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Attempts at Honesty

Reflections on the interplay of the Bible and Culture

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Home Bible Reflection Ed Stetzer, Jeremy Myers, Terry Jones and the Apostle Paul

Ed Stetzer, Jeremy Myers, Terry Jones and the Apostle Paul

Posted on April 4, 2011 Written by Mark McIntyre Leave a Comment


On Saturday, I saw this Tweet from Ed Stetzer:


I agree with Ed and apparently so do others since this was retweeted 100 times to date.

I also appreciated Jeremy Myers’ response in his blog.

This morning I read in Acts 17 where Paul proclaimed the Living God at the Areopagus in Athens. Perhaps Terry Jones has never had to preach through this particular section of Scripture. Had he studied it, I wonder if he would have thought that burning the Koran was a good idea.

In this passage, Luke records that Paul entered into the discussion group, acknowledged that the men were religious and went on to politely highlight the differences in belief between their polytheism and his faith in Jesus.

The same Apostle who preached in the Areopagus tells us to “speak the truth in love” in Ephesians 4:15. We are to tell people what they need to know about the living God but as the example of Paul in Acts 17 shows us, it should be done with wisdom and love. It should never be done in a way that intentionally gives offense.

Most people don’t react well to being told that they are evil or stupid. Most people do not react well when objects that they value are desecrated. It is just the way we are wired.

I like the proverb, “it’s better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.” Instead of telling people they are wrong, perhaps its better to gently and respectfully tell them what the Bible says.

If there must be an offense, let it be the offense of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Let it not be the offense of the messenger mangling the message.


Filed Under: Bible Reflection, Christianity and Culture Tagged With: Ed Stetzer, Gospel, Islam

About Mark McIntyre

A follower of Jesus Christ who shares observations about how Scripture should impact the church and the world. Mark is the original author and editor of Attempts at Honesty.

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