I thought it would be took to take a moment and expand on this, and explain what it means.
Firstly, as most who know me personally or have read this blog for a while are aware, I am all for sharing the Gospel, and I believe we shouldn't sacrifice the Gospel truth for anything. The Gospel should be the line in the sand we refuse to cross, and if anyone preaches a false gospel, let them be, as the apostle Paul said, anathema (Gal 1:8-9).
However, I've developed a pet peeve regarding online discussion, and it involves those people. You know who I'm talking about. In case you don't, let me present a scenario. Imagine, if you will, that you're having a chat about some theological subject, like eschatology. You and your associates are discussing Amillennialism, Dispensationalism, Postmillennialism, etc. Everything's going pretty civil. Suddenly, in comes someone who types, "I don't worry about that sort of thing. I just worry about spreading the Gospel!"
And that's when I face palm.
Look, like I said, it's important to not sacrifice the Gospel for anything...but for crying out loud, people, it's possible for us to once in a while discuss minor topics without sacrificing the Gospel truth. Just because I may be discussing a disagreement with my brother in Christ doesn't mean I've at the same time forgotten the Great Commission. Let me put it this way: that the Allies debated on which French beach to land their armies didn't mean they had forgotten about the ultimate goal, which was to defeat Nazi Germany. I mean, can you imagine a silly conversation like this unfolding:
Person A: "Dude, you're sweating, your face is red, and your stomach is gurgling like mad. Maybe you should go use the bathroom..."
Person B: "You go use the bathroom! I CARE MORE ABOUT SPREADING THE GOSPEL!"
You know what this is? This is another example of a Jesus Juke - ie., forcing Jesus or faith into something to try to make a deep, profound point about the church today.
Again, I fully understand the Gospel should be the center of our lives and we should protect it from all possible error. I get that. However, can we please understand that just because we may hold discussions on minor subjects doesn't mean we've taken those subjects and put them in the Gospel's place? Can't we all just get along?
