Gregory Koukl's Blog, page 8

���Jesus Said You Shouldn���t Judge���

A while back, I posted the following comment on my Facebook Page:

Everyone���Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Jew, New Ager, Atheist���needs to answer the same question: What makes humans valuable in the first place?

Normally, I don���t take the time to rehash a Facebook post, but the response I got was extremely characteristic of our culture and deserves some careful thinking. Under the circumstances, I thought it might be instructive to take a closer look at the retort and then walk through how I would respond.

The retort I got was:

The Buddhists already know. You���d know that if you research them before blindly judging them. You Christians are good at judging, so I wasn���t surprised. I think Jesus told you not to judge, or you���d be judged yourself.

It seems like a Christian can���t say almost anything without someone chiming in, ���Jesus said you shouldn���t judge!��� For this reason, I think it will be very beneficial to carefully think through how one should respond to this particular challenge.

First, notice that I didn���t say that Buddhism doesn���t have an answer to the question. I simply pointed out that everyone, not just the Christian, needs to answer the question. The commenter seems to assume something about me; namely that I don���t believe Buddhism can explain human value. Moreover, he believes that I���ve come to this conclusion without doing any research, and that I���m ���blindly judging them.���

If you are an astute reader, you���ve probably already picked up on the hypocrisy riddled throughout this comment. Hasn���t this person done exactly what he accused me of doing? Isn't he blindly judging me without knowing anything about me? How does he know I haven���t done my homework on Buddhism? The truth is, it was just assumed.

So my first more general point is that the ���judgment sword��� cuts both ways. He cannot escape the charge. In fact, nobody can! Here is a little helpful question that I use whenever someone accuses me of judging. The first words off my lips are, ���Why are you judging me?���

In this instance, the comment was dripping with judgment. The commenter seems to think it���s fine for him to judge me, but when Christians judge, it���s wrong! Why is it only okay for him, but not for me? It seems to me that there couldn���t be a clearer example of a hypocritical judgment. This brings me to my next, more specific, point.

Second, this person goes even further and makes the very common exegetical mistake that Jesus said we should never judge. He says, ���I think Jesus told you not to judge, or you���d be judged yourself.���

Let me be very clear, Jesus never said not to judge. This isn���t my opinion. This isn���t up for debate. If words mean anything, Jesus couldn���t have said not to judge. Just read the text:

���Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother���s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ���Let me take the speck out of your eye,��� when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother���s eye.��� (Matthew 7:1-5)

This text is not prohibiting all judging; it���s prohibiting hypocritical and self-righteous judging. Read verse 5 carefully! Jesus says, ���You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother���s eye.���

Jesus is spelling out the steps to take to make a proper judgment. He is explaining to his audience how to make a proper judgment (���then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother���s eye���).

Jesus isn���t a solitary voice on this issue either. The Apostle Paul affirms Jesus��� word in his second letter to Timothy. He says, ���Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage ��� with great patience and careful instruction��� (2 Timothy 4:2).

Now just ask yourself, how does one ���correct, rebuke, and encourage��� without making judgments? It would be impossible.

The irony is that this commenter has unwittingly made Jesus and Paul���s point! The comment was a rebuke of my original comment, and thus a judgment. It turns out that this rebuke was both unfounded (because he didn���t really know my beliefs about Buddhism) and uninformed (because he misunderstands Jesus��� words taken in context). But it wasn���t just any judgment; it was a hypocritical and prideful judgment, which is exactly what Jesus was warning against.

So remember: Jesus never said not to judge. In fact, the command to judge is implicit in His words recorded in Matthew 7. However, we must not judge with a prideful or self-righteous heart. We must remain humble and self-reflective; never forgetting that we, too, are sinful and no better than anyone else.

Are Secular Psychological Principles Compatible with the Sufficiency of Scripture?

Alan explains how the sufficiency of Scripture does not imply that the use of secular psychological principles and practices is invalid.

 

 

Newsletters: Textual Variants, Following God, and Letting God Take the Heat

The guys had some interesting newsletters in May:

Textual Variants: It���s the Nature, Not the Number, That Matters by Tim Barnett: ���A textual variant is any place among the manuscripts in which there is variation in wording, including word order, omission or addition of words, even spelling differences. Most scholars put the number of variants for the New Testament at around 400,000. This is a staggering number when coupled with the fact that there are only about 138,000 words in the Greek New Testament. That means there are almost three variants per word. Do you feel the weight of this challenge? You should. No other document from the ancient world has this many textual variants. Yet, I believe that the New Testament is the most reliable document from antiquity. How can this be?��� (Read more.)


