My God Loves You Anyway

by Paul Elliott

Dear Brad,

I'm addressing you as 'dear' because this is not a formal letter. Consider this to be a personal letter to you and to any other reader who is interested in what I have to say. Also, I would like you to know that you are indeed 'dear' to me, in that you are a fellow human being worthy of love and respect.

I'm a little disturbed to see how you've so blatantly attacked Christians as hateful bigots. Now, I know that you've admitted that you respect some Christians who keep their beliefs to themselves on political issues, but, in general, Christianity has not been portrayed in a very good light in your column or your editorial. I would like to make a small defense of the faith. This is not because I am 'holier than thou' and want to get a power trip from writing this. I write only because I sincerely care about the lives and souls of fellow humans.

I agree with you that there are fanatical, hateful people out there who refer to themselves as Christians. I agree that Christians do things that go against the Bible. I agree that I, too, do not always live up to what I profess. Do you know why that is? It's because Christians are imperfect humans. We make mistakes just as often as anyone else. I don't hate anyone, because, in the eyes of God, I am no better. I will say quite bluntly that I, Paul Elliott, deserve to go to hell because I have failed to keep every single command that God has given in the Bible.

However, that's not the end of the story. I also believe that Jesus Christ came to earth to live a perfect life and then suffer and die for my sins. I believe that anyone, no matter how sinful, can receive this same forgiveness by believing in Jesus Christ. I know that this sounds like a generic, Sunday school answer, but have you ever sat back and considered what that means? I was an enemy of God, and, yet, the immortal, eternal Godhead entered into time and space and died a cruel, miserable death so that I could live. That is an act of love so unfathomable that I can hardly believe it. Yet, I do indeed believe, and, in light of all of this, I want to love others, and I want to flee from sin.

I respect your beliefs, and I respect the fact that you are willing to stand up for them in a public forum. I only ask that you would at least consider the possibility that I am speaking the truth. Pick up a Bible and read it through, if only out of purely morbid curiosity. You might even learn something, especially if you are able to read it with a truly open mind. If you search for contradictions, you will find things that you will find unbelievable, but if you read it looking for truth, I promise that you will find it.

Now, the issue at hand is the same-sex marriage ban in California. Let me try to give you a Biblical perspective here. First of all, homosexuality is wrong. However, that doesn't mean that homosexuals are not people. They are no more sinful in God's eyes than you or me. I would not pass a law that would take away any of their rights as citizens. It's just not my business. The government's place is not to control people's lives. So, the question remains: Is marriage a right? Well, in our nation, not just anyone can marry anyone else. If you support same-sex marriage, then you would also have to support incestuous marriages, marriages of adults to minors, marriage to non-humans, and all other sorts of things. Where do you draw the line? I believe that God instituted marriage when he put Adam and Eve together in the Garden of Eden, and, therefore, God has the right to say who should and shouldn't be married.

By this point, I'm sure that many of you have already written me off as a bigot and a fanatic. Well, you can hate me if you wish. If there are any words that I want to leave with you, this is it: Jesus Christ loves you even though he has every right to hate you, and he died for you so that you could live forever with him. I will pray for you, Brad, and for the other readers, that you might someday believe this. Thank you for listening.

Love in Christ,

Paul Elliott

P.S.- Please don't take Bible verses out of context. The verse that says that women should not teach men refers to instruction in the Word. This is why most churches do not have female pastors. Next time, look it up before you write it.

P.P.S.- I will accept any mail that is generated by this letter. If you feel the need to flame me, go ahead. I won't retaliate. However, if you are interested and would like to talk more about religion, I would be more than happy to get in touch with you.

Original Editorial: My God can Beat Up Your God