I find it very offensive when I find my fellow Christians judging me by their own preferences. An example I can think of is adoption. If you adopt from China, someone says why not domestic? If you adopt domestic, why not Russia? If you adopt four, why not five? When I explain to people we have completed our family ( i.e. done having children), these same Christians react with horror.

The whole public/private/homeschooled debate has becoming fascinating to me, because apparently there is a right way and a wrong way to do each one. I have to homeschool a certain way in order for it to count. If I send my children to private school, I am complacent. If I send them to public school, I am evil. If I let them ride the bus, I am the devil incarnate.

I also have to defend my giving to missions. Christians want to know how much, to who and how often? Do I give overseas? Do I help my neighbors? Shouldn’t you give more? Are you doing enough? Should you have bought those shoes for yourself, when there are children with no shoes?

These are some oversimplified examples, but all these things have come from within my Christian community. All of those things are something that my family and I have to answer, not a stranger on a blog. I will not submit myself to human approval for God’s approval. And as much as we would like to pretend, there are many things that we must use our discretion. One woman wrote in to IndoctriNation and asked about sending kids to college. Should we allow them to roam the secular hallways?

That’s one I hadn’t thought of…..yet. But thanks for the extra worry, so now when I send my kids to college, I can be prepared for the judgement! I should note that the perfect environment does not guarantee perfect children. You can get pregnant out of wedlock just as quick at a Christian college as you can at a secular college.

But I thought it was a great post and explained things well. I just wish Christians would be a bit kinder about what’s on my playlist. And a little harder on sin, like pride, idolatry, lying, adultery, unbelief.

And because the mess isn’t bad enough with just that, there are those today who push back against that sentiment by pushing their preferences even harder. (please understand, I am talking about areas that are preferences and personal convictions.) A great example of that is declaring that sending your kids to public school is a sin and a matter of church discipline – which is exactly what I heard from the producer of the movie “Indoctrinated” in an interview a week ago.

The trick, then, is to judge righteously, and this is where prayer and humility, and actually knowing what the Bible says, comes in.

Thanks for your comment. What you say leads me to believe you’re not a Christian. If you’re not a Christian, how would you describe yourself?

I’d also like to hear more about how Christians have judged you falsely.

Thanks,
Bill

Bible illiteracy is deadly :-) Praise God for faithful preachers.

It is amazing how even sincere Christians still struggle with judgement. This has to be a) not studying enough & b) letting to much of the culture dictate one’s theology. Both of which sadly abound these days……..

Note Jesus also says, “Do not give what is holy to dogs nor cast your pearls before swine” just after verse 1.