I don’t know another way to deal with real life in a Christ honoring way other than to embrace the tension and messiness.

One person’s bravery is another’s stupidity. :) I really didn’t weight the costs heavily enough for it to be brave I just did it. James, on the otherhand, was certainly brave.

Yes, “confession for the sake of repentance is good.” Repenting for what is in our heart not what we get out of it, forgiveness. True contrition is the key.

Thanks for the sermon link. I will check into it. Rule following on one level is easier but it is a prison. Living in the mess in light of Christ is the task. Not an easy one but the right one.

That being said, I want to spend more time on my sins and worry less about other people’s sins. Especially those sins that don’t tempt me. It’s just too easy to focus on something with which I don’t struggle. Ah, human nature!

“Confession for the sake of repentance.” I like that. I know, in my own life, I often use confession for the sake of forgiveness when I’m not truly repentant.

Andy Stanley did a fantastic series called “Christian” some time ago. He basically is talking about the ‘Christian’ brand and the difference between that and actually following Jesus. One sermon was called “When Gracie Met Truthy” and it directly addresses the messiness. It’s been very valuable to me. Here’s a link: https://northpoint.org/messages/christian/when-gracie-met-truthy/ His sermons are very accessible, and the next one in the series, “Angry Birds,” has also been very influential in my thinking.

It’s often hard to accept that my own worth isn’t based on rule-following… Jesus really wasn’t interested in rule-followers very much. He didn’t assign grades based on holiness, even though he’s the only one who could do so objectively. I’m thankful that Jesus loves us in the middle of our mess, because he’s the only hope we have of getting free from it.

That Chapel was surreal. The rhetoric of War was terribly pronounced. I couldn’t really leave because I was in the center front of the Chapel but I remember when the President declared that we were all willing to go to jail with him over these issues and he exorted the faculty and student body to stand with him. It was awkward to stay seated as everyone around me, at least everyone I could see, stood. James and the people he talks about in his video were on campus at that point. I can’t help but wonder how they felt. I doubt it was love they were feeling.

I especially like your terms tension-filled and messy. That is the faith we are called to. It will not always be neat and tiddy like a systematic theology book. In fact, after the Soulforce response I began calling that response a systematic theology response. I’m actually a fan of systematic theology but we have to remember it is a tool. God could have given us a systematic theology book if he wanted. Instead, he gave us the Bible which is messy and complicated and tension-filled.

I’ll never forget the chapel at LC where we were rallied to stand up and (essentially) condemn gay people. The rhetoric was violent and hurtful. I remember it because I walked out. I also remember it because it was the day before my mom and her wife were going to visit me and spend time on campus. Oh, how my heart hurt – and feared.

I’m praying that this message of real, on-the-ground, tension-filled, messy, active, heartfelt love will be powerfully persuasive for your readers. Thanks for writing it.