emarkthomas
Trying to live love well through the power of the Everlasting.
Hal Lindsey, I’m Sorry.
Posted by on May 19, 2012
Dear Mr. Lindsey,
Yesterday I wrote an open letter on this blog accosting you for preaching on the sanctity of marriage and attacking my view of it, and the heart behind doing so was anger and contempt. I attacked you with your history of divorces and felt very smug and self-satisfied doing so.
Then a brilliant friend of mine said something about logs and splinters, and the Spirit of the Living God prompted my heart, and…
I am so sorry, sir.
I don’t know your story; I don’t know your heart. It’s not my place to judge you at all. I was way out of line with the gospel of Jesus Christ; my behavior did not reflect that of an agent of the Kingdom of Heaven. I must confess that my disagreement and frustration with your teachings still stands, but the way I reacted and where I went with that reaction was atrocious. I am sorry.
Yours,
Ethan
emarkthomas 
Oh Ethan!! I wasn’t pointing a finger at you AT ALL!!! (& didn’t think your reaction was atrocious either – not that it’s mine to judge, I guess!)
Your maybe-not-so-brilliant-friend!
Kerry
Oh no, you are my most-brilliant friend! See, your comment was *right* on – for both sides. And I know you weren’t pointing the finger at me at all – don’t feel bad! It’s just that I suddenly thought, “If this radical love thing is going to be real, it has to be real *right now* with a guy you really don’t want to love.”
And that’s when I knew what I had to do, like it or not.
All that because the Spirit worked through my brilliant friend! 🙂
Seems to me you were justified Ethan. It would be terribly hard to maintain your faith when so many of that faith, treat you like crap quite frankly.
True, I do think I was justified. But I also subscribe (or at least give lip service to) a worldview that says that regardless of jusitification, extend love, peace, and grace. So I decided to put my money where my mouth was, and do it here.
I guess the trouble now is wondering whether to be happy that I’m ostensibly following my conscience or to be troubled that I’m perhaps being a doormat.
Either way, thanks Stuart!