More Toxic Than Chernobyl by Tom Stipe
I am one of those fortunate guys that experience a unique blessing everyday. It’s not the companionship of a faithful dog or a trustworthy pickup truck that starts every morning. It’s my wife telling me she loves me at least once a day. She apparently means it because whenever I challenge her sincerity with an “Oh, come on” or some such refrain she just restates the oft spoken phrase. I’ve actually come to enjoy it…. thrive on it to be perfectly honest.
I’ve discovered that being loved sort of gets me through the day. It silences the many voices of those that don’t exactly share my wife’s feelings for me. Her love is part of the necessary infrastructure that supports and nurtures my very existence.
I’ve also known a few men whose wives have confessed that they actually hate their husbands. There are some really unhappy wives out there. They’ve snarled that they are appalled at the sight and smell of their husbands. Angry spouses so filled with contempt that they can’t stand the thought of intimacy with such a beast. Now those are some unfortunate dudes. Those marriages and families are doomed without some serious help. Resolving such hateful feelings is critical to the survival of such families.
HATE: verb; to express or feel extreme enmity, to find distasteful, Synonyms- detest, abhor, abominate or loathe.
Sounds like ugly stuff. Marriages and families thrive on love and die in an environment of animosity. The family of God is no different.
He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. 10 He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. 11 But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes. 1 John 2:9-11 (NKJV)
My understanding is that stumbling around in the dark is a bad thing. As old as I am I still have “night lights” everywhere in my house. If the grand kids leave a toy on the floor my big toe will find it in the dark. There seems to be a direct connection between light and less foot pain in my life. It’s a lot easier finding my way around the house with the lights on.
Walking in darkness paints a picture of blindness.
Being blind, while tragic, is not the end of the world. A blind person normally learns to compensate for his or her disability. My wife’s grandfather was blinded when he was struck by a Chicago Tribune truck in the 1930’s. He was a well-known racehorse trainer with connections around the country. I always respected his ability to travel around America with white stick in hand, independently carrying on with his life. How he lit his own cigarettes by himself and counted out his own money. How he found his way to the bus stations and trains that took him around to racetracks everywhere. While I admired his courage and tenacity that didn’t mean I wanted to be blind.
I believe that today, the Church of Jesus Christ, on many fronts, is living a life compensating for its blindness due to hate. I have watched entire movements and groups stridently promoting their own traditions, prejudices and hatreds while striving to find their own way to success. They carefully juxtapose themselves against the “other guy” thinking that divisiveness will bolster their popularity, individuality and significance. There is so much division, hatred and strife over the most insignificant issues that the heavens are darkened by our inability to love each other. And we call that fellowship?
Many Christians can’t seem to see and appreciate the diversity that makes up God’s family. They are blind to the fact that we are all on the same side as brothers and sisters in Christ in the fight against evil. When did our brothers become our enemy anyway? And how many times can we offset all that Jesus said about unity by repeating over and over …“How can two walk together unless they agree?”
Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. 1 John 3:15 (NKJV)
Who would want to join a family of killers? Too many pastors are finding out the answer to that question with shrinking churches after they join the bandwagon of brother bashing. And too many preachers that I know are offering up eternal life in their Sunday sermonizing while crafting special attacks against other believers who don’t line up with their unique interpretations of scripture.
Then there are the self-appointed “Discernment Ministries.” Those online wanna-be “apologists” who produce more vitriol and poison than the Chernobyl disaster. While establishing dubious doctrinal criteria by which all are to be judged, these so-called discernment “ministries” condemn to hell some of America’s finest leaders and authors.
They are dispensing a commodity that may as well be labeled POISON and exposure to toxic substances can be lethal.
Did you know that for every photograph that you’ve seen of the Russian Chernobyl nuclear reactor meltdown there is a dead photographer? Not one photojournalist survived the massive exposure to radioactivity while capturing images. And likewise, people die spiritually when exposed to hateful, toxic “Christians.”
He who does not love his brother abides in death. 1 John 3:14 (NKJV)
I don’t think I can fully appreciate the gravity of this verse but I’m pretty sure it’s “all” bad. To abide means to “live” there. And death, well you know dead…means dead. I can’t imagine waking up every morning and considering which fellow believers I’m going to destroy before the coffee gets cold. I think the so-called, “Discernment” crowd needs the clarity to determine who is actually in God’s family and treat them as such. If not they will continue to administer toxicity and death to people God loves.
If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? 21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also. 1 John 4:20-21 (NKJV)
Apparently the Apostle John was pretty serious about this subject. He just couldn’t leave it alone. So far we’ve got dead, blind, murdering liars who live on Dead Street and don’t love God. This is a litany of things no one should ever want to be, but apparently can be.
