That's totally my thing too...about when do we start and stop dictating who can be a member and who cannot. I like to use the simple example from the ten commandments...it says to honor your mother and your father, though I'm sure we have members of the church who do not do so. Part of me is like hey it's a commandment...that's serious business you know (not that I'm going to go ranking sins but..)I'm sure we do not decline people membership if we assume that someone breaks this commandment, you know...
In my opinion, the key to Methodist membership is not that you've gotten it right, but that you're genuinely committed to God and to your church community. If you are truly walking with Christ, then I believe the rest will sort itself out. When we establish a strict hierarchy regarding which sins are permissable for a member of a church and which are not, we become the gatekeepers to God's grace and forget that only God has the right to judge what is on our hearts.
Woah, you actually deem this journal entry worthy enough to comment on? I'm honored....
...just kidding, dear. :-)
Anyway, you make a good point about how we tend to make one sin worse than another. Only God knows what are true intentions are. Ultimately, then, it shouldn't matter. We don't have the right to say "God won't forgive x, y, and z, or will forgive a, b, and c."
HAHA! It's funny actually because even my "friends" in the baptist world (who generally disagree with me on most things) cannot come up with anything to say about that...maybe she's onto something!
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...just kidding, dear. :-)
Anyway, you make a good point about how we tend to make one sin worse than another. Only God knows what are true intentions are. Ultimately, then, it shouldn't matter. We don't have the right to say "God won't forgive x, y, and z, or will forgive a, b, and c."
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