DESCRIPTION: What happens when you omit certain teachings from Christianity? You can end up with a big picture that looks very little like what Jesus taught. In this short episode, Jack reads his recent blog post.

Text of this Episode

…the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

The phrase above, taken from the traditional American oath for witnesses in court cases, has developed from the wisdom of the ages. That is, humans have figured out over time that when you talk about truth, you have to get very specific, else some people will try to evade it by either omitting parts of it, or adding to it some things that are untrue.

In this post, I want to talk about the former—about omitting parts of the truth, such that what is left does not paint the true picture at all. The way I see it, this happens with great regularity in America’s churches. Here’s what I mean:

A person can call himself a Christian, and yet behave quite decidedly unlike Jesus and contrary to the teachings throughout the Bible.

So, then, there is what he says, and there is what he does. And there is what he believes, and there is what is the reality of the matter. And there is how he sees himself, and how God and Jesus see him.