{"id":25456,"date":"2020-09-14T16:22:57","date_gmt":"2020-09-14T21:22:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tampaseo.expert\/focus\/?p=25456"},"modified":"2020-09-14T16:22:57","modified_gmt":"2020-09-14T21:22:57","slug":"to-the-young-exchanging-christianity-for-activism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tampaseo.expert\/focus\/2020\/09\/14\/to-the-young-exchanging-christianity-for-activism\/","title":{"rendered":"To the young exchanging Christianity for activism"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

For the next few months I\u2019m going to pause the Letters to my Children and instead pen letters to people who have walked away from Jesus and His church. While these letters are written to a generic audience of people who have left the church, most will be written with a particular person in mind\u2026in hopes that they will think seriously about where they stand.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

Dear friend,<\/p>\n\n\n

It\u2019s been a long time since I\u2019ve seen you smile. Oh, I see you \u201csmiling\u201d in social media posts, but there is a distinct difference in your smile today, versus 2-3 years ago. You\u2019ve lost that spark that used to light up your entire face. There is a bitterness and hardness in your posts that makes me sad. It seems that you have gone off to college and have been \u201cenlightened\u201d by professors who want you to have a more open mind, and in the process, you have turned your back on almost everything you were taught when you were younger. And that \u201cenlightenment\u201d has brought with it a dark cloud that hovers over you.<\/p>\n\n\n

You now champion the pro-choice movement. You protest at Black Lives Matter rallies. You demand gender equality in everything. Your posts center around things like being empowered, toxic masculinity, and white privilege. You have surrounded yourself with likeminded liberal friends and have stopped talking to the Christians you grew up with. And, sadly, your relationship with God has grown cold. It\u2019s painfully obvious to anyone who has known you for a few years.<\/p>\n\n\n

I realize that according to your college courses I am a big part of the \u201cproblem.\u201d I am a conservative white male, which according to some of your professors ranks me just slightly above being a terrorist. And I also realize that you are likely not to pay much attention to what I say because I am a white male.<\/p>\n\n\n

However, I would beg you for just a few minutes to focus on a single word: soul<\/strong>. Do your newfound political alliances enrich the soul God gave you? Do your friends honestly care about where your soul will spend eternity? Do your professors that are filling your head with all of this new liberal information even believe you have a soul? If you died tonight, where would your soul spend eternity? When is the last time you thought about your own soul?<\/p>\n\n\n

Deep down in the recesses of your mind you know the evidence is there that Jesus walked the earth. You know the tomb was empty. You probably even miss some of the songs you grew up singing. Please reconsider the path you have started down.<\/p>\n\n\n

You probably suspect I am going to make this plea about \u201cus\u201d versus \u201cthem.\u201d That\u2019s not my goal. I am a sinner, just like your new friends\u2026 and so my goal is not to have you pick sides\u2014my goal is to rekindle your love with the only person who has walked this earth who was not a sinner\u2014Jesus Christ. It\u2019s not about whether I agree politically with your new ideology. It\u2019s not about taking \u201csides.\u201d It\u2019s about whether we can be united in Christ, and redeemed by His blood.<\/p>\n\n\n

Yes, I will freely admit to you that the church has not gotten everything right. I will admit there are hypocrites in the church (just like there are in all groups). Hypocrites (and everyone else) need the blood of Jesus! I will even admit that I grew up in an educational system that emphasized the accomplishments of white men. But none of that changes the very real fact that you and I need Jesus. He (and He alone) is the source of true peace, joy, and salvation.<\/p>\n\n\n

I beg you to take some time over the next few days and think about your soul. Think about your inner peace and where your allegiance is. Consider how much true joy and happiness you have in your life. And then ask yourself, am I on His side\u2014because at the end of the day that is the only side that matters. I hope you will think on these things.<\/p>\n\n\n

Until next time, I continue to pray for you,<\/p>\n\n\n

Brad<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For the next few months I\u2019m going to pause the Letters to my Children and instead pen letters to people who have walked away from Jesus and His church. 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