more devastation – high temperatures and strong winds.  The only difference was that this time the conditions did not turn out quite as bad as first thought.  The temperatures were more moderate and much of Victoria received some good rain.  So what was the response to these blessings?  Was there praise given to God rather than questions and blame? Not at all!  The response on talkback radio was, “The weather gods have been kind to us!”

Oh, I get the picture.  When bad stuff happens God exists but He must be blamed or questioned.  After all bad things are “Acts of God” are they not? But when good things happen God doesn’t exist but the weather gods do; or the response is, “Isn’t Mother Nature wonderful?”  You can’t have it both ways.

No wonder the Bible states, “Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”  In other words when it comes to the goodness of God it is possible to be deceived into thinking that God is not good.  And some swallow this deception hook, line and sinker!

Now, right from the start I want to make my position clear so there can be no misunderstanding from what I’m about to say (I hope!). I am Pro-Israel. I believe that God chose to work through this people group in order to bring forth the Messiah who would save those who put their trust in Him that’s what Genesis 12:3 is about – “all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”  But being Pro-Israel does not mean two things:

1. That I agree with everything Israel does, and

2. That I am anti any other nation

I believe it is vital that our Pro-Israel stance does not blind us to these two very important truths, because some Christians I have spoken to are so Pro-Israel that, in their eyes, Israel can do no wrong.  These same people often speak disparagingly of nations that Israel is at enmity with, such as the Palestinians.

Regarding the first issue: Blessing Israel does not mean I have to agree with everything it does.  I love my kids; I love to bless my kids; but that does not blind me to their faults and it does not stop me from exacting appropriate discipline when they do the wrong thing.  In the Old Testament God often punished the nation of Israel for their wrong actions.  Over the years Israel has been guilty of some dreadful injustices to others.  We have some Palestinian people at Bayside Church who have recounted to me the horrors their families were subjected to by Israeli soldiers many years ago.  My point here is that just because Israel does it doesn’t mean it’s right.

Secondly, being Pro-Israel does not mean I have to be anti any other nation.  I am not anti-Palestinian; I am not anti-Arab; I am not anti-Lebanese – and neither is God.  Jesus came to save people of all nations.  Glimpses of heaven in the Book of Revelation refer to there being people of all nations worshipping around the throne of God.

One of the things I love about the church is that we start to get a glimpse of heaven on earth.  In the Church we see Jews and Palestinians worshipping side by side as well as people from Lebanon, Iraq and other nations.  We see Protestant and Catholic Irish people loving each other.  This is why heaven will be heaven.  The Church’s task now is to bring heaven to earth:  that’s what Jesus told us to pray for in the Lord’s Prayer.  Supporting injustices of one nation against another or being anti any nation creates hell on earth rather than heaven and ultimately works against the plan and purpose of God for the World He loves.

New Years bring new things – good and bad.  One of the not-so-good things so far in 2009 has been the escalating hostilities between Israel and Gaza; and not only has it divided the Middle East it has also divided the world. We’ve seen demonstrations in various nations – some opposing Israel with others showing their support.  And there are good arguments both ways.

If we were having enemy rockets landing indiscriminately in Melbourne on a regular basis I can’t see our government standing by and not taking action. Southern Israel has been subjected to this for a long time and has demonstrated restraint and patience. On the other hand it was Israel that initially supported Hamas financially many years ago in an attempt to destabilize Yasser Arafat’s PLO. One could suggest that Israel is merely reaping what its sown.

But the real problem runs far deeper than politics. The real problem is that innocent people on both sides are suffering and the suffering is disproportionately falling on the residents of Gaza where hundreds of people have lost their lives.

Mission Network News reports that Christians are hurting with the rest of local residents. Windows in Gaza Baptist Church were blown out when a missile struck a police station across the street. About 40 deaths were reported in the attack. In the words of one local believer: “Seventy percent of the Christians want to leave Gaza because they are very afraid. But we love Gaza. It’s our country, we have roots here, and our homes are here. We will not know anyone if we go somewhere else.” In addition, some Christian families from Gaza that visited Bethlehem over Christmas were reportedly separated from loved ones when Israel sealed the border. How would we feel if that was us?