Every self-respecting evangelical I know would like to see a revival in our time. It would be an outpouring of God’s love so vast that multitudes of people are swept into the Kingdom of God as new converts to Jesus. In my opinion, that’s not going to happen any time soon due to the current state of mind harbored by many churches and movements today.
We used to sing “Love, love, love, love…Christians this is your call.”
And we used to mean it!
Tom Stipe
Maryellen Stipe
That is a great word…you need to spread it!
Tom, thank you for showing us how relevant the book of 1 John is in the church today to teach us the central importance of loving one another as brothers and sisters in Christ! Here’s another: “If anyone does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?” You can’t love God and not love His children…
As always, you hit the nail righ on the head! As always, you make it all make sense. Thanks Tom!
Had some great messages on LOVE preached in my pulpit last week by Ted and Gayle Haggard. He is BACK…his preaching was rich… she is the reason. And she is my heroine. Thanks for this column pastor … a love revival? Good idea… let’s go for it.
You said, “…an outpouring of God’s love so vast that multitudes of people are swept into the Kingdom of God as new converts to Jesus.”
If only the world and the lost could witness John 13:35, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Jesus basically said that the body of Christ loving one another is the evidence to the world of being His disciples. They will see that we are different. The world already knows hate and sectarianism. They’ve already experienced the wars and death of this group vs. that, or this religion vs. that. They need to see that the true body of Christ truly loves one another despite cultural, racial, national, political, and even non-essential theological differences.
Because so many Christians today are afraid of the stigma of “religion” and it’s history of evils in this world, they tell the world, “I’m not religious. I’m a disciple of Christ.” Really? If that’s really our message and we really want them to “know” that we are His disciples then we MUST have love for one another. The result will likely be that they’ll see that we’re more than just a worldwide religious system of various sects and factions fighting against one another and other religions (sounds like Islam doesn’t it?). They will see that Christ and His church really are different, loving, full of hope and purpose and meaning. Then I really think that “multitudes of people” would be “swept into the Kingdom of God as new converts to Jesus.”
Sorry, that was just a really long AMEN to your post, brother.
Dear Tom,
I enjoyed your article on the toxicity of Chernobyl. I have noticed lately some of the dear old saints in my life, a seemingly impenetrable hardness in their hearts. They have known many years of grief, sorrow and injustice to say the least. How does one reach them? I am ministered to afresh of one of my favorite scriptures. For my loved ones and myself. (Because I don’t want to be like them in my latter years…) 2 Cor. 7:10. It talks about a godly sorrow that leads to repentance. That brings a fruitful change. Not one that the world gives…i.e. short term consequences etc. In thinking of that, I know that I myself can be benefited from that specific gift/prayer in a myriad of different ways. Whether it be in my own softening my own self righteousness, bitterness, judgment, (you name it), or in lifting up prayer for my loved ones, only the Lord of all can grant change of heart and perspective. My goal is to be conformed to Christ in every way. That is not going to happen by my own accord. For me, it is my only hope and the hope of my friends and family for change. A change of heart from the inside out that will make me not want to judge or contribute or justify or do anything contrary to that of: Loving mercy, doing justly and walking humbly with my God. That prayer/gift for us all, can only do well by our God and the name of Christ Jesus. so… know someone really nasty? Whoo Hoo! There are scriptural guideline beyond ‘breaking their teeth in their mouth.’ It is 2 Cor. 7:10. Oh and it works really well on the three fingers pointing back at you! The Lord is faithful and wants us to look like Him more than us!
Amen; great post!
“If anyone does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?”
Love is radical – it means truly loving those who are negative, bitter, and judgmental by listening to them and providing them with loving community so they may have the opportunity to change if they want to, but even if they do not change we must continue to love.
“Love your brother” also means loving ALL that God created – Muslim, Hindu, Jew, atheist – without an agenda. Without trying to ‘bring them into the Kingdom’. Because love with an agenda is a manipulation, not true Godly love. If they choose to become Christian, that is wonderful. If they don’t, they are no less God’s children. A mother does not desire to disown or destroy her children if they follow a different path than she desires, and neither does our Divine Parent.
Is this what you mean by love? If so, I agree.
Tom, most excellent! The greatest commandment? Love God and love others. Perhaps our greatest ongoing sin? Saying we love God and not loving others. I am particularly thankful you referenced the ‘discernment ministries’ as perhaps that is a picture of us at our absolute worst. Put alongside the love of Christ, their/our rancor is debilitating and deafening. Thank you for a very timely word.
Tom,
So glad you have published this. The swerve the Jesus People Movement took was to abandon love and mystery for doctrinal purity and now it’s just another historical footnote within the history of the church.
