Christian Action League of North Carolina, Inc.
This week a special email was sent out by the Christian Action League featuring executive director, Rev. Mark Creech’s challenge for Christian parents and other concerned citizens to speak out against the political exploitation of the DOS activities in North Carolina public schools.
Rev. Creech’s remarks garnered a few negative emails in response. One such email, whose name or email address will not be revealed, sent a simple message of protest that said the following in bold red letters:
Love Thy Neighbor As Thyself.
The Christian Action League thought it might be educational to see the exchange of emails between Rev. Creech and the person who objected to confronting and opposing the Day of Silence as unloving and judgmental.
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Rev. Creech’s Response
It is love of my neighbor that compels me to do the hard thing – to risk the wrath of homosexuals as well as that of others – to be unjustly pegged as a homophobe – a bigot – someone complicit with bullying and harassment of gays and lesbians – to be misunderstood as unloving (as you have suggested) – that drives me to warn people of the dangers and destructiveness of homosexual behavior.
Homosexuality is not an immutable characteristic, but change is possible in Christ. It is those who say the opposite that are unloving – largely miserable in their own right – but desirous that others like them remain or be miserable too.
Their efforts to normalize gay and lesbian behavior even extends to our schools, which is to place a stone of stumbling before children worthy of Christ’s condemnation of a millstone hanged around their necks and cast into the deepest part of the sea. If there is no repentance for their sin, their actions will be spiritually fatal.
No, it is not me that is unloving. It is those who deal in this cultural poison and those who seek to maintain their neutrality under the pretense of being loving that are in disobedience to Christ’s command to “love thy neighbor as thyself.”
Rev. Mark H. Creech
Executive Director
Christian Action League of North Carolina, Inc.
www.christianactionleague.org
Phone: 919.787.0606 (Office)
Phone: 919.915.3033 (Cell)
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Response to Rev. Creech
Rev Creech:
Thank you for your response. I really enjoy an open and amicable discussion of issues like this. As a Christian, although not a strong one like I used to be, it is always good to know the issues we are facing on all sides. You are to be commended on taking a controversial position that sometimes results in insults and loss of friends or loves ones. I defend your right to freedom of speech, even though I don’t agree with what you say.
While I don’t have any children, I certainly am not in favor of that lifestyle, nor do I care for the concepts they might be trying to invoke in our schools.
But a true Christian that trusts his life in Christ does not act that way toward anyone. You are redefining the love of the Lord to suit your own interests. Love is about accepting people for who they are, not what they believe in.
This best sums up what I know to be true – “Judge Not Lest Thee Be Judged”.
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Rev. Creech’s Response
It’s interesting you contend we should not judge, lest we be judged. Yet you judge me by saying a “true Christian” does not “act that way toward anyone.” Your remarks betray the fact that not only do you have a skewed and unscriptural view of love, but a misunderstanding of what Jesus means when he commands us not to judge.
Unfortunately, many today often quote Jesus’ command “Judge not, that you be not judged” to mean that we are to suspend our critical faculties in relation to other people, to turn a blind eye to their faults, to eschew all criticism and to refuse to discern between truth and error, goodness and evil. Are we to say nothing about the wrongs of a Hitler, a Hussein, and a Nixon? – of adultery, economic exploitation, deceit? The New Testament itself rejects such an interpretation.
In Matthew 7:6, Christ himself alludes to certain people as pigs – certainly this is judging. In Matthew 7:15, Christ warns of false prophets and labels them with the most damning epithets and demands his followers recognize them for what they really are – certainly such an exercise requires the use of discriminating faculties.
In I Corinthians chapter 5, the apostle Paul instructs the church to hand over a sexually promiscuous man to Satan – demanding the church discipline him – such requires judging. In Galatians I:8, the apostle calls down a curse on all those who preach any gospel other than the true gospel which he teaches. In Philippians 3:2, Paul refers to false teachers as “dogs” and in Galatians 5:12 he says that he wishes that those who advocate circumcision for salvation would mutilate themselves.
Moreover, when a crowd misjudges Jesus because his healing ministry is extended to the Sabbath day, Christ didn’t forbid judgment, but rather declared: Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment” (John 7:24).
This is what Jesus actually said: “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged; and with what measure ye measure, it shall be measured to you again.”(Matthew 7:1-2).
The context of the passage determines its precise meaning. Jesus was simply pointing out a general human tendency to see the faults of our neighbors, while blithely overlooking our own. Whatever standard of judgment we apply to others must be a righteous one and must also be applied to ourselves.
Jesus did not command his followers be amorphous, undiscerning, and never under any circumstances hold views of good and evil and publicly denounce unrighteousness. Quite the opposite, it was His representation of righteousness that made Him a most controversial figure and landed Him on the Cross of Calvary.
If a “true Christian” is the way you define it, there would never have been a Calvary. There would have never been the martyrs or a Martin Luther or a Martin Luther King.
With the deepest respect, I suggest that your version of Christianity not only obviously fails you – voiding you of the command to be “fervent in spirit” (Romans 12:11) – but it is a form of lukewarmness – which Christ said sickens him (Revelation 3:16).
It is, most unfortunately, Christianity without a Cross. It’s a warm and fuzzy feel-good religion, but it changes neither you nor anyone else. It redeems nothing because it cost nothing.
Though I recognize this may be difficult for you to understand, it is love that compels me to challenge your thinking on these matters – not a redefinition of love – real love – the love of the Cross!
Indeed God accepts people as they are, but thanks be to Him He loves us too much to leave us as we are and confronts us about our sin, offering a salvation of transformation – conversion in Christ.
God Bless,
Rev. Mark H. Creech
Executive Director
Christian Action League of North Carolina, Inc.
web site: www.christianactionleague.org
email: calact@aol.com
ph: 919.787.0606 (O)
ph: 919.915.3033 (C)
