It is happening more and more frequently. As our cultural narrative becomes increasingly secular, Christians are consistently painted as bigots, discriminatory and judgmental. In response to a recent article I wrote asking for dialogue about same-sex “marriage,” I was called a “self-righteous bigot only pretending to want dialogue” (though the majority of people were gracious and civil). These accusations cannot help but sting, but are they just? Can we speak out about issues such as homosexual marriage, abortion and the like without being hateful and judgmental of those who participate in these acts?
Part of the conflict we may feel over expressing our Christian views publicly centers around a misunderstanding of the meaning of the word judgment. Judging is not necessarily good or bad. Properly defined, to judge means to form an opinion or conclusion about something. The distinction between making a necessary judgment and “being judgmental” is found in whether the judgment is directed at a person or at an action or situation.
In one of the better known passages of the Bible, Christ says “Stop judging, that you may not be judged” (Matthew 7:1). He goes on to teach us that we should not be hypocrites by pointing out the splinter in other people’s eyes before we remove the beam from our own.
Similarly, Pope Francis made international headlines when he tried to draw a distinction between someone who identifies as gay and someone who leads a gay lobby. Regarding a person who identifies as gay, Pope Francis is quoted as saying, “A gay person who is seeking God, who is of good will — well, who am I to judge him?” Note that Pope Francis did not say that homosexual acts are not sinful. Like Christ, he was talking about the judgment of a person – in this case, a person of good will who is seeking God.
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