Serious.

One thing about Fundamentalists and Evangelicals that corresponds to Progressives is that they are serious about their religion.

They genuinely want to establish God's reign on Earth.

Unfortunately they are mistaken about what that reign entails.

They mistake morality for God's Love.

And righteousness for goodness.

At the root of this is fear.

Fear of God's punishment.

So Jesus was right about them.

"'Why do you see the speck in your neighbor's eye, but do not notice the log in your own?.....You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor's eye.'"  Matthew 7: 3-5 (NRSV)


[Scripture quotations (marked NRSV) are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission.  All rights reserved.]

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