I want to clarify something after yesterday’s remarks. I believe church authorities should be tough on those who claim to be Christians, but are not and/or who use the name of Christ as a cover for willful and outrageous sin. That goes double for apostate church leaders.

But the church’s approach to those who honestly say they are not Christians and who do not claim to be a part of the church should be completely different with much more sympathy, forbearance, and gentleness.

This is a crazy day with a number of my investments not acting happy and with my truck in the shop. So I can’t go through all the scripture that backs up the two different approaches. But they are Biblical. For example, compare Paul’s empathetic speech to the Athenians with the very tough things he wrote to false and wayward Christians in I Corinthians and Galatians.

I think a big reason for the difference in these approaches is that when someone claims the name of Christ, His reputation and that of the Gospel is on the line.