May there be some way to champion love while holding the things we believe to be true in such a manner that the love is unmistakable and tangible between us all and those who hold Jesus with interest but are turned away by our lack of loving transcendent impact
Tom, what a great way to describe the venom that some preach. It is toxic! Jesus was all about love. At our new church we want to be all about loving our neighbor/brother. Yes, let’s get back to loving instead of doctrine inspecting!
Pastor Tom
This is a wonderful and needed message. Thank you!
Great word, Tom. You may remember a local church back in the late ’80s called Christian Fellowship of the Rockies. They had a ministry called “Discernment Ministries” headed up by a guy named Steve Shearer, who had a vision for exposing those that taught distorted or false doctrine. Robin and I were part of that church for several years. Sadly, while they exposed much falsehood they also left a trail of debris in their wake because of the lack of grace and compassion they had for those who they felt had fallen into error.
We have tasted the poison, and it’s vile. I do think that scripture clearly teaches that we should judge what others teach. Yet in the process of separating truth from error if we lose the ability to be brokenhearted for those who lead others astray we also lose part of the character of the same Jesus who would go to any lengths to find the one lost sheep. Thank you for your consistency in helping us stay on track.
Interesting article, and I get it. I do. Still, I can’t help but wonder if truth really boils down to simply hate vs. love. I don’t conceptualize discernment as a “ministry” but I do think truth is huge. I remember hearing a wise pastor say there are “negotiables” and “non-negotiables” when it comes to Christianity. I took that to mean you can’t violate a “non-negotiable” and still apply the definition of Christianity. I can’t, for example, define myself as a Christian and not believe in the Trinity or the resurrection of Jesus.
My son has autism, which, with all of the celebrity attention and what-not, has become the developmental diagnosis du jour. Yesterday, I was talking to a friend about how subjective the diagnostic process can be. In our case, it was a 5-6 hour consultation with a multidisciplinary team from Children’s Hospital. In some cases, a psychiatrist meets with a kid for 20 minutes and applies the label. In other cases, adults see themselves as socially quirky and self-diagnose Asperger’s Syndrome. So, specifically identifying the disorder is tricky and clinicians can either be inclusive or exclusive when making the diagnosis. The way I see it, being too inclusive in the definition cheapens the experience of individuals who have lived with a condition that is truly debilitating in ways, not just a trendy label. It’s dismissive of my son’s pain and all of the prayer, sweat,and tears that have gone into him becoming the fine young man he is becoming.
It also bothers me to think of Christianity as a subjective “diagnosis.” How inclusive is the definition? I agree with the don’t-hate-your-brother piece, but aren’t we also supposed to search the Bible and know the truth? I know love covers a multitude of sins…but deception is a bad thing, isn’t it?
Sonja, I liked your post. I’m sorry to hear of your son. I can’t imagine all the things you must have gone through over the years.
I taught independent living in California for years. I didn’t have any schooling, just lots of experience which was probably for the better. The Lord saw fit and brought many young (and old) disabled adults for support. I had to marvel. There were many that had come from institutional settings that had just been cast aside because of their “diagnosis.” They were more socially retarded than actually disabled. Because the twenty minute visit had left them with one label or another, they had been institutionalized and left to die. I have never worked with such a wonderful group of ‘kids.’ Time and time again I saw the Lord, use the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. Scripture says that God’s foolishness is wiser than our so called wisdom. I have come to the point when I hear of a diagnosis, I almost want to smirk…in disgust, because the Lord is going to do what He always does. Choose the foolish of the world to confound the wise. If your son, with all of his uniqueness ministered to just one person and they come to know the Lord wouldn’t all of the stuff behind the scenes be worth it in relation to the kingdom of God? Keep on girl and bless you in your endeavors. I appreciated your last comment as well. I am going to purpose to love no matter what. I will however stay on my knees and trust the Lord to reveal the deeds of darkness’ and the ones that devise destruction. He is the one that knows the motives of men’s hearts and He alone. It is my job to ‘as far as I am able to be at peace with all men.’ It is a draining thing to always be trying to judge the motives of someone’s heart (or vise versa..)to see if they are deceptive or what have you. God is big enough to take care of what is needed. That was the crap from the discernment movement. Calling things that only the Lord could see. I look back and marvel. In my process of learning how to really love, I will draw healthy boundaries. Both to not micro-manage-people in what I feel is best or that they need… (wow I can make a mess!), and, to keep at a safe distance the ones that desire to satisfy their own co dependent tendency.
Jim I loved your last paragraph… really worth the price of admission. How many lost sheep are there that we have contributed to? Lord have mercy. Can’t you work through somebody else besides humans? Thanks for the blog opportunity Tom…. when’s the next article coming out?