What About all the Wars That are Caused in the Name of Christianity?
Rick Warren Answers Your Questions
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What about all the wars that are caused in
the name of Christianity?
~ Well first, let me say that a lot of things have been done in the name of Christianity that Jesus Christ would totally disavow. And just because someone claims to be a Christian doesn't necessarily make him a follower of Christ, nor does it make him a representative of Jesus. It's very, very important to distinguish between the bible kind of Christianity and the actions that have been taken throughout history by people who claim to be Christians but really didn't know.
You see there's a difference between religion and a relationship with God. Jesus is not interested in the religion of Christianity. He's interested in you having a relationship to Him. Jesus never said, "I've come that you might have religion." He said, "I came that you might have life and have it more abundantly."
Now a lot of people have claimed to be followers of Christ but they've lived their lives contrary to His teaching. And we shouldn't label that group Christian. But let me say this, have you ever seen a counterfeit dollar? Well, maybe you haven't, but maybe you've heard of them. Why are there counterfeit dollars in the world? Well, I'll tell you why. Because there are real dollars in the world. If there were no real dollars, there would be no counterfeits. And if you find counterfeit Christianity in the world, it must mean that somewhere there must be the real thing. The point is we don't identify Jesus by claiming that all the things that were done in His name were done by Him. In fact, Jesus proffended His own disciples from defending themselves against the enemies when He said on a personal basis, He said, "I want you to turn the other cheek."
So a lot of wars have been done in the name of Christianity that Jesus probably would have disavowed. The real issue is do you know Jesus Christ? You see, it doesn't matter so much what has been done by hypocrites or phonies or false followers of Christ. What matters is do you know the real, true, genuine item? Have you ever turned your life over to Jesus Christ? If you haven't, I would encourage you to investigate Him today.
Do you want to know Christ personally? Click here!
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