Monday, February 4, 2013

YEARS OF DISOBEDIENCE

There is actually a doctrine that if you disobey God's commands to get right with a Christian you have wronged, God will eventually accept your sin. Which brings up the question: "How many years do you have to disobey God's commands to get things right, before God will accept your sin?"

My college vice-president was a former Green Beret (FGB) who was forced out of the college for supporting and protecting violent gangs among the student body. He had a strong policy of never gong back to someone he had wronged to make things right, explaining that his wrongs were "water under the bridge." He then built a successful church that included a successful school.

And then one day, Al Gore invented the internet. The FGB found himself the topic of a Christian hate site dedicated to his misdeeds. A couple dozen of his victims wrote in, and his church members began following the hate site, causing problems in his church. His defenders pointed out that he was winning more souls to Christ than his critics, and then a tech-savvy critic found out that all of his supporters were paid staff members of his church.

Believe it or not, I am actually on good terms with the FGB. I urged him to post an apology and admission of guilt, but he never answered me.

The best friend of a gang member who had been expelled began writing a series, claiming that the violent gang stories were false. After a few years, someone pointed out the solid track record of lying and church abuse that the defender had, using the abuser's real name.

Thirty-eight years later, the FGB's wrongs against the saints are still coming up.