Tuesday, April 24, 2007

More on condoms

Was lying in bed thinking about condoms last night and I got on to another train of thought with regards to what makes us uncomfortable?

People are uncomfortable with the team here handing out condoms with a bible. But there are so many others areas of life that I think Christians are comfortable where they should be uncomfortable. It’s funny how we focus on the big behaviours or the ones we assume we would never do or have done as a Christian.

How many of us are truly uncomfortable with poverty that we decide not to hand our money to certain companies?

How many of us are uncomfortable with war that we make our voice heard?

How many decide not to hand money to chocolate companies, because of slave trade?

How many of us are truly uncomfortable with huge supermarkets and the loss of local trade to the point that we only use local trades people?

But I here you cry, it isn’t the same, giving out the condoms means we somehow give our consent to sex outside of marriage?

I know as an argument this is a little flimsy, because we fail in one area doesn’t render us powerless or quiet in another area.

But we love to have something that we say is wrong, it’s just that we decide!

What other contradictions do we see?

Someone sent me this yesterday:

I'm not sure Jesus will be focusing on what we did and didn't do in terms of sins, but looking at who we are - heart, head and behaviours. Someone has sex because of loneliness, insecurity, status, needing to feel needed, asserting prowess, manliness, sexiness, beauty..in the words of rob bell.. needing to feel connected to the bigger picture. I kind of think Jesus is more interested in all those things that motivate someone to seek out having sex as a way of feeling good.

Lets not overly focus on the sex, or the condoms.

It’s early I have a really busy day and I hope this doesn’t sound self righteous?

I just think there is further to go on the whole “what Christians decide is wrong” thing??? We have a very evangelical mindset a lot of the time, smoking, drinking, sex etc… all are easy to point the finger at.

What about rich churches and starving babies?

13 comments:

Tanya Heasley said...

I once watched a crowd of people shout abuse at a man who was found guilty of killing a family due to drinking and driving.

I wonder how many of those people shouting had never drunk (not even a small glass of wine or half a pint of beer) then drive a car.

I know I have.

Was they shouting at him because the man had been drinking before driving or because he killed a family. Both are 'wrong', but I feel the crowd shouting abuse at the man is far worse because none of them were perfect.

Tim said...

i totally agree....i thought i was interesting? that no one really commented on the two previous posts about fear and control. i think that if i had to name 2 things that were "killing" people it would be those, but what are doing about it?? does our own fear and control hold us back from fully letting people meet jesus they way he wants to meet them or do we expect them to meet him in the way we did and then when they dont look quite like we did what do we do?? judge them??

Mimosa said...

Really good post again Brian, love the challenge you bring up.

dave wiggins said...

what about churches spending 95% on salaries and 5% on mission

what about ME spending more on eating, cinema, drinking and fuel than i give to the poor

what about handing out £26 for sky and worrying how to afford £18 to sponsor my kid

what about governments spending on nuclear weapons whatthey could spend on freeing every african nation

justa few more off the cuff ...

dave wiggins said...

also ... did you hear about the condom that was flying around the room?


it got pissed off?? (too far)

Anonymous said...

Can we change the subject now please?

Brian said...

Yes wiggy far too far!
Anonymous, yes, lets change the subject

Anonymous said...

Hallelujah, yes a change of subject, I cried when i read the correspondence the other night. I had just read about us Brits being the 2nd biggest suppliers in the modern slave trade - the arms trade. I am in my 40's and I loose sleep over my frustration that my pension plans & insurance policies (and those of the church I belong to) are based on the suffering of the poorest/weakest (and that none of my other fellow christians seem to care!). I need the stones to be thrown at me for my indifference. Lord have mercy on me for always picking on the young people and their struggles (such easy targets) rather than pulling the log out of my own eye of comfortable middle aged christ-less-ianity.

Anonymous said...

Totally loved what your bro said on his blog about all this

John 3:17 'For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.'

Say no more - the truth is powerful! I think it's amazing what you guys are doing out there - practical Jesus'!

Brian in NC said...

John 3:17 is one of my favorite scriptures awesome anon....hey yea I think the condom thing has got overblown, the bottom line is Brian and his team have prayed about it and they feel like they should do it...that works for me. Brian just continue letting that Holy Ghost
guide you and your team....God Bless yall as we say in the Southern USA :)

shawnman said...

all i can say is that i'm extremely thankful for the mercy, grace and power of God. i'm grateful for the mercy in that God doesn't strike me down when i do something stupid (i wouldn't be standing much). i'm grateful for the grace He gives me to live a life. and i'm extremely thankful that He allows me to flow in His annointing to heal the sick, cast out devils, raise the dead... all that good fun stuff. i don't know about anyone else, but i'm extremely thankful for the cross of Christ and the stripes that were taken so that i might have life in the Spirit of God. Thanks for Your life Jesus! may we as believers use wisdom to go throughout our day and glorify Your name to the max!

john heasley said...

I know its late in the day , but you are going to need 2 condoms for the irish workers........to be sure,to be sure.

Anonymous said...

Brian,

I've just seen Graham and he's going to drop me off a load of condoms (unused) tomorrow for me to bring back to Ibiza with me.

Steve