An email I sent...

I have just excerpted the email I sent to the man who published the website "How to fight the Religious Right." You should read his website. You know where we go wrong? We impose laws that God intended for His people upon the world. We will only see change if God transforms a heart first. When I was saved, I didn't come perfect, and neither did you. It was only afterward that God expected me to live according to His laws.


"Hello Mr. Elroy,

I just read your website concerning "How to Fight the Religious Right."

I'm sure you get emails all the time, both from "Christians," really
from Christians, and from people who aren't. Just an upfront FYI, I
believe that I am one of those true Christians. I believed in Christ
Jesus as my Lord 6 years ago, when I was 16. Lord knows I'm not
perfect though! :) I do hope you read and openly contemplate all I
write below, just as I openly contemplated, and will continue to do
so, your words.

Anyways, I just wanted to say that I appreciate your site. Though I
must confess that I do not agree with you on all of your points, I do
agree with some of your points.

If we look at the Church and use "the Church" as the only basis for
our faith, we quickly lose that faith. The church is made up of
people, and people are not perfect. Thankfully, however, the Lord IS
perfect. I made the decision to follow Christ and to love as he
modeled, not because it made me feel good. Not because I had a
"religious experience." In fact, this man, Jesus, if he wasn't
reallly what he said he was, then I am believing in a heretical,
crazy, insane man who has deceived billions of people. But if he
was...

And I believe he was. Not because I have empirical evidence, not
because I "saw the light" and somehow was firmly convinced, not
because I was once sinful and now am perfect, not because I am better
than the next Joe. Honestly, if it came down to anything, I simply
believe that Jesus is Christ, that the Bible is true, and that only
through Jesus can we be reconciled in the eyes of God during this New
Testament time period, because it made sense. It makes sense. It's
simply faith. I don't know how, I can't convince anybody with my
words, I can't convince you. But the day I learned about the truth of
Jesus, something stirred in my heart (yes, though, my heart stirs at
many things, that doesn't necessarily make it legit). My heart kept
stirring, then my mind stirred as I studied up, then all of a sudden I
realized that I did, I believed. Not just that there was a God,
because I had believed that all my life (though I had no thought or
care what that meant), but that Jesus is alive and conquered death.
That he loves the harlot, the homosexual, the poor (he loves me, who
murdered him). And you're right, the Bible doesn't just speak of
homosexuality, for example, as sinful, but lists things such as
adultery and fornication too. In fact, it lists things such as greed,
lust, lies, deceit too. I may not be guilty of adultery, but greed...
We are imperfect, and if we believe Jesus is Lord, giving our lives
to Him, then we are forgiven of that imperfection.

I also recognize the group that Jesus couldn't stand was the
religiously self-righteous--Pharisees & Saducees. Many "Christians"
would fall in that category today too. I often must check my own
heart, words, and thinking.

What saddens me most about your decision not to follow Christ is that
it seems your decision was made based off of the ways that man failed.
I have come to learn that if I base my faith on man, I will hate it.
But no matter what man may do to me, no matter what Christians may do
to me, I will follow Christ because I am His and because he is TRUE.

I hate that we, Christians, are imperfect and do not represent our
Lord well most of the time. I apologize to you for that. Christ is
good, we are not. Not without Him.

I also believe that the Bible does say that some things are wrong.
Utterly and plainly wrong. And Jesus gave us a good balance to help
us obey the Lord. To love the Lord our God, and to love our neighbor
as ourselves. For against such things there is no law. In fact, the
law is fulfilled if we live with those two rules governing our hearts.

Well, all this to say...I'm emailing you in some hesitation, just
because this email address is my personal address. But I felt such a
stir in me when I read your site.

Please email me your thoughts!"