Mark Batterson smaks another home run deeeeep over the center field wall in his post today Thou Shalt Offend Pharisees. A highlight:
Let’s stop critcizing our differences and start celebrating originality and creativity. We must be orthodox in doctrine. But we ought to be unorthodox in practice. No one was more unorthodox than Jesus.
Keep the message, but get creative with the delivery and style. Mark coins a new phrase which is sure to catch on when he calls the church folks who attack different styles: “Pharirazzi“. That word’s a keeper for sure.
Here’s another good point:
For the record, people tend to criticize when they feel convicted. It is the alternative to change. Nine times out of ten, criticism is a way of justifying our own issues and problems because criticism is a lot easier than change!
We were talking about that very topic on our way back from First Thursday last night. Criticism is soooo easy. Allowing other people to be different and finding solutions takes much, much more effort.
Anyway, lunch is almost over and I have to get back to work. Read the whole thing. The quote from Teddy Roosevelt alone is worth the mouse click!
Enjoy!