Interplanner
Well-known member
An Australian Christian movie, THE PLAYBOOK, has a scene where the Christian father is in anguish at the loss of his son in a drunk driving car accident in which the father of another player on his son's basketball team is at fault and charged.
The comment, however, of the father is the most intriguing: he has a spell of anger while praying and says "My testimony is fractured."
???
He is not at fault, does not have an alcohol problem, and there is an opportunity coming up to be forgiving to the other family who are as miserable as he is. The anger spell hints of the fact that he may not be forgiving and indeed he is not.
But the 'fracture' was not the lack of forgiveness. The 'testimony' was actually the belief that nothing like this ever happens to Christians! That they always have everything in order and always have an "abundant" life.
Unfortunately, I did not see the whole story, but this is a really serious misconception. The 'abundant' thing is not relevant outside the context of 1st century Judaism--that is who Christ was speaking to. The opportunity to come to terms with the depth of God's forgiveness, even for a 2nd-hand murder, was there--but missed.
Are we dialed in to the fact that God justifies us from our sins, and that that forgiveness is the Gospel? Or are we being taught that things are supposed to be pain-free, perfect, easy, etc.,--is that what 'saved' has come to mean?
The comment, however, of the father is the most intriguing: he has a spell of anger while praying and says "My testimony is fractured."
???
He is not at fault, does not have an alcohol problem, and there is an opportunity coming up to be forgiving to the other family who are as miserable as he is. The anger spell hints of the fact that he may not be forgiving and indeed he is not.
But the 'fracture' was not the lack of forgiveness. The 'testimony' was actually the belief that nothing like this ever happens to Christians! That they always have everything in order and always have an "abundant" life.
Unfortunately, I did not see the whole story, but this is a really serious misconception. The 'abundant' thing is not relevant outside the context of 1st century Judaism--that is who Christ was speaking to. The opportunity to come to terms with the depth of God's forgiveness, even for a 2nd-hand murder, was there--but missed.
Are we dialed in to the fact that God justifies us from our sins, and that that forgiveness is the Gospel? Or are we being taught that things are supposed to be pain-free, perfect, easy, etc.,--is that what 'saved' has come to mean?