christian author has problem with conservatives

for the complete cnn article click here

whatever your opinion of donald miller - i find he makes some good sense (at least to me). one of the hardest things to get my head around, in the life and ministry of jesus, is the fact that sinners were attracted to him. they even sought him out. i once attended a renovare conference in dc, and dallas willard said one word he would use to describe jesus is - "comfortable." i remember thinking - really? of all the words the words to describe jesus - comfortable??

but he is right, jesus was comfortable amongst all kinds of people with all kinds of views of the world.

the below quote from miller is from the cnn article:

"I felt, once again, that there was this underlying hostility for homosexuals and Democrats and, well, hippie types. I cannot tell you how much I did not want liberal or gay people to be my enemies. I liked them," he wrote. "The real issue in the Christian community was that (love) was conditional ... You were loved in word, but there was, without question, a social commodity that was being withheld from you until you shaped up."

i happen to agree with him - and i think we have trouble with this because we are living in a "christian nation." we have grown "comfortable" fighting fire with fire, at the expense of the gospel even. gays want to run our schools - well we will show them, by writing hate mail, and picketing with "god hates gays" signs. but that is just more of the same. the/our war is NOT flesh and blood, and we don't fight with the weapons of the world. we find ways to lovingly call people to the way of christ - the way of his kingdom.

now, don't misunderstand me, i don't believe the world is going to end in a "big group hug." judgement will come, and in some ways, has already come to our world. our call is to be faithful - and plead and pursuade people to surrender their wills to the creator of the universe who has lovingly and sacrificially made a way for us to find eternal life. but is that what we are doing? or are we "mad" b/c we aren't getting our way?