Our society has become extreme in its desire not to tell people they are wrong. We don’t have sins – we have issues. We don’t commit evil deeds – we make mistakes. But this tendency not to judge goes beyond moral and ethical issues. A couple of years ago I heard on the radio that in California, school children who answer 5 when asked what 2+2 is are not to be told, “That’s wrong.” The teacher is to reply with, “Well – that’s an answer. Can you think of another one?”

Why don’t we want to tell children when they are wrong? Because we don’t want to fracture their psyche? Because we don’t want to teach them to judge? Because we are afraid to judge? Probably all of these, but think about that last one. We are afraid to judge any wrongs — especially moral ones.

And in this professed reluctance to judge, we are quite hypocritical. If you watch the moralists on daytime TV talk shows, you see this. They will say, “Don’t judge others” over and over again. But those same hosts judge others repeatedly. They judge politicians, families, religious people – they especially judge Christians – all the while reciting the mantra: “Don’t judge others.”

But it’s not just daytime TV that preaches this tolerance. I’ve heard good Christian people say it’s wrong to judge others. Someone is gambling away the paycheck. Well – don’t judge. Someone is cheating on his wife. Well – don’t judge. Someone has stolen something from his employer. Well – don’t judge.

Why would Christians fall into this error? One reason is the they don’t understand the passage addressed in the sermon attached to this post.

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