(note: Originally written my sophmore year of college in January 2003)
Continued from part I

Initial thoughts of the Christian community in America would say that we are indeed bearing much fruit. Many gain lovely relationships with Christ through the small groups and Bible studies and the sermons of the American Church. And our giving and outreach to the community is certainly there. Let me change our way of thinking for a moment.
I submit that the standard to which we hold our Christianity is nothing but the relative standard of what our non-Christian American neighbors are doing. But our standard should be Christ and His word, nothing less. When the cop pulls you over for speeding it does not matter whether every other car on the road was speeding twice as much as you were, if you were speeding you were speeding. It does not matter how “good” you are compared to your atheist neighbor, God’s standard is not your righteousness in relation to other sinners. And this is were our interpretation of the Bible and it’s words is falling drastically short of what it should be. I present a Bible verse to keep in mind as we endeavor to change our worldview to one that is Christ centered from one that has been self focused. “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” And as Christians in America our suffering is to be honest, completely absent. The Scripture is full of verse about suffering about Christ revealing himself in our need and in our trials. The word is full of calls to serve and to give and to be selfless. There are a billion and a half ways we can and should and need to be doing those things.

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