URGENT LETTER: PRESENTING TRUTH IN LOVE

Posted: 09/21/06

Presenting Truth in Love

By Brannon Howse

Dear Worldview Weekend & Christian Worldview Network Friends,

Titus 3:2 says, "to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men. For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating once another."

Recently we made the decision to remove a few columnists from our website because we believe that a Christian spirit of love and reverence for all men was missing from their articles. Now, these people are upset and are spreading e-mails claiming that Worldview Weekend and Christian Worldview Network are compromising Biblical truth. I expect these men to soon publish their articles for all to read.

Please know that just because we refuse to be flamethrowers by publishing columns that are not written in a manner that honors the Lord does not mean we are compromising. To the contrary, we would be compromising if we were to keep such writers on our site. While we may agree with their doctrinal positions, we cannot agree with the manner in which they present their material.

The Bible commands us to defend truth but to do so with love and reverence. Scripture also tells us that the world will know we are Christians by our love. Columns that present truth without love, respect, and a deep concern for those who are in error is not edifying to the body of Christ, and it is a poor testimony to the world.

For myself, I take this opportunity to sincerely apologize if any of my past columns have crossed the line. If I have done so, that was not my intent, and I hope you will forgive me. While I, and all my columnists, will continue to take a stand for truth, we will redouble our efforts to do it in a manner pleasing to our Lord Jesus Christ.

I do know that some people will never be happy no matter how loving we are because they agree with false teachings and liberal theology so popular in our culture and-sadly-the church. I only pray that, as we defend truth in a Christ-like manner, individuals and churches will be drawn away from the lie and drawn to the truth of Jesus Christ and His Word. Let me give you a couple of examples of how this works.

Jason Carlson, my friend, columnist, and Worldview Weekend speaker, was in the Emergent Church at the time it was formed. However, today, Jason speaks and writes for us because the truth of God's Word that had been instilled in him by his parents and grandparents did not return void.

Or consider the story of one user of our website. A few months ago, I received an e-mail from an individual that at one time did not like our website at all. Over time, he was dramatically changed by the influence of our loving stand for Biblical truth. Please read the e-mail this young man recently sent to me (quoted below) and join me in thanking the Lord Jesus for him and his new life. And please pray for him as he is studying his Bible, reading some wonderful Christian books, watching Biblically sound DVDs and taking a Greek class so he can learn to study the Bible in Greek:

Brannon I took your worldview test a few years ago and ranked as a secular humanist worldview thinker. At the time, I got mad at it and mad at your organization. I took the test again just a few weeks ago and ranked as a strong Biblical worldview thinker. I knew I'd changed vastly in recent times, but never how much. I've become a new man since those few years back, and I'm happy for it.

In any case, I just wanted to let you know how much I've changed and how much more Biblical I've become. Praise the Lord for that.

I'd always been a strong believer in God's existence and the salvation found in Christ. However, I realize now that I never really understood it during all of those years. Even though I accepted the Bible as truth, looking back I realize how much I twisted meaning to find what I wanted to see instead of what was there. This "liberal theology" is due a lot, I believe, to the media and societal structure in which we live. I have seen many, many others fall victim to it, as well as false doctrines such as theistic evolutionism. Thankfully, those misinterpretations are in my past and I now stand with the real truth in hand.

As I silently observe my college contemporaries, I see that they are like I once was-having a terribly skewed interpretation of God's Word, or in many cases, even worse-they deny the Lord outright. Watching this, along with an even greater passion for the lost, inspired me to begin studying for the ministry. I'd spent about 12 years of my life preparing for and gearing towards becoming an attorney. Now, all I want to do is spread the message of our Lord.

The rest of my life is now dedicated to telling people the truth about the universe's Creator, the fall, and our salvation through Jesus Christ the Lord.

Praise God! Today, this young man writes to me often. It is only because most of my writings and columns have been loving and kind that this young man felt the freedom to approach me via e-mail to tell of the change that has taken place in his life. As our exchange of e-mails continues, I seek to encourage him as he grows in his faith, but I often find he encourages me more than I encourage him!

We must not allow people to convince us that to be loving is to compromise truth. Harsh, unloving words do not strengthen truth but merely reveals an attitude of arrogance and pride that compromises Christian testimony and causes us to lose credibility with people that may otherwise have listened to us.

In closing, let me thank each of you for coming to our site, reading our articles, purchasing our materials and attending our conferences. I pray that Worldview Weekend and Christian Worldview Network can continue to be a godly influence on many lives as we have been in the life of the young man who once held a Secular Humanist worldview.

Please continue to tell your friends about our fall conferences as well as our April 2007, Branson Worldview Weekend. I have posted below links to these conferences. I would also be very grateful if you would take a moment to offer feedback on this message.

Sincerely,
Brannon S. Howse
President & Founder
Worldview Weekend
Christian Worldview Network

October 6 & 7, 2006
Collierville, TN (a suburb of Memphis)

October 6 & 7, 2006
Okeechobee, FL

October 27 & 28, 2006
Springhill, FL

October 27 & 28, 2006
St. Paul/Minneapolis, MN

November 10 & 11, 2006
Franklin, PA

November 10 & 11, 2006
McPherson, KS

November 17, 18, 2006
Rockford, IL

November 17 & 18, 2006
Dayton, OH

April 27, 28 & 29, 2007
Branson, MO

Distributed by www.ChristianWorldviewNetwork.com

By Brannon Howse

Email: Brannon@worldviewweekend.com

Click here for bio and archived articles

Disclaimer: Worldview Weekend, Christian Worldview Network and its columnists do not necessarily endorse or agree with every opinion expressed in every article posted on this site. We do however, encourage a healthy and friendly debate on the issues of our day. Whether you agree or disagree, we encourage you to post your feedback by using the feedback button.

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READER FEEDBACK

Re: Re: URGENT LETTER: Presenting Truth in Love

Posted On: 10/17/06 04:59:40 PM

Age 27, TX

Hmm. This sounds like a "Shirley" I know of from "Slice of Laodicea." One who doesn't even extend courtesy to her fellow Christians (although she doesn't believe that anyone who disagrees with her could POSSIBLY be a Christian)...One who thinks God's judgment upon the wicked is an "LOL" matter. (How any Christian could "laugh out loud" about people burning in Hell forever is beyond me.) If I recall, this "Shirley" was gently admonished several times about her very vicious way of speaking to others in discussion, and her response was to accuse them (those suggesting a softer approach) of hating Jesus and being humanists. She also managed to offend the one person who cared that she might get banned (a lady who called herself "Wondering"). If this isn't you, ma'am, I'm glad; you're not impervious to logic, courtesy, or compassion. But if you are this "Shirley," maybe it's important that everyone here know about you.

Re: Re: URGENT LETTER: Presenting Truth in Love

Posted On: 10/10/06 10:58:18 PM

Age 34, TX

Very well said. I completely agree. Thank you for helping us see where we should be harsh and were we shouldn't, and the root of both appoaches.

Re: Re: Re: URGENT LETTER: Presenting Truth in Love

Posted On: 10/10/06 11:51:23 AM

Age 29, IA

Did I offend you by asking you questions?

Re: URGENT LETTER: Presenting Truth in Love

Posted On: 10/09/06 11:21:30 PM

Age 39, CA

I partially agree with your letter, however, partially implies partial disagreement. I am currently the founder of a non-profit corporation that works with missionaries in the slums of Tijuana, Mexico. God has placed a strong burden on my heart for the children and their unsaved parents in Mexico. In addition to helping the missionaries, I also preach the sweet Gospel of Jesus Christ. As a rule, thankful to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, my messages drip with the pure love and mercy of God for the unsaved; and for those who need prayer for spiritual sickness, I preach the loyalty of Jesus Christ whose open arms never turn away from his loved ones. I say this to demonstrate that God (by his tender grace) sent His gentle Spirit to become one with mine and has been moving me to demonstrate His love and to preach His Good News to the unsaved. His Spirit moves me to preach the sweet loving expression of His son Jesus ---- however ---- there are times when I have come across situations involving false teachings that caused young babes in the Lord to stumble; I've seen the result of the craftiness of the one who disguises himself as a sheep, a hired hand, or even a messenger of light. It is during these times that I cannot contain the Spirit in me -- like a giant -- from expressing its zeal and jealousy for God and love for his flock. This, I know, doesn't come from me -- for who am I to get angry at evil, when I know the "old man" still battles within me. In Scripture, we read about the harsh words of Jesus Christ to the Pharisees, and to his own disciples at times. We also read about Paul's insensitivity toward the foolish Galatians, the loveless Corinthians, and the two-faced Peter. I believe there is a time for exhortation that afflicts the comforted, and a time for love that comforts the afflicted. I hope that God has inspired these words, for if not, I can only throw myself on the mercy of Christ. Amen.

Re: Re: Re: URGENT LETTER: Presenting Truth in Love

Posted On: 10/06/06 12:47:27 PM

Age 57, LA

>>The truth may offend; but it should be in virtue of the truth, and not in virtue of the manner of its presentation, that it does so.<< EXCELLENT!! Thank you for presenting this so concisely. It is very scriptural and shows compassion. I am going to bring this quote to our Bible Study.

Re: Re: URGENT LETTER: Presenting Truth in Love

Posted On: 10/06/06 12:20:40 AM

Age 34, MO

If truth is love then why would the Bible specifically say "Speak the truth in love"? Wouldn't that be redundant? I, also found too much negativity towards people in some articles that should have been saved for sin not the person. This isn't sugar-coating anything, it is doing as God has commanded us to do. When you love the people and hate the sin, you are able to speak the truth in love. Remember, you cannot drag someone to God or force them to see the truth. They will see Him when you speak the truth IN LOVE. That is when God can be seen in you and He is able to reach people through you. I applaud the focus on love in your articles. I had stopped reading your site and didn't want anything to do with it. Now, I shall go back to reading.

Re: URGENT LETTER: Presenting Truth in Love

Posted On: 10/05/06 04:07:44 AM

Age 67, KS

I agree 100% with you and appreciate your stand. You put your remarks very well. I am proud to have attended a WVW last year in McPherson, KS and I was so excited to find out what you and your organization are doing. Thank you so much!

Re: URGENT LETTER: Presenting Truth in Love

Posted On: 10/04/06 04:34:57 PM

Age 48, FL

Please allow me to add to the loud course of "Amen"s to your article. I attended a WVW one year ago near Tampa, was very excited getting exposed to Comfort, Cahill and the rest. I of course was signed up for the articles. Most were on target but some were downright ridiculous. I began to respond to some of them. The feedback I got was so bad after awhile I realized what was happening. I was dealing with a certain brand of Christians who beleived if someone didn't toe their exact line, had every single thought process that agreed with theirs, than the offending person was immediately labeled a compromiser and then the effort was made to systematically destroy that individual's credibility. There are a lot of Christians out there that fit that mold. Once I realized it I decided to remove your articles (from the WVW site) from my regular email and have them sent to the junk email. Occasionally I'd glance at the topic line but largely left it alone. Your article's topic caught my eye and I was drawn to it. All I can say is Praise God! Yes, to agree with a responder (who has a problem with your article) "truth is truth". Interesting. In our Sunday school class we've been going through the book of Job. I suggest you look at Job's three friends counsel. It's hard to argue with much of it! Think about it, they are correct in a lot of the stuff they say. The problem with them is this: They concentrate ONLY on the justice of God. They consider little about mercy and love. So yes, while much of what they said was true in a pure doctrinal sense, it was only partly true. God is about justice and will judge sin. God is also about mercy and love, and you can't take one side without the other. So yes, keep preaching the truth and keep preaching it in love.

Re: Re: URGENT LETTER: Presenting Truth in Love

Posted On: 10/04/06 01:55:40 PM

Age 46, TX

Ditto! It is because of the ungodly critical/condescending tone of some of the articles at Worldview Weekend (WW) that I have often just deleted the WW email without looking at it. Today, for some reason, I scanned it and saw this article, Why We Booted Some Columists From Our Site. I work with a lot of unbelivers and I cannot witness effectively to them if I have the critical attitude I've read in some of these articles. I cannot influence, much less persuade, my coworkers if I put down their beliefs (no matter how misguded or inaccurate the beliefs may be). Like the Apostle Paul said, we must reason with people in gentleness and respect. Reading articles from people who do present their case in gentleness and respect helps me to do the same.

curious about columnists

Posted On: 10/04/06 12:16:50 PM

Age 36, KS

I agree with what has been decided, and with the comments back, in general. I am curious to know which columnists were removed, however. I don't think that is wrong to ask. If they are being to harsh and unloving in their approach, I would like to examine myself, and make sure I am not doing the same...does that make sense? I did not have very good role models growing up, and just left a seeker church much like the one Jason Carlysle describes...so I am constantly checking myself to see if I am being too "legalistic" or harsh. Please do not respond with the names of the 3 stooges, as that would really make me feel silly for asking. Thank you!