God Hates You

In the midst of all the noise makers, chatter, screaming babies and toddlers, and excitement for the Rose Parade came a bizarre and frankly disturbing message. Along the edge of the street where all were gathered to see the floats and celebrate and new year walked a family holding signs proclaiming that God kills people and yelling rather confidently "You have to believe the Bible or God will destroy you". Now as a missiology student, this is one evangelistic method that is frowned upon at my school. As a Christian, it is a method and a theology that is not only disheartening but disturbing. There have always been (and I reckon will always be) the hell fire and brimstone preachers with their megaphones preaching repentance. But to claim that God killed thousands of people, all innocent bystanders of a terrorist attack, because they didn't believe the Bible is not only presumptuous but is dangerous theology. It conjures up images of Job and his friends' assessment of his plight, their speaking for God. In the end, they were the ones whom God condemned. Obviously, punishment and discipline is a part of life and often a result or natural consequence of our choices, but nowhere in the Bible do we EVER see God taking pleasure in it. This message of hate and condemnation is not only a disservice and misrepresentation of Christians but is also a misrepresentation of God and his message. The message of Jesus was one of hope, love, forgiveness, peace and acceptance. This doesn't mean that there is not room for punishment or discipline because there certainly is and we know that earthly and eternal punishment are realities. However, when a "Christians" only message is condemnation and hate, who is ever going to want to follow that God? If they do, what is the motivation? Fear, pure and simple. That is not the relationship that God wants to have with humanity-all you have to do is read the Bible to see that. I certainly don't believe he would have sent an incarnate part of himself to earth to suffer and die if all he wanted was for humanity to be afraid of him. That could have been done so many other ways that did not require sacrifice. He came to draw humanity into a relationship, a fellowship with himself. While spiritual fear is healthy, is doesn't come because God may send you to hell. It comes from the awe of YHWH, who God is and what He has done. It is a fear and respect for the authority and power of God. This fear does please God because it can only come from those who truly know God. Rather than hate and condemnation, shouldn't we be telling people that despite all the things that people hate about themselves, all the things that bring them down, despite all those things that make people feel bad and guilty, God LOVES them. Sin destroys but GOD heals! SIn kills but God gives life! Is this not the message that people need to hear. Is this not the call of God into the hearts of his creation. Come to me, my burden is light! I pray for those people with the signs. I hope that they can experience the same love and joy and peace of God that I have and so many others have so they can in turn share this with others!