"OK, so Peyton Manning was a tremendous MVP quarterback, but he's been injured. If that injury comes back, Denver will find itself without a quarterback. And in my opinion, it would serve them right."
This rather painful (pun honestly intended) comment disturbs me. Such a vindictive mindset is not what I believe in at all. It’s pretty much saying that the player in question deserves to get hurt. As a person who very much believes in the God of love and Jesus’ desire for us to love one another it’s just not my way of thinking.
I don’t think this way simply because I’m a Pastor or the leader of a congregation. This is my down to the depth of my sole understanding of the way we should treat one another. You can imagine my dismay and embarrassment at this statement when I tell you that it was made by a well known public figure and Minister of religion from our immediate neighbour nation to the south.
I realize that everyone is entitled to their opinion. I suppose that one might argue that the person in question, at least regarding sports, made this comment as just another fan, and not as a religious person. As far as I’m concerned, that doesn’t make it right. I personally can’t justify anybody thinking that someone deserves to get hurt. It’s simply not the way I understand God to work. My god is not one of retribution and vengeance. My god is one of grace, mercy and forgiveness.
The big problem is that you can’t extract the public figure from his position, even if it’s over something like sports. As a man with a lot of clout in his society and a representative of the Christian faith, he must surely realize that every word he says will be judged by all who hear him. More than that, as a representative of God, he should know that his every word will be heard as reflecting his religious beliefs. So, implying that someone deserves to be hurt would suggest that this gentleman’s ‘god’ is one of anger and punishment. That is not at all the God of love I believe in.
Publicly and privately I cannot separate myself from the fact that I am a pastor. It is as much a way of life as a job. That should apply to anyone who follows a given faith system, whether it’s Christian, Jewish, Muslim or Druid. We can’t truly believe one thing in public and another in private. You are either a Druid or you’re not. So, whatever values your faith professes should be the values you reflect in every aspect of your public and private life. I believe in a God of love that wants only the best for you and me, and that’s exactly what I wish for you, whether you share my beliefs or not.
This rather painful (pun honestly intended) comment disturbs me. Such a vindictive mindset is not what I believe in at all. It’s pretty much saying that the player in question deserves to get hurt. As a person who very much believes in the God of love and Jesus’ desire for us to love one another it’s just not my way of thinking.
I don’t think this way simply because I’m a Pastor or the leader of a congregation. This is my down to the depth of my sole understanding of the way we should treat one another. You can imagine my dismay and embarrassment at this statement when I tell you that it was made by a well known public figure and Minister of religion from our immediate neighbour nation to the south.
I realize that everyone is entitled to their opinion. I suppose that one might argue that the person in question, at least regarding sports, made this comment as just another fan, and not as a religious person. As far as I’m concerned, that doesn’t make it right. I personally can’t justify anybody thinking that someone deserves to get hurt. It’s simply not the way I understand God to work. My god is not one of retribution and vengeance. My god is one of grace, mercy and forgiveness.
The big problem is that you can’t extract the public figure from his position, even if it’s over something like sports. As a man with a lot of clout in his society and a representative of the Christian faith, he must surely realize that every word he says will be judged by all who hear him. More than that, as a representative of God, he should know that his every word will be heard as reflecting his religious beliefs. So, implying that someone deserves to be hurt would suggest that this gentleman’s ‘god’ is one of anger and punishment. That is not at all the God of love I believe in.
Publicly and privately I cannot separate myself from the fact that I am a pastor. It is as much a way of life as a job. That should apply to anyone who follows a given faith system, whether it’s Christian, Jewish, Muslim or Druid. We can’t truly believe one thing in public and another in private. You are either a Druid or you’re not. So, whatever values your faith professes should be the values you reflect in every aspect of your public and private life. I believe in a God of love that wants only the best for you and me, and that’s exactly what I wish for you, whether you share my beliefs or not.
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