About This Video
Shawn McCraney shares his personal journey, highlighting that as he embraced more loving and inclusive Christian doctrines, emphasizing love over rigid dogma, his reception by some Evangelicals grew increasingly hostile, revealing a paradox where greater love often resulted in greater rejection by religious peers. He illustrates this by reflecting on his transition from criticizing Mormonism to promoting a more loving, comprehensive view of Christianity that challenged traditional beliefs, drawing parallels to the life of Jesus and his experience of being loved by sinners and despised by the religious authorities.
Christians often face rejection and hatred from within their own religious communities as they extend love and forgiveness to all people, similar to how increasing love led to greater hostility towards Jesus. Embrace this path of love and be prepared for potential resistance from your own religious peers.
Exploring the Challenges of Increased Love and Acceptance
Live from the Mecca of Mormonism Salt Lake City, Utah This is Heart of the MatterTGNN’s original show where Shawn McCraney deconstructed religion and developed fulfilled theology. Where we are learning together how to live in the age of fulfillment
And I’m your host Shawn McCraneyFounder of TGNN and developer of the fulfilled perspective—calling people to faith outside of religion. 41A With More Love Comes More Hate September 22nd 2020
Taped Tuesday September 21st 2020 Aired Monday September 27th 2020
I recently had the opportunity to be interviewed on a Podcast called, Radio Free Mormon – you can listen to it if you’re inclined – and I talked about the response of some Evangelicals to me over the years growing in hate.
I explained that the animus I have received (mostly from the self-appointed police officers of the faith, who are typically Five Point Calvinists, and I made the statement that the saddest thing that I have discovered is the more I grow personally in the faith, overcoming my flesh and allowing principles of faith and love to reign in and over me as a person, the more these types have tried to ruin me and my reputation and have rejected my faith as a man.
I got to thinking about this after the interview was over, dissecting in my why this should be? A week or so ago we talked about words and how mean and unkind words are in effect our spoken wishes that someone would die, and I think that this is true of these men and women – the ultimate intent of their words about me are that I would end up dead. We would think that the more a man or woman overcame themselves that their Christian brothers and sisters would love them more – but I have found the opposite to be true:
He more loving a Christian is in person, word, doctrine and deed, the more hated they are by some in the faith.
Unveiling the Disconnect Between Doctrine and Love
I want to try and illustrate this out on the white board.
So, let me sort of map out what I have experienced and then explain how and why I think it does.
LOVE EXPRESSED FOR ALL (add this last)
RECEPTION of EVANGELICALS
Lots of truth Little love More truth Some love More truth Some love More Truth More Love More Truth Greater love More truth Greater love More Truth Greatest love 2006-2012 I’m on TV attacking Mormonism and people who lead and believe in it. I was in flesh often and Ruthless on them. 2013 I am removed from the air for going after Utah Churches
I confront the modern church practices (tithes, materialism, money, demands)
I confront Eternal Punishment and the Trinity and the end of material religionA fulfilled system of temples, rituals, and laws—replaced by direct spiritual relationship.
I confront bad eschatologyStudy of “last things”—TGNN teaches all biblical eschatology was fulfilled in 70 A.D. More and promote subjective ChristianityA direct, personal relationship with God—free from institutional authority, guided by personal relationship, faith and agape love.
I preach and teach More refined positions using the Bible
Hell, Satan and over. Fulfillment Complete. All go to heaven. Not all His. Love love love! RESULT Greatly received RESULT Less Received RESULT
The Relationship Between Doctrine and Genuine Love
Looking this illustration over we can see that the more doctrines I came to understand as truth, the more the truth set me free.
From from what? Free from prejudices and biases and hatreds for those who did not think like me, free from the false notions that God hates certain segments of world, and free from the idea that “doctrinal might” makes right, and ultimately free to love.
Herein is the relationship between true doctrine and true love – if your doctrine is correct, you will love; if it is incorrect, you will wind up failing in love.
Look at the board and the progression is represents:
I started bagging on Mormons (who, as an institution ought to be bagged on) – but not ever ever ever the people, the flesh and blood, right.
When I came to see that all religious organizations have issues, I pulled back from the Mormons exclusively and sought to liberate all people from religious manipulation – which was a loving thing.
When I came to see the human error in assigning God’s make up in only certain ways, this broke my heart open to love those who might have a misguided interpretation of him – which means more love.
And when I saw the total victory Christ have over the world reconciling all to the Father, it brought forth more love for all people all the time.
At the same time the reception from my brothers and sisters in the faith was folding because for many Christians, ironically, the more a person loves, the more they and their views are despised!
This was the case with our Lord and King. He loved the sinners, the unclean, and received them all – and he was hated more and more by the religious. Right?
The more he freely lived – allowing his disciples to pluck wheat on the Sabbath, forgiving sins of adulterers, ate with sinners,
The Paradox of Love and Rejection
Forgave sinMissing the mark of faith and love—no punishment, just lost growth or peace. – the more he loved, the more HIS OWN hated him! And so it is today. The more you, as a Christian, will love all people everywhere, the MORE your religious brothers and sisters – the more your OWN – will distance themselves from you, reject you, even hate you.
Engaging in Discussion
Write your comments below and we will discuss them tomorrow night – here, on Heart of the Matter.
