i have a concern, and i am not sure anyone can truly help - though you never know. when i talk with my more conservative partners in ministry and mention that i detest any forms of gossip, rude talk or rude behavior within the a christian community i am quickly countered with the "but we are only human" argument. they say that we can not judge a christian by the way they talk - even though i can point to a number of scriptures that say we must live a peace-filled, grace-bounded, forgiving-centerded life - i am told that as humans this is impossible - ok, i understand but i can not accept the argument. but here's where i have the problem:

my wife smokes: if i had a dollar for everytime i was told that that was unacceptable for a christian, and even more so for a ministers wife, i would be right. they say that 'the body is a temple' and smoking hurts the temple. interesting, because when given a simular argument jesus said it is not what goes in that hurts, but what comes out - words, gossip; hurtful words where people desire control.

i like to drink: now i am not a lush, but i do enjoy a good glass of wine, or an ice cold wheat beer, with a nice cut of beef. when i mention that i drink, christians freak. even though thay can show no supporting scripture to say that drinking is wrong, they insist that as a true christian i not drink.

i use "culture rich" words. if i kept all the email i got for the article "10 reasons your church sucks" it would have filled my in box 20 times. now, none of the email said i was wrong in what i said, they just could not deal with the fact that a minister uses the word "sucks." the emails dealt with the fact that "such lanuage is not proper for a minister, or for a christian at all." well, piss on that (my email address is john@ginkworld.net).

i am amazed at the duelism of conservative christianity - they have confused social issues with bibical realities, and they see the outside as proof of a life in christ - bad form guys.

pax