Dear God What a Tangled Web we Weave

I just sent the following letter to the Univeristy Star in response to the unfortunte example of (not) Christ's message that was presented at Texas State last week. I'll have more to say about Jed Smock and his kind later, but for now look over my letter and respond with any comments. I had a lot that I wanted to say, but was limