I found Andrew, mid 20's, sitting at our local coffeeshop
listening to music on his headphones. He was more than happy to share
his views on eternity. I quickly found out he is the lead guitarist in
his band, about to put out their second CD.
Andrew grew up
Episcopalian but felt turned off by church in his teens and is now
generally accepting of all religions. He is very passionate about the
many problems of humanity and the environment and seems quick to accept
his share of the blame, saying that if we want to change the world, we
need to begin with ourselves.
Yet when I asked about the
specifics of the Gospel, like our accountability toward God and our need
for forgiveness, he became evasive, preferring to speak in generalities
rather than getting specific. Its one thing to be passionate about sin
and its effects in the world, but quite another thing to repent
personally.
King David showed personal repentance to God
regarding his sin with Bathsheba when he wrote "Against you, you only,
have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in
your verdict and justified when you judge." (Psalm 51)
The crowd Peter preached to in Acts 2 showed personal repentance when they were "cut to the heart" and asked “Brothers, what shall we do?” They were sorry for their sins and actively sought steps they could take in repentance.
Having a general passion against evil, in society and/or in oneself, falls short of repentance. As I talked with Andrew, I think I found out one reason he lacks that personal repentance - he doesn't believe in a personal God. His idea of "God" is more like a general force for good, like Karma, rather than a specific personality like a Heavenly Father.
It's hard to be "cut to the heart" at the thought of personally offending an impersonal "god".
Thanks for allowing me to record our conversation Andrew! It can be seen at https://youtu.be/pxnl1RsTZG8 on my YouTube channel.
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