Being Politically Correct

I am sure that all of you have heard the phrase "Politically Correct". One of the definitions in the dictionary to this phrase is "Treating other people's religion, culture, etc. with sensitivity"

I think the main word in this definition is Sensitivity. What is sensitivity. The dictionary says that sensitivity is "The quality or condition of being sensitive".

In the world that we live in today, I wonder how many people are politically correct. You see, being politically correct has nothing to do with politics. I used to think that it did but it does not. If you really look at this the way I do, it really has to do with respecting other peoples views and treating those views with sensitivity. In other words, not attacking people just because they do not think the same way you do. That is really pretty hard to do for many people. I know people who think that their way is the only way and if you do not think the way they do then you are not fit to be a human being.

I know that this used to be wide spread back many years ago with the KKK and other groups like this but today you would think that all of this has changed. Well, it has not. It may not be about race as much as it used to be but let me tell you that it has sprung up in ways that will shock you. I am going to give you just a few examples of the lack of sensitivity that I have run into in my travels and while visiting many Churches in the U.S. First let me clarify that the majority of the Churches that I have visited are wonderful and the people treated us like family but there are always exceptions and some of our experiences are almost funny because they are so ridiculous. This will give you an idea on the different ways that people think today.

Sports is the cause of teen rebellion
I was in a church in North Carolina and a man came up to me and asked me if we has any sports programs in our schools in Honduras and Nicaragua. I told him that we had basketball, soccer and others. He looked at me and said that he was going to tell me a hidden secret and if we would implement this, we would save the lives of thousands of young people in our schools. He said that he has been studying for years the reason why teens rebel and many fall into drugs and alcohol. He said that he has traced the problem to SPORTS. At first I thought that he was joking but soon I found out he was totally serious. He said that Sports started out in Greece and this was the first country that the Olympic games were held and since the Greeks worshiped gods like Zeus and others, and since they invented sports then sports comes from the devil and as long as teens participate in sports then they will have the devil in them which will cause them to rebel. He said that any parent that allows their children to participate in sports is inviting the devil to enter their life. Are you shocked? I was, and I could not say a word. I just walked away.

Any String Instrument is not of God
Not to long ago, I visited a church with the Samaritan Revival Group. We asked the Pastor who we could give our sound tracks to so they could be cued and ready. The Pastor informed us that they did not believe in sound tracks. At first I was a little confused because I did not quite understand what he meant but I got the point. I told him that their was no problem. We had brought are string guitar and the group could play and sing. He suddenly looked into my eyes and said "String instruments are not from God. We only allow an Organ and a Piano on our platform." I know what you are thinking. I thought the same thing, You can not imagine how much I wanted to say "Brother, you better get your piano off the platform them because pianos are string instruments." You know i did'nt say that even though I wanted too. Eliu from our group also plays the piano beautifully so they played and sung for the congregation. Talking about being politically correct, this guy politically incorrect.

Wearing wire rim glasses
My father was about to preach in a church when he was still alive and just before he was going to go up to the pulpit to preach, the pastor said that they were proud that no one had ever preached in their church that wore wire rimed glasses. This is the funny part. Dad has on wire rim glasses and the Pastor had not noticed. Like a good missionary, dad took them off and he preached to the church. Where in the Bible does it say that wire rim glasses is a sin. I learned a big lesson from this and since I am half blind, I decided not to get into any problems and I either wear contacts of plastic rims. This is not a joke.

Last but not least You cannot show any emotion when you sing
This one really through me off guard and I had to respond to this one. After the Samaritan Revival group sung, a man told us that the group did a great job singing but they were doing something extremely wrong. If they did not change this, then the message of God was being watered down by theatrical a performance. I was shocked because I know that the Samaritan Revival group is not the best group in the world but something that do have is sincerity. These guys sing from their heart and they feel every word that is coming out of their mouth. The man said that when a person sings, their should be no expression on their face and no movement from their head or arms. If they do show expression, they are allowing singing to their self no to the congregation and God will not bless. This was one time that I said "Brother, I respect what you opinion and if you feel this way then that is fine but we allow the Holy Spirit to guide us and He guides us in a different way.

These are just some examples and I have no problem with people having different views. The problem occurs when people think that if you do not do things there way then you are a worldly person or you are not right with God. We do not have to agree with everyone but why cant we just respect and be sensitive toward other peoples views. That does not mean that we have to join up with them but we can respect them. No one is going to hell for playing sports. If you feel this way then that is fine but you should never judge someone just because they like sports. People have to understand that God has given us something called convictions, but not all convictions are from God. Many are man made.

My father taught me an important lesson. He said that are job was to preach the Gospel to the lost not to put down peoples religions. He said that our job is to preach the Word of God and then we the Holy Spirit does the rest. You can never get close to people if you start off by putting them down. We need to be sensitive toward others and we need to show love and compassion. This is just a thought. I wonder how many Christians today would of walked over and spoken to the Samaritan woman at the well knowing who she was and knowing her past? The disciples sure knew who she was and they did not want to have anything to do with her but Jesus did. Jesus was probably the only person in the whole town that showed kindness toward her and he did not judge her. What was the outcome? She went out and brought the whole town to hear Jesus preach.

I have changed so much in the last few years and I am sure that many disagree with me but I have learned that Love is something that God created and if Jesus showed love toward the ones that society had rejected then I am going to do the same.

You cant ever go wrong if you copy what Jesus did when he was on this earth.