As I scrolled through Facebook on the Friday before Easter, I came across a post from a pastor that was putting another church down for their Facebook ad. The Facebook ad was a picture of a bunny and Easter eggs and was inviting people to the church’s Easter services.

The pastor didn’t name the church, but I quickly discerned that he was talking about my church. In his opinion bunnies and eggs are not an acceptable form of advertisement on Good Friday, although based on his church’s post the previous week, it can be used before then.

I do have to give him credit. He did take the post down after about an hour. I’m not sure if it was because he felt bad or if it was from unrelenting pressure from the bunny and egg crowd. Either way it saved me from getting into a Facebook feud and making both of us look bad.

But I have to ask, why do Christians do this?

Why do we feel the need to attack others who think differently than us?

Why are we so quick to judge?

Didn’t Jesus warn us about this?

“Why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.” Matthew 7:3-5

I fear that the Christian community has for far too long been obsessed with winning the argument while creating even greater divides to those outside our faith.

What’s the win when we put down another church? Less people attend that church, and less people attend church altogether. Do we really think Jesus is pleased when with this result?

Now certainly there are times when churches need to be called out for teaching false doctrine, but let’s be honest. The majority of our quarrels stem from our preferences.

Traditional versus Contemporary

Sunday School versus Small Groups

King James Version versus Any Other Version

You see, I don’t think Jesus died for our preferences.

The fact is it takes all different kinds of churches to reach all different kinds of people. So, the next time someone does something that you don’t really agree with, remember what Jesus said,

“Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” John 13:35

Your love, not your preferences. So let’s stop trying to tear each other down, and start trying to build one another up out of love.

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