Why You OUGHT to Judge
Filed under Law & Politics on March 12th, 2009 by Frank TurekEditor’s Note: Originally published on TownHall.com, used with permission. Frank Turek is a speaker and author, and a leading Christian apologist. Learn more at his website www.CrossExamined.org
At least one lesbian is not happy with me for the case I made last week against same-sex marriage on our TV program. She wrote me this ALL CAPS e-mail with “VERY JUDGEMENTAL” in the subject line:
ONLY GOD CAN JUDGE ME AND I AM A CHRISTIAN LESBIAN AND HAVE BEEN FOR ALMOST 20 YEARS. STOP JUDGING AND MOVE ON!!! I AM SO TIRED OF ALL YOU UPTIGHT, DO RIGHT, SINNERS JUDGING PEOPLE.
I wrote her back asking her why she was judging me for judging. It seemed like a fair question. After all, if I am not to “judge” her, why is it OK for her to judge me? And if she’s a Christian, doesn’t she know that God has already judged homosexual behavior as immoral? I mean, I didn’t make the judgment that homosexual behavior was wrong. God is the standard of morality, not me.
But the main point is that my lesbian pen pal did what most liberals do when they are faced with arguments they don’t like—they misuse Jesus’ apparent command not to “judge” in order to shut you up. So if you oppose their behavior or their attempt to get the nation to endorse their immorality (i.e. same-sex marriage), you’re sure to hear “Thou shalt not judge!”
As with most slogans shouted by the left, the truth is exactly opposite to what they claim. Liberals take the judgment statements of Jesus out of context because they want to avoid any moral condemnation for their own actions, and they don’t want you to notice that they are making judgments too. Let’s take a look at what Jesus actually said:
Do not judge lest you be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. And why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. (Mt. 7:1-5)
Notice Jesus isn’t telling us not to judge—Jesus is telling us how to judge. He actually commands us to take the speck out of our brother’s eye—that involves making a judgment. But he also commands us to stop committing the bigger sins ourselves so we can better help our brother. In other words, when you judge, do so rightly not hypocritically.
Jesus expressed this same idea when he said “stop judging by mere appearances and make a right judgment” (John 7:24). Jesus would never tell us to stop judging– that would be suicide! Just think about how impossible life would be if you didn’t make judgments. You make hundreds, if not thousands, of judgments every day between good and evil, right and wrong, dangerous choices from safe ones. You’d be dead already if you didn’t make judgments.
What does this have to do with politics? Every law is a judgment about what’s best for society. Homosexual activists are making a judgment that same-sex marriage would be the best law for society. It’s a wrong judgment as I’ve argued in this column before (Gay Marriage: Even Liberals Know it’s Bad), but it’s a judgment nonetheless.
So in addition to being self-defeating, the belief that we “ought not judge” is completely impractical and even dangerous. Making judgments is unavoidable both personally and politically. If you want to meet a sudden and premature demise, just stop making judgments.
Unfortunately, liberals are propelling our society toward a premature demise by making the disastrous judgment that we ought not make judgments about their behavior. They, of course, can judge our behavior as immoral when we oppose same-sex marriage or the killing of the unborn. But we are not to judge their behavior. This is exactly the kind of hypocrisy that Jesus warned against. The passage they quote actually convicts them!
For folks so concerned about the “separation of church and state,” it’s amazing how fast liberals quote the Bible when they think it helps their case. Don’t let them get away with that. If they believe the Bible when they think it condemns judging (which it doesn’t), then ask them why they don’t believe the Bible when it certainly condemns homosexuality. If they want to use the Bible as their standard, then they will be judged by that same standard.
Tags: homosexuality, judgment, liberals, Matthew, politics, Scripture
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An excellent article and one of the most concise I have read on this topic. Here’s a similar article from Bill Muehlenberg: Thou Shalt Judge
I don’t think the words liberal or conservative are correct terms when it comes to God’s word. I consider myself a Christian. I don’t consider myself a liberal or conservative as if all people fit into one of the two. When it comes to the homosexual topic, I have no opinion on what the world choose. God does not want it in the Church. A sinner is defined as one who sins, and one who has not believed in the sacrificial offering of our Lord Jesus Christ. God does not require no righteousness out of them. Paul says that God judges those who are outside of the Church. It is our job as brothers and sisters in Christ to judge all sin within the body. Each congregation should be free to go to each other in the spirit of meekness. 1. First alone 2. If they don’t hear you take one with you. 3. Take the matter before the congregation (in a orderly fashion). If there is no resolve put that evil one from amongst you.
I strongly disagree with Bro. Jackson. Ignore sin in the world? Have no opinion?
It is exactly this attitude that has led to where we are today.
Ecclesiastes states that when a man is lazy, his roof leaks. He has been given a dwelling place and neglects to take care of it. Should we likewise neglect our dwelling place, our nation on this planet? I have a duty to show my children to stand up and FIGHT for what is right. To FIGHT SIN. ANYWHERE. In the congregation or out of it. Anymore, there’s not much of a dividing line. Divorce, debauchery, abortion, homosexuality, they are HERE, they are IN THE CHURCH. Why?
No one took a stand when it (homosexuality, adultery, abortion, other blatant issues the church “debates”) was far off. The church abandoned its flank to the enemy. It chose not to fight. Now the enemy is here, and the fighting is up close, vicious, and hand to hand and we are taking unsustainable casualties.
We cannot sit by and have no opinion on what the world does. It is SIN. Yes, the world is full of sinners. No, we can’t stop the world from sinning. We should, however, have a view farther than the end of our collective nose. Silence towards the sins of the world will lead to the decay of the body of believers. Our proverbial roof will leak (see above). We MUST make our stand against sin in and outside the body of believers LOUD, UNEQUIVOCAL, and UNCOMPROMISING. Even if it doesn’t stop sin. This defeatist, isolationist attitude is wrong. It is all the more so grevious because the war has already been won.
Blessings,
Justin
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
By the way, right on Frank. Good article.
Blessings,
Justin
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Right-on Justin. And what about our role of being ’salt and light’? This must include standing against sin in the world. It is the attitude exhibited by Jackson that has allowed abortion to continue unchecked in most Western nations.
Have you ever noticed how people who don’t think the terms “liberal or conservative” should apply to Christians are usually pretty liberal themselves? It seems that conservative Christians are quite happy to be known as ‘conservative’, but liberal Christians don’t like the term ‘liberal’ being applied to themselves.
I agree. Unfortunately this verse of scripture is used again and again to silence legitimate observations. Recently a Muslim I was speaking to about my criticism of Islamic sharia law used “You shall not judge” to silence me. Ironically my critique was about the harsh judgements Sharia law leads to.
Justin,
You said:
I often hear people lament that the church in recent history has been “too focused” on homosexuality. Kellie, a commenter on another thread on the site, stated yesterday “So here is what I don’t understand: Why is the church so focused on gay people?” Are you saying that despite popular belief, the church has in reality been tremendously silent on the issue?
Bro. Brian Jackson,
Thanks for sharing your perspective. Something to note: we’re not talking about one person’s sin, we’re talking about societal trends, and activist agendas which we believe it is on God’s heart to confront, as we stand as salt and light in this world. As I’ve heard it said, Jesus changes people, people change society.
What are your thoughts on the words of Dr. Martin Luther King:
The church has not been tremendously silent, I didn’t mean that. By saying we have not taken a stand, I mean we have been tremendously ineffective. The gay activist movement fights effectively. They are committed to their cause 24/7. So many Christians talk loudly in the church building and on Christian radio programs against abortion, homosexuality, and other sins society accepts. Often, when it comes to confronting these sins in the real world, we compromise our words, waffle and buckle under cries of bigotry, intolerance, or just the plain old fear of being laughed at. I admit that I have been guilty of this.
What about the Christian who rants and raves against these sins and then sits down for a night of cable or network television? Or the parents who censor nudity, profanity, and violence from their children yet fill their eyes and brains with it after the kids go to sleep? We, as a Body, don’t HATE sin as God does. It should repulse us. It should make us vomit. Not just in the church but also outside, before or after the kids go to bed. We should take a stand in our personal lives. Don’t watch the filth that comes through your television. Letting these things in poisons the brain. How can we be said to be serious in our stand against homosexuality when we watch it on TV? I spoke to a Christian man the other day complaining of the rampant sex and homosexuality on TV. I asked him why he watched it. “I dunno…” was the reply. This is quite common in my experience. Is this is our “stand”?
I didn’t mean to imply that the entire church is silent on sin. That is not the case, and I apologize. I’m prone to making generalizations too often. There are many ministries that are active in fighting for what is right, this being one of them. There are many individuals committed to what is right. I would argue, however, that the large majority of professing Christians are not committed to standing against sin, at least not as comitted as the gay activist movement is to normalizing it.
I hope I was able to be reasonably helpful in clarifying my point. It’s kind of hard to concentrate with our six kids running around. It’s almost 10:30p.m. here so I’d better get them to bed!
Blessings
Justin
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
From an Australian perspective, I would say that the church here has been mostly silent on the key moral issues like abortion and homosexuality. Even now we still only have a handful of small specialist ministries active in confronting the homosexual agenda. The mainline denominations and most of the evangelical megachurches pretty much don’t say ‘boo to a goose’. Of course when it comes to the trendy lefty ’social justice’ type issues then you can’t shut them up.
I don’t want to beat a dead horse here, but I wanted to share something that leapt out at me today. I was reading the book of John, and John 7:7 leapt out. Jesus was saying that the world hated Him because He kept telling it how wicked it was. Jesus did it, how dare we not follow his example? Jesus wasn’t all puppies and rainbows towards the world and its sin. He loved the sinner but HATED the sin. I get the feeling he was as much as a fireball as John the Baptist. Why else would some of John’s disciples leave him to follow Jesus? He had a touching compassionate side, but from this verse, I get that a lot of his day to day activity included as much condemnation of sin as it did love of people. (I don’t think that the only time he got furious was when He tipped over the temple. Talk about interrupting the “orderly flow” of things. If only more believers would “tip over the tables” and fight obviously errant teachings coming from the pulpit. I’ve seen so many errors grow and be allowed to flourish in the name of maintaining an “orderly” service.) We only get glimpses of His life, usually several weeks or months apart. (I’ve noticed a lot of the narratives took place around the time of the festivals.)
The more I think of the isolationist attitude concerning the condemnation of sin so evident today, the more I think of how we let sin go uncontested in society in the name of “relevance” and attracting new believers, the sicker I get. I am guilty of this as well, so this post isn’t just pointing the finger at everyone else.
All of the holy men of the scriptures were basically raving lunatics from the world’s view. They were PERSECUTED like we haven’t seen. They condemned sin with a fire straight from the mouth of God. If only we could be so dedicated. If only we could assume this radical mantle of “irrelevance” to the world. The world is evil, fallen, it is the kingdom of SATAN. With the Lord’s help, perhaps I too can be so honored as to be considered by the world (and maybe the church too) an old fashioned, wild eyed, irrelevant, judgemental, and crazy voice crying out in the wilderness against the sin so rampant in the world and church today. I’ll begin by getting myself straight.
Thanks for listening.
Blessings,
Justin
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Correction to an earlier post I made…
I said :
“I don’t think that the only time he got furious was when He tipped over the temple.”
I didn’t mean He tipped over the temple. I meant he tipped over the tables in the temple.
Blessings,
Justin
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Justin,
That’s quite a ‘manifesto’ you’ve left us with! :)
It seems that you feel a burden to get involved in cultural engagement on righteousness issues. How wonderful! We will indeed be seen as “raving lunatics” by some, simply for holding to the stances we take… but the truth will triumph.
On a personal note, do you have opportunities for involvement at this point in your local area with regard to confronting the culture on these righteousness issues, as you continue to deal ruthlessly with sin in your own life?
– Marcus
Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? So whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
Marcus,
I have felt a desire, or burden, to confront these cultural issues especially in the past year or so. I am unsure if this comes from God, or from my role as a father. I also am often unsure if I take the right approach. (i.e.-Should I be less blunt, am I just looking for a fight, etc…) I see how much the world has changed just in my years, and I don’t like where I think it could be by the time my six children are raising children. Christian or not, I have a duty to prepare them for this world, and to fight the dangers that threaten them. They are my “ministry”, and the best way I can impact the world for good right now is through them. I have dreams of someday participating in something bigger, something that would reach more people. That opportunity hasn’t presented itself yet. But these kids of mine, they are here, they are now, they are my jewels.
I haven’t had many opportunities to confront cultural issues on a large scale where I live (Alaska), although I am finding more and more. Most of the time, all I can do is state my opinion to others on a person to person basis. My approach face to face is not different from my approach masked by the anonymity of the internet, although I think I write better than I talk until I get “fired up” about something. At times I wonder if I am being hypocritical by taking the strong stands I do against the societal sins of our nation and church, yet I’m not always out in the trenches (although not for lack of trying), so to speak.
As far as dealing with sin ruthlessly in my own life, well, that’s a fight that I’m in for as long as I’m in this flesh. Sin in one’s personal life can invalidate any ministry or position one takes. After all, if I commit sin “x” constantly and refuse to give it up, how am I different from an activist group pushing to legalize or legitimize sin “y”? Am I not trying to legitimize it as well in my refusal to quit or give it up? I hope to always look upon my own sin as repulsive. I hope I always feel ill when thinking about my sin at the end of the day. Lord help me if I don’t.
I’d like to repeat, thanks so much for your ministry. It is so encouraging to see people taking a stand.
Blessings,
Justin
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
preach more of the truth to the backslidden church in america ,we are the reason the country is in this condition all we do is listen but were not doers of gods word