You’re so judgemental!
Issue 366: March, 2009 |
Pretty much the only thing you can guarantee when it comes to discussing the topic of judgement is that everyone thinks everyone else should be less judgemental. Except, of course, when it's universally agreed that something deserves condemnation. So I guess it's about time The Briefing got stuck into those rotten, judgemental evangelicals.
We live as part of a Christian culture committed to the truth made known by the God who speaks. Right and wrong matter; life cannot be lived without discernment. If we approve of everything, we end up believing in nothing. Even the atheists are upset at the total lack of sensible discernment present in the vast majority of the population.
So what does it mean to judge, and what does it mean to be discerning? Does God's word give us any guidance about how those who will one day judge the world should avoid passing judgement (1 Cor 6:1-8, Luke 6:37)? This issue of The Briefing is all about what it means to make wise judgements without becoming judgemental. Is it even possible?
Stephen Liggins kicks us off with a very helpful article exploring arguably the most famous verse in the Bible: “Do not judge”. As Steve points out, it's a crucial verse to understand as we seek to live shoulder to shoulder with our brothers and sisters in Christ, and as we seek to engage our world with the truth about Jesus. Following up on my review of The Shack, Archie Poulos tackles the question of how we can grow in discernment and encourage others in it too—a subject that is also dealt with in Jon Guyer's review of Tim Challies' The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment. Finally, Gordon Cheng interviews Barry Webb and gains some fascinating insights into the book of Ruth (which is also featured in this month's Bible brief). PG
Up front
- Bible resistance
- The ethics of a balanced life
- Prosperity teaching without the bling
- When life's Donne
- Redundant prayer?
Features
- Do not judge!—Stephen Liggins investigates what Jesus really meant.
- Worldly passions, holy affections: How to cultivate a discerning mind—Archie Poulos has a look at how to gain discernment and how to encourage our fellow Christians to grow in it too.
- For us or against us? Working out who to work with—Guan Un looks for answers to how you figure out whether or not you can work with someone in the Gospel of Luke.
Departments
Pastor's brief
- Preaching the gospel from Ruth—Gordon Cheng interviews Barry Webb about preaching through the book of Ruth, aliens and outsiders, the law, redeemers and the greatest rescuer of all.
Bookshelf
- The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment by Tim Challies—Jon Guyer discusses a book that helps Christians sort right from wrong.
- Engaging with Barth edited by David Gibson and Daniel Strange—Andrew Barry reviews a collection of essays about one of the greatest theologians of the 20th century.
Bible brief
- Daily readings on Ruth—by Mark Barry.
Epilogue
- Censorship, art and pornography—Phillip Jensen reflects on the issues surrounding the Bill Henson controversy (in which Bill Henson, an Australian photographer, exhibited a number of photographs of young, naked adolescents at a Sydney art gallery).
Interchange
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Stephen Liggins's article provided a helpful distinction between judgement and discernment. As I read, I was reminded that James provides some helpful teaching in James 2:1-13 to further support Stephen's message. In this passage, James gives the example of those showing judgement by preferring the rich brother above the poor brother. The suggestion is that the fawning behaviour that exalts the rich person and ignores the poor person is based on false, worldly criteria or the hope of personal gain. James suggests that the judgement made reveals the nature of the hearts of those who make it. As well as revealing the hypocrisy of such distinctions, James follows this immediately with a reminder that such impartiality fails to fulfil the royal law: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself”. This confirms Stephen's assertion that love is a key determiner of the difference between judgement and discernment. James concludes by exhorting his readers to “so speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. For judgement is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgement.”
Philip Cooney of Wentworth Falls, NSW, AUS (08/04/2009)