Meditation 1292
This is the guy Jesus died for
by: John Tyrrell
Your thoughts on this Meditation are welcome. Please sign in to the discussion forum below, or alternatively, use the contact page to provide your comments for publication.
The current New Yorker has an article on a Liberian preacher named Joshua Miller Blahyi.
Before he found Jesus, Blahyi was a minor warlord in Liberia's long civil war. At that time he fought under the name General Butt Naked - a name which aptly described the way he and his small group of followers were attired in battle.
By Blahyi's account, he engaged in human sacrifice and cannibalism in the war. He claimed responsibility for 20,000 deaths. The article suggests this number may be an exaggeration - but still, a large number died as a direct result of the brutality of him and his followers.
He has said he's sorry.
He says Jesus loves him and has forgiven him.
Now he uses his story to preach forgiveness and redemption.
Not being a Christian, I don't have to believe Jesus died for my relatively minor sins. And what's better, as a non-Christian I don't have to believe Jesus died for Blahyi's rather major sins. Nor do I have to believe that Blahyi has a reserved seat in heaven while I go to hell for my disbelief.
Easter is coming. Somebody is going to use the occasion to say "Christ died for your sins." I don't think so. After dealing with the likes of Blahyi, there's nothing of Jesus's suffering left over for the rest of us.
Additional Note:
And do remember, it was God's Unchangeable Perfect Plan that required Blahyi, as General Butt Naked, to kill 20,000 so that he could go on to preach forgivness and redemption.
Have your say...
Please take a moment to share your thoughts, pro and con, on this Meditation.
comments powered by Disqus