Steve Brown is an old white guy, author, broadcaster and seminary professor who's sick of religion. And this is his blog.

Blog DescriptionThe Old White Guy Blog

Offend Someone

Steve Brown June 6th, 2007

I got an email this morning from a musician friend. He struggles with same sex attraction. He is one of my heroes!

He was talking about being raised in a legalistic and self-righteous church where they didn't even allow musical instruments. When my friend was cutting an album of hymns, a "godly brother" said that his work was just "another form of worldliness."

Then my friend recalled that this same brother refused to sing any hymn. He never sang at all. "He simply sat stone-faced."

My friend imagined what this man would think if my friend told him that he was not only a worldly recording artist, but also was struggling with "H-O-M-O-S-E-X-U-A-L-I-T-Y."

I suspect that the man would be shocked!

One time two of my students were in downtown Orlando and a preacher was preaching to a small crowd that had gathered. A lady in a very tight red dress walked by the small assembly and the preacher yelled: "WHORE!!! REPENT!!!"

One of my students–God bless him–said to the other, "We're all whores. I just don't know how to say it in a way that people will hear it."

How sad for people who have a song to never sing it. Maybe they don't even have a song.

In that case, offend them!

Martin Luther said:

"There are some who have no understanding to hear the truth of freedom and insist upon their goodness as means for salvation. These people you must resist, do the very opposite, and offend them boldly lest by their impious views they drag many with them into error. For the sake of liberty of the faith do other things which they regarded as the greatest of sins… use your freedom constantly and consistently in the sight of and despite the tyrants and stubborn so that they may learn that they are impious, that their law and works are of no avail for righteousness, and that they had no right to set them up."

I commission you to go out and offend someone today!

In Jesus' love, of course.

Print This Post | Email This Post | Digg This!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 6th, 2007 at 2:00 pm and is filed under , , . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

8 Responses to “Offend Someone”

Kathy Hughes June 6th, 2007

Bless you Steve Brown! You always say what I'm thinking just like Simon on American Idol. You say it so true! We so need to hear that our only goodness is in Jesus!

dorsey June 7th, 2007

Uh, Steve, I did like you said (well, I thought so).

Could you send $500 to the 3rd Circuit Court of Gloucester County, NJ? If not, maybe you could recommend a good bail bondsman? Thanks.

Chemical Erik June 8th, 2007

I like to send them to mrdeity.com.

I've also seen a room full of adults at church go red when I mention God wants all the husbands and wives to have lots of sex. It's extra fun to offend the pious with the very source they claim for their righteousness!

Mark June 9th, 2007

I think my unhealthy addiction to the approval of others has been the one thing that has prevented me from offending people when I should have. I really want people to like me, so it's tough to want to ruin that by offending them.

Christov June 10th, 2007

Um, Steve, didn't you and Pete set up and knock an "offensive" straw man in a, um, recent Key Life broadcast? 8 June 2007? I just want to kid with and wind you up a little bit. Now, I understand that you can Pope-out on this one ("I didn't say that (about Islam), I was only quoting an earlier Pope who did say that ;) ) Of course, that'd be casting Martin Luther as the Steve Brown of the Reformation, but that wouldn't be such a bad thing, would it? Except that Luther guy didn't grow any tulips, although he may have mistaken them for onions and eaten a few? I'm just kidding. I liked your blog, and got what you were saying in your broadcast, even though they seem a little contradictory.

Happy Sunday,

Christov
Lovely Stepford, TN

Al Pastor Bo June 13th, 2007

What exactly was the "tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil" and why was God so opposed to eating from it? Could it be that constant conversation and debut over what is good and what is evil and the knowledge thereof could be desensitizing to our humanity. Apathy being the chiefest of traits amoungst the saints in our day. Could it be that Ted Turner has it right when he says "show it to them long enough, it will go from thought provoking, to funny, to a lifestyle".?

Be careful my friend, words are eternal and shall stay with you for all eternity.

(Joe) Joseph Black aka Dr J. June 17th, 2007

Steve,
I love your teaching. I am a radical restorationist not a reformationist.Personally, I feel Luther may have got it in some areas, but he still missed it.
It's difficult for Popes or Priest to give up the reins of power.
I enjoyed the quote though. Keep offending, I do daily in my ranting about the history of the church. I want people to know Christ instead of man's traditions, and religion. I love your efforts to make people think. I listen to the CD's you send me and enjoy your teaching, It is both spiritual and thought provoking at once.
God bless

Charles October 11th, 2007

Al Pastor Bo needs a beer.

Leave a Reply

Most Popular Stuff

Comments

MikeMcK

That would be Romans 7:19

Church ‘R’ Us (Part 2)

Read More

shelly

I was about to post what estuardo said. “What about...

Etcetera - 05.13.08 - Dis-Orientation

Read More

tommy

Didn’t Paul say something to the effect that the good...

Church ‘R’ Us (Part 2)

Read More

G-rock

http://youtube.com/watch?v=EXv i9bySjQQ

Etcetera - 05.14.08 - The Shack, Etc.

Read More

Ray

No, no relation. Michael has MUCH better hair.

Etcetera - 05.14.08 - The Shack, Etc.

Read More