God Will Not Call You into Something He Has Already Called You Out Of by Brett Kunkle: ���I always tell students that loving people well means telling them the truth, even if it upsets them.... Truth-telling is an important way to love people. The Apostle John instructs, ���Let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth��� (1 John 3:18).... As I worked up the courage to speak, I was reminded of Francis Schaeffer���s words: ���Truth carries with it confrontation. Truth demands confrontation; loving confrontation, but confrontation nevertheless.������ (Read more.)


Letting God Take the Heat by Alan Shlemon: ���Over the last decade as a Stand to Reason speaker, I���ve been yelled at, cursed at, and even threatened. Somehow, though, I haven���t yelled back, cursed back, or threatened anyone. In fact, I respond to such attacks in a rather calm way. How do I keep my cool? Here���s my secret: I let God take the heat.��� (Read more.)

You can subscribe to their newsletters here.

Links Mentioned on the 7/01/16 Show

The following is a rundown of today's podcast, annotated with links that were either mentioned on the show or inspired by it:

Commentary: Interview: Alan Shlemon on Students Engaging in Pro-Life Dialogue (0:00)

STR's pro-life (and apologetics) mission trips
The Case for Life by Scott Klusendorf
Precious Unborn Human Persons by Greg Koukl
How Should We Use Graphic Images? by Amy Hall (Includes video of Scott Klusendorf)

Questions:

1. How is the Christian God a better explanation than the multiverse? (0:33)

J. Warner Wallace explains eight attributes of design
God's Crime Scene by J. Warner Wallace

2. Is there ever a time to be combative when witnessing? (0:52)

Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions by Greg Koukl

Listen to today's show or download any archived show for free. (Find links from past shows here.)

To take part in the Twitter conversation during the live show (Tuesdays 4:00���6:00 p.m. PT), follow @STRtweets and use the hashtag #STRtalk.

Challenge Response: We Can���t Really Know We���re Right and Other People Are Wrong

Here's my response to this week's challenge:

Links Mentioned on the 6/29/16 Show

The following is a rundown of today's podcast, annotated with links that were either mentioned on the show or inspired by it:

Commentary: The Yearling Move (0:00) / Reasoning from Different Worldviews (0:06)

The Yearling
Rules for Radicals by Saul Alinsky
The Story of Reality: How the World Began, How It Ends, and Everything Important that Happens in Between by Greg Koukl

Questions:

��� Announcements:

STR Cruise to Alaska ��� August 6���13, 2016 
Upcoming events with STR speakers
Greg will be speaking on Tactics in London on July 2
Greg will be speaking at Disciples Church in Leatherhead, UK on July 3

1. Should we focus on one main thing in life or a variety of things? (0:22)

2. How to witness to a man who follows A Course in Miracles? (0:31)

Statement on A Course in Miracles from the Christian Research Institute
The Secret: A Fatal Attraction by Greg Koukl

3. Dominionism is counterproductive in the public square. (0:41)

4. Comments on multiverse call (0:50)

Listen to today's show or download any archived show for free. (Find links from past shows here.)

To take part in the Twitter conversation during the live show (Tuesdays 4:00���6:00 p.m. PT), follow @STRtweets and use the hashtag #STRtalk.

An Important Distinction about Orlando and Islam

After the Orlando shooting, there was an almost reflexive response by analysts who gave the usual talking points about how Islam is a religion of peace and its practitioners are peaceful people. What the Orlando killer did, many Muslims and pundits said, had nothing to do with Islam. Terrorists are simply hijacking Islam. True Muslims oppose the Orlando killer���s behavior. Saying the shooting was Islamic terrorism wrongly brands all Muslims as violent people or terrorists. There needs to be more nuance, though.

One of the things I routinely call for when I teach on this subject is the importance of making a critical distinction between two things: Islam and Muslims. Islam is the religion and its teachings. Muslims are the people who follow Islam. These two are different. Just because a religion teaches something, that doesn���t mean all of its practitioners believe or obey that teaching.

The same is true with the distinction between Christianity and Christians. The Bible, for example, teaches that God hates divorce, that it violates our vow to God, and is forbidden with a few exceptions (I know this is debated, but that���s not my point here). Divorce, in most cases, is a sin and prohibited for Christians. There are many Christians, though, who don���t follow biblical teaching on this topic and have divorced, contrary to biblical guidelines. It���s fair to say, then, that although Christianity teaches that divorce is wrong, many Christians don���t observe that teaching.

The same is true with Islam and Muslims. Islam teaches that violent jihad is a valid Islamic doctrine. This is taught in three authoritative sources of Islam. The Qur���an, what Muslims believe is the literal word of Allah, teaches violent jihad in the Medinan surahs (the passages allegedly revealed to Mohammed when he lived in Medina). Read surah 9 of the Qur���an for just one example. The hadith, what Mohammed said and approved of, also teaches violent jihad. Read Sahih Muslim, book 1:29-33 for just one example. Finally, the Sunnah, the life example set by Mohammed, teaches violent jihad. Read The Life of Mohammed by Ibn Ishaq for just one example. My point is not to give all the citations from each of these three sources. I provide some in The Ambassador���s Guide to Islam, and they are also available with a quick Google search. My point is that Islam ��� the religion and its teaching ��� affirms that violent jihad is a valid Islamic doctrine.

To be clear, I���m not saying that Islam teaches that any Muslim can attack any non-Muslim at any time and for any reason. The commands to engage in jihad have conditions that need to be met before Muslims can attack. Also, once certain conditions are met, Muslims must cease hostility. I���m simply saying that Islam affirms violent jihad.

Some people are critical of my comments, claiming that I���m demonizing Muslim people. That���s not true. I���ll be the first to say that most Muslims are not violent people. Not only is my family from the Middle East, but over the years I���ve known and interacted with Muslims of all stripes. When they���ve come to my family���s home, they are kind, respectful, and even bring gifts. When I���ve visited their homes, they are hospitable, gracious, and kind. I���ve been going to mosques in both the United States and the Middle East (and taking Christian groups to them) for years and never have had a problem.

These Muslims don���t observe the command to fight. Many of them try to reform Islam by making it less violent, while others are simply ignorant of its teachings. Around 70% of Muslims are nominal (Muslim in name only). They don���t study the Qur���an, hadith, or Sunnah. They don���t even attend their local mosque. They���re born in a Muslim family or Islamic country and adopt Islam by default. These Muslims want to lead peaceful lives.

That���s why I���m mystified by the backlash against those who point out that Islam ��� the religion and its teachings ��� affirms that violent jihad is a valid Islamic doctrine, while also recognizing that most Muslims are ignorant of those teachings or reject them. This is an accurate and honest view that makes the important distinction between Islam and Muslims.

Furthermore, this view makes sense of reality. There are many acts of violence perpetrated by Muslims who cite Islamic authoritative sources as justification for their actions. There are also many Muslims who denounce these violent acts and refuse to engage in violent jihad. To deny either that Islamic sources affirm violent jihad or that many Muslims don���t live consistently with those teachings is to deny reality.

As ambassadors for Jesus, however, we���re commanded to proclaim the message of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18-20) to all Muslims, whether nominal or adhering to violent jihad doctrine. Though governments may distinguish between different kinds of Muslims, the Gospel does not. Every Muslim, indeed every person, is guilty of committing crimes against God and deserves to be punished. God, though, offers a pardon to every one of us. That���s the message we���re commanded to share with every Muslim we encounter.

Challenge: We Can���t Really Know We���re Right and Other People Are Wrong

In a post titled ���I Was a Hardcore Christian, but This Is Why I Lost My Faith,��� this was one of the realizations the writer had that drew her away from Christianity:

[H]ow arrogant I was, to think that my form of small-town Southern-Ontario Catholic Christianity was the only way that people could come to know God properly, when there are billions of people all over the world who reach out to all kinds of higher powers and forms of spiritual enlightenment all the time? And those people feel the same kind of assurance, peace, and goodness that I do? I can't have the nerve to say that these people were wrong because how they relate to their god is different than mine, when all I have to justify my belief is a book.

This is definitely an idea you will run into: Billions of people have spiritual lives, so how can we claim we���re right and they���re wrong just because they���re different? How would you counsel someone who expressed this view? Can we know spiritual truth? How would you go about finding it? Tell us what you would say in the comments below, and Alan will post a video with his response on Thursday.

[Explore past challenges here and here.]

How to Evaluate Different Points of View

Greg shares steps to take when assessing and responding to opposing points of view, in this case, views on hell. (Excerpt from June 1, 2016 podcast)

Talk with Greg Tuesday

Greg is back and hosting the podcast live Tuesday 4-6 p.m. PT.  All open calls for two hours.

Ask your question. Share a piece of your mind. Call with your question or comment at (855) 243-9975, outside the U.S. (562) 424-8229. The broadcast is live Tuesday 4-6 p.m. P.T. ��� commentary and your calls. Streaming live online.

Listen live online. Join us on Twitter during the program @STRtweets.

The program is two hours now, and one hour podcast episodes are posted on Wednesday and Friday.