Right now the best thing the church can do is pray for lasting peace – and not take sides! God loves everyone and is not willing that anyone should perish. That should be our desire too.

One of last year’s biggest selling books was The God Delusion by prominent British atheist Richard Dawkins. In the preface Professor Dawkins states his purpose – to convert religious people to atheism.

Well, he’s now promoting his atheist gospel again by endorsing an advertising campaign on London Buses declaring the slogan: “There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.” The slogan started as an aside comment from a comedian in response to a church campaign that pointed people to a website that indicated they’d be going to hell if they didn’t believe in God. The comedian suggested a response to “assure people”, which was picked up by Richard Dawkins and has ultimately generated funding from the general public for about $50,000 in donations.

Professor Dawkins says: “Religion is accustomed to getting a free ride – automatic tax breaks, unearned ‘respect’ and the right not to be ‘offended’ … even on the buses, nobody thinks twice when they see a religious slogan plastered across the side. This campaign – to put alternative slogans on London buses – will make people think; and thinking is anathema to religion.”

I agree with some of Professor Dawkins’ statements especially about the importance of making people think. Being a Christian doesn’t mean a compulsory lobotomy. I also like the honesty of the slogan: “There’s probably no God …” – even atheists aren’t sure if there is one!

The biggest issue is the mistake certain churches have made to run religious ads that “threaten eternal damnation”. When are they going to wake up to the message Jesus came to proclaim? The message (the gospel) is GOOD news. A person being damned is not. The first message Jesus taught was that He had come to proclaim the time of God’s favor; the season when God would accept all people just the way they are (see Luke 4:19). Jesus made it clear that salvation is for the whole world. He also stated that His purpose was not to judge or condemn people (John 3:16-17; 12:47), but to save them.

Why does the church feel it has the freedom to preach another gospel, which is not a gospel at all? If they had been smart the church would now be running a campaign on London buses with the slogan: “There’s probably a God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.” But we’re not that smart yet are we?

In recent weeks there has been much controversy surrounding some comments made by cleric Francis McNab of St Michaels Uniting Church in Melbourne. Macnab wanted to start a new faith for the 21st century (as if we needed another one!) declaring that “The Ten Commandments were one of the most negative documents ever written.” Dr Macnab says “Abraham is probably a concoction, Moses was a mass murderer and Jesus Christ just a Jewish peasant who certainly was not God. In fact, there is no God…” Considerable attention was given to these claims by the media, and St Michaels were embarking on a $120,000 advertising campaign to promote this new faith.

The Uniting Church has responded quickly to this controversy by asking Dr Macnab to remove the Billboards and apologise for any offence he has caused to Christians as well as those of other faiths. I greatly admire the Uniting Church’s responses which can be viewed on their Website:

http://victas.uca.org.au/main.php?pg=download&id=239857

http://victas.uca.org.au/main.php?pg=download&id=239854

http://blogs.victas.uca.org.au/synod2008/?p=155#more-155

Although Dr. Macnab’s statements may have caused some short-term damage and hurt, long-term good can come from this. It’s good for us to be shocked out of our comfort zone and forced to re-examine our faith. It’s good for us to stop and ask what we believe and why? I find that my own faith always goes deeper and becomes stronger as a result of being examined afresh.

Also, we need to understand that there will always be those who attack the Christian faith. One of the more recent attacks on Christianity came from British sceptic Richard Dawkins and his book The God Delusion. Dawkins wrote the book to convert people to atheism. Right now Dawkins is running an advertising campaign in the UK under the slogan “There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.” It started as an aside comment from a comedian in response to a church campaign that pointed people to a website that indicated they’d be going to hell if they didn’t believe in God. An acquaintance of mine who works with the Uniting Church has posted a response to this on the Facebook group associated with the campaign suggesting an alternative logo: “There probably is a God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.” Now that sounds like a good definition of real Christianity!

Melbourne has been shocked this week by the out of control antics of students from Xavier College. Balaclava-clad students stormed the school; a student was injured in a game of murder ball. Letterboxes were damaged, a car was jumped on and residents surrounding the school were terrified.

But why are we shocked or surprised by this? We live in a relativistic society where moral laws and attitudes are being eroded; where it’s okay to show pretty well anything on TV; and where movies depict the grossest violence, language and morality. We can’t have it both ways. If longstanding principles and Christian values are removed then so will the restraint that such principles and values bring.

But please let’s not typecast all young people as thugs and hoons. And let’s not just blame the schools for this although the education system is partly to blame. The ultimate responsibility comes back to parents who need to take charge of their kids; teach them well and discipline them firmly and lovingly. It’s no good sending your kids to a Christian or church-based school (such as Xavier) if the same values are not lived out and taught at home.

All this is summed up so well in the following poem that was written by a 15 year old student from Geelong. It’s called The New School Prayer:
Now I sit me down in school
Where praying is against the rule
For this great nation under God
Finds mention of Him very odd.

If Scripture now the class recites,
It violates the Bill of Rights.
And anytime my head I bow
Becomes a Federal matter now.

Our hair can be purple, orange or green,
That’s no offense – it’s a freedom scene.
The law is specific, the law is precise.
Prayers spoken aloud are a serious vice.

For praying in a public hall
Might offend someone with no faith at all.
In silence alone we must meditate,
God’s name is prohibited by the state.

We’re allowed to cuss and dress like freaks,
And pierce our noses, tongues and cheeks.
They’ve outlawed guns, but FIRST the Bible.
To quote the Good Book makes me liable.

We can elect a pregnant Senior Queen,
And the ‘unwed daddy,’ our Senior King.
It’s ‘inappropriate’ to teach right from wrong,
We’re taught that such ‘judgments’ do not belong.

We can get our condoms and birth controls,
Study witchcraft, vampires and totem poles.
But the Ten Commandments are not allowed,
No word of God must reach this crowd.

It’s scary here I must confess,
When chaos reigns the school’s a mess.
So, Lord, this silent plea I make:
Should I be shot; My soul please take!

With the world’s financial crisis continuing to bite hard I found it amazing to read a number of news stories this week that highlight the difference between the “haves” and the “have-nots.”

The first story was of a Chinese businessman who earlier this week lost $3 million while gambling at Crown Casino. $300,000 of this money was lost in less than five minutes playing big-stakes baccarat. The Herald Sun reported that the man showed little emotion as his riches were swept away. “He seemed pretty calm about it all,” one witness said. “It’s big money but obviously he can afford it. He was still smiling.”

This story was in stark contrast to another story just six pages later headlined “Victorians sink into more debt” and detailing a dramatic increase in bankruptcies and home repossessions, as well as, an increased number of people going without food and heating in order to pay phone bills and bank fees.

Skip another five pages and we find an article on a relatively new drug that has been proven highly successful in fighting advanced stages of colon, breast and lung cancer. The problem for most people is that the drug is just too expensive. Each course costs between $2,500 and $5,700 and is beyond reach of many people. So, people are dying unnecessarily because they simply can’t afford a treatment that is readily available.

Now, back to our Chinese businessman – and many others like him – who have so much money they can smile as they lose $3 million. Now I know the arguments that this money will stay in Australia and some of it will boost government coffers. But how much of it will relieve the plight of those who are genuinely struggling to get by or simply stay alive? Meanwhile, Crown Casino are about to embark on a $500 million upgrade to its Southbank site. Yes, that does mean extra construction jobs for Victorians, but at what cost to society in general?

Those who have the privilege of wealth need to realise that with every privilege comes a responsibility. The wealthy have a responsibility to help those less fortunate. People like Bill and Melinda Gates get it. Many others do too. But still far too many don’t! If you’ve got it you have a duty to give it. Get it?