Toxic Environments in Christian Culture

I really wanted to write a Christmas blog this week but this has been on my heart.

Why are so many Christian discussions like comment sections so toxic? It makes me sad. Where is the love? Just because you can quote scripture doesn’t mean you know scripture.

So many Christians take a few scriptures and use that as a license to judge.

Didn’t Jesus tell you not to judge?

Stop taking a few verses out of context in order to behave like you are God, you are not.

All you’re doing is pushing people away from the Lord, your job as a Christian on Earth is to bring others to Jesus and take care of the needy. Not tear down your brothers and sisters in Christ.

It’s okay to go to other Christians and attempt to reconcile them with God. But it seems that many only wish to “expose” false preachers or pastors. They’re obsessed with certain scriptures and want to comment on every video that doesn’t go along with their beliefs. I notice many people like this also mock, laugh and insult others. I see people like this say, “LOL” at someone’s response to them or call them a bad name. I have even seen people curse as they argue.

This leads to the other side becoming heated as well.

Watching Christians argue over the Lord in such hateful ways is really heartbreaking.

Others see it to, imagine if you weren’t a believer and go to check out a video sermon and see Christians behaving this way?  How does that make the church look?

Unfortunately many are leaving the faith not because of God but because of a toxic environment they’re experiencing. It’s up to us to show the Light of God to those who need it, not cover that Light up and let darkness take over.

Read Paul’s letters, when speaking of correcting the peoples ways he did so in a loving manner, not an angry, judgmental way.

Speaking of Paul, after reading some of his letters recently, it hit me. We are still dealing with the same problems in the church 2,000 years later. In Paul’s day people argued over scripture, some were abusing their grace and letting the outside world influence them, while others were still holding on to the law so harshly that there appeared to be no grace at all. People were arguing over who they followed, saying they were followers of Paul or Titus or Peter or James or another, the predecessor to all the denominational differences of today. Some were complaining about giving any money to their church and didn’t want to tithe. Believers didn’t know what do believe so it was chaos and bickering.

Does this sound familiar?

Paul addressed all these issues. Now in this day and age people take a bit of Paul’s letters and other scriptures out of the Bible in order to win arguments but they don’t realize they are behaving in a way that he spoke out against.

What it all comes down to is you have to pray to God, you have to LISTEN to God, if you can’t hear the voice of God that is a problem. But fear not, you still have the Bible.

WWJD is not just a bumper sticker or a bracelet. Know how Jesus would have handled a situation, don’t just look at one situation, but follow His entire story. Jesus was the most loving and forgiving person to ever walk this Earth. Try to show the same love and forgiveness God does, He knows best.

I am not going to be a hypocrite and judge those who lash out in comments sections or any other platform. I have run theories in my head to why they people behave that way but I am not going to entertain those thoughts and tear those people down. I don’t know what is truly in their hearts, only God knows.

I just pray that we all do God’s will.

Have a blessed week,
Chris