Comments on: The Church is Full of Hypocrites. Deal with it. http://blog.adamdiehl.com/2007/01/11/the-church-is-full-of-hypocrites-deal-with-it/ {blog of adam} Tue, 31 Aug 2010 17:38:10 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9 hourly 1 By: pattiT http://blog.adamdiehl.com/2007/01/11/the-church-is-full-of-hypocrites-deal-with-it/comment-page-1/#comment-442 pattiT Tue, 16 Jan 2007 15:29:57 +0000 http://blog.adamdiehl.com/2007/01/11/the-church-is-full-of-hypocrites-deal-with-it/#comment-442 what i'm getting from all of your posts is that we should focus not on ourselves but on the work of Christ that He has all ready done & the work He continues to do in us. what i’m getting from all of your posts is that we should focus not on ourselves but on the work of Christ that He has all ready done & the work He continues to do in us.

]]> By: Todd Helmkamp http://blog.adamdiehl.com/2007/01/11/the-church-is-full-of-hypocrites-deal-with-it/comment-page-1/#comment-415 Todd Helmkamp Fri, 12 Jan 2007 16:07:21 +0000 http://blog.adamdiehl.com/2007/01/11/the-church-is-full-of-hypocrites-deal-with-it/#comment-415 "As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed,he remembers that we are dust." Psalm 103:13-14 That might be a good verse to pull out the next time you try to explain why you can be a hypocrite and a follower of God. Works for me. “As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;
for he knows how we are formed,he remembers that we
are dust.”

Psalm 103:13-14

That might be a good verse to pull out the next time you try to explain why you can be a hypocrite and a follower of God. Works for me.

]]> By: Carma http://blog.adamdiehl.com/2007/01/11/the-church-is-full-of-hypocrites-deal-with-it/comment-page-1/#comment-414 Carma Fri, 12 Jan 2007 14:28:10 +0000 http://blog.adamdiehl.com/2007/01/11/the-church-is-full-of-hypocrites-deal-with-it/#comment-414 A church that I used to attend focused on reaching the exteremly lost and hurt. They often gave us the same comment about hypocrites. We agreed that we all can be hyopcritical, but the church allows us to help each other become less hypcritical. A church that I used to attend focused on reaching the exteremly lost and hurt. They often gave us the same comment about hypocrites. We agreed that we all can be hyopcritical, but the church allows us to help each other become less hypcritical.

]]> By: joe http://blog.adamdiehl.com/2007/01/11/the-church-is-full-of-hypocrites-deal-with-it/comment-page-1/#comment-413 joe Fri, 12 Jan 2007 01:09:15 +0000 http://blog.adamdiehl.com/2007/01/11/the-church-is-full-of-hypocrites-deal-with-it/#comment-413 @anita: That is so true. Agreeing with a non christian about hypocrisy in the church, and even in ourselves, disarms them and catches them off guard. It isn't what they expect, and it could very easily open the door to have a discussion about their own relationship with God! @anita: That is so true. Agreeing with a non christian about hypocrisy in the church, and even in ourselves, disarms them and catches them off guard. It isn’t what they expect, and it could very easily open the door to have a discussion about their own relationship with God!

]]> By: Anita http://blog.adamdiehl.com/2007/01/11/the-church-is-full-of-hypocrites-deal-with-it/comment-page-1/#comment-412 Anita Fri, 12 Jan 2007 00:13:34 +0000 http://blog.adamdiehl.com/2007/01/11/the-church-is-full-of-hypocrites-deal-with-it/#comment-412 I really think it's ok to say the church is full of hypocrites. This is a fact, because we are human. I think we don't have to be confused about absolute truth. Isn't absolute truth in God's Word? Non Christians don't see and cannot understand spiritual things, but to agree with a non Christian and say that the church is full of hypocrites, I think is a powerful 'common groud' that might help them see we aren't arguing with them. It might take the arguement out of them, and bring them closer to knowing 'TRUTH'. I really think it’s ok to say the church is full of hypocrites. This is a fact, because we are human. I think we don’t have to be confused about absolute truth. Isn’t absolute truth in God’s Word?

Non Christians don’t see and cannot understand spiritual things, but to agree with a non Christian and say that the church is full of hypocrites, I think is a powerful ‘common groud’ that might help them see we aren’t arguing with them. It might take the arguement out of them, and bring them closer to knowing ‘TRUTH’.

]]> By: joe http://blog.adamdiehl.com/2007/01/11/the-church-is-full-of-hypocrites-deal-with-it/comment-page-1/#comment-411 joe Thu, 11 Jan 2007 18:45:44 +0000 http://blog.adamdiehl.com/2007/01/11/the-church-is-full-of-hypocrites-deal-with-it/#comment-411 Hypocrisy...I think that the reason a non-Christian doesn't want to get involved with a bunch of hypocrites is simple: Who are we to go around and tell everyone what the truth is, who God is, and what's right and what's wrong, when we can't even live up to our own standard? When I ask non-Christians the same question, "What does a church full of hypocrites have to do with you?", they typically respond that they would much rather go down the street and join the Mormons or Buddhism, because at least those religions preach standards the people involved live up to. Admittedly, I often find myself in these deeper conversations with people who have a bare minimum of a Bachelors Degree or it's equivalent, from a secular school, have a tendency to be either universalist or pluralistic in nature, and have watched Christians and the church in general preach one thing and then say another. It's hard to explain anything to them, because they are spiritually dead. They can't begin to understand or comprehend that I am a hypocrite, but that's ok, because the point isn't my failure, or hypocrisy, it's God's ability to restore me and continue to shape me <i>in spite of</i> my failures. Is it possible that when we talk to lost people about the things of God, is it the equivalent of me sitting in on a lecture on building rocket ship engines? Do they really understand what I'm talking about? Does it make sense to them? Furthermore, in a pluralistic society, who am I to think that I could possibly have anything even close to absolute truth? I certainly can't rely on my experience, because the experiences of the lost are just as real to them as mine are to me.....aaaaahhhhhh....the terrible paradox of faith. Hypocrisy…I think that the reason a non-Christian doesn’t want to get involved with a bunch of hypocrites is simple:

Who are we to go around and tell everyone what the truth is, who God is, and what’s right and what’s wrong, when we can’t even live up to our own standard?

When I ask non-Christians the same question, “What does a church full of hypocrites have to do with you?”, they typically respond that they would much rather go down the street and join the Mormons or Buddhism, because at least those religions preach standards the people involved live up to.

Admittedly, I often find myself in these deeper conversations with people who have a bare minimum of a Bachelors Degree or it’s equivalent, from a secular school, have a tendency to be either universalist or pluralistic in nature, and have watched Christians and the church in general preach one thing and then say another.

It’s hard to explain anything to them, because they are spiritually dead. They can’t begin to understand or comprehend that I am a hypocrite, but that’s ok, because the point isn’t my failure, or hypocrisy, it’s God’s ability to restore me and continue to shape me in spite of my failures.

Is it possible that when we talk to lost people about the things of God, is it the equivalent of me sitting in on a lecture on building rocket ship engines? Do they really understand what I’m talking about? Does it make sense to them?

Furthermore, in a pluralistic society, who am I to think that I could possibly have anything even close to absolute truth? I certainly can’t rely on my experience, because the experiences of the lost are just as real to them as mine are to me…..aaaaahhhhhh….the terrible paradox of faith.

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