I hear what you are saying but the Bible says "You should know them by their Fruit"....And although we all pray & should be praying, we should not sit back & allow our God name to remain an open shame. I know this message is about the Bishop Long sex scandal....I am praying for the Bishop but just because he is a Bishop does not mean the victims he hurt does not deserve sympathy. The Bishop is in a place where he is an over seer of many & he misused his authority to manipulate them for his own personal gain. That is selfish... Being a victim of sexual abuse myself, I know first had how his victims feel. Bishop Long needs to repent & turn from his wicked ways...So as many sit back & just pray with their eyes closed as if nothing is happening, some of us will have our eyes open & being watchful as the Lord told us...He said "we will know them by their fruit." Oh and as for judging (which this note is about) God said judge righteous judgement, meaning according to him word. Bishop long was wrong & so he needs to repent.
While this commentary may have been prompted by the recent allegations against Bishop Long, I don't consider it to be "about" those allegations more than I consider it to be about the need for grace and truth to be demonstrated in the lives of all Christians. Also, I don't think the author endorses giving anyone a "pass" for sinful conduct; the judgment I believe the author is addressing is unrighteous judgment - the kind that tends to produce premature and uninformed conclusions of guilt. Mercy and righteous judgment do and should coexist.
"For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief. Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth: Lest the LORD see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him." Proverbs 24:16-18
I'm a very proud mother of one fantastic daughter. I'm also an artist. There. I said it. I'm not sure why, but I'm much more comfortable being referred to that way when it comes to paper and paint.
I am a very grateful member of "Vision", the family of singers and musicians assembled by Grammy and Stellar Award winning composer, writer, producer, pianist, and all around great guy, Richard Smallwood--who kindly, but reluctantly allowed me to sing alto for 20 years--and then had an epiphany in 2014.
From DC Public Schools, to those run by the Archdiocese of Washington, to the mecca, Howard University, I was inspired to love Art in all of its forms. I count my artistic experience at the former College of Fine Arts as one of the high points in my life.
Nothing that I am or have accomplished, however, matters much without the God I love leading the way...: )
I hear what you are saying but the Bible says "You should know them by their Fruit"....And although we all pray & should be praying, we should not sit back & allow our God name to remain an open shame. I know this message is about the Bishop Long sex scandal....I am praying for the Bishop but just because he is a Bishop does not mean the victims he hurt does not deserve sympathy. The Bishop is in a place where he is an over seer of many & he misused his authority to manipulate them for his own personal gain. That is selfish... Being a victim of sexual abuse myself, I know first had how his victims feel. Bishop Long needs to repent & turn from his wicked ways...So as many sit back & just pray with their eyes closed as if nothing is happening, some of us will have our eyes open & being watchful as the Lord told us...He said "we will know them by their fruit." Oh and as for judging (which this note is about) God said judge righteous judgement, meaning according to him word. Bishop long was wrong & so he needs to repent.
ReplyDeleteYou know I'm a big Clark Sisters fan. They have an OOOLD song called "Check Out Yourself and Get Right With God."
ReplyDeleteWhile this commentary may have been prompted by the recent allegations against Bishop Long, I don't consider it to be "about" those allegations more than I consider it to be about the need for grace and truth to be demonstrated in the lives of all Christians. Also, I don't think the author endorses giving anyone a "pass" for sinful conduct; the judgment I believe the author is addressing is unrighteous judgment - the kind that tends to produce premature and uninformed conclusions of guilt. Mercy and righteous judgment do and should coexist.
ReplyDelete"For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief. Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth: Lest the LORD see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him." Proverbs 24:16-18
ReplyDelete