Kick Butt

"Well, honey, this miscarriage must be the Lord's doing since you got pregnant without being married".
"Church, we're going to put sister A and B under discipline, because apparently they are into the Romans 1:26 thing" (this was based on a rumour and done without even investigating any of the stories).

Just two examples of stories I heard from victims about how well the church deals with people and how "loving" we can be to wanderers, strugglers and searchers. Is it any wonder that so many are fed up with church? Who ever came up with the notion of "tough love" should be put on bread and water for 1000 years! Tough love has become an excuse to discipline and dismiss children and people who are not behaving the way we think they should.
Is it tough love that makes Christians go to war?

Maybe "tough love" is a close cousin of St. Augustine's "Just War". Followers of Jesus only new one law: The Law of Love. St. Augustine's "Just War" theory legimated violence under certain conditions and Chritians started going to war!
I don't go there. Although I quite often have violent thoughts. Especially when the "Tough Lovers" kick into gear and feel they have to play God for a fellow man.

Last night I watched Brother Andrew (Founder of Open Doors) being interviewed. He is eighty years old but really kicks butt. He dines with Hezbollah, Hamas, Taliban and other extremist groups leaders. Why? To obey Jesus command to Go and Preach the Gospel of the Kingdom. And he gives them Jesus. He loves them. And they want more of it.

Personally my biggest challenge is to Love God first and my fellow man as myself. I know and have learned that where we are changed into lovers of people we really start to kick butt! For the Kingdom. And it's sweet.