I spent several days this week in training sessions about behaviors and characteristics of Developmental Disabilities. During one of these classes the instructor was talking about how most people's behaviors change depending on the environment. For example, yelling and cheering is an appropriate behavior for a sporting event, but not so much for a library. Our clients may need prompts to help in recognizing when certain behaviors are not acceptable.
She then mentioned that people may swear at home or in other settings, but that it wouldn't be appropriate at church. As soon as this was mentioned I heard another trainee mutter something to the effect of.... "I swore in church once and was told to never come back." My heart dropped as I thought to myself what a misrepresentation of God had been portrayed to her. Not that I condone swearing in church, but I would think that the purpose of the body of Christ is to point the way to Jesus rather than slamming the door due to an inappropriate behavior.
Jesus said that He came to heal the broken hearted and instructed us to love our neighbor. However in today's society, some churches demand righteousness before salvation. They hold signs outside of funeral homes and abortion clinics condemning people and telling them how God hates them. They place rules and regulations above relationship making God seem untouchable.
My question is this.... How can we love our neighbor and point them to Jesus if they aren't even allowed in the door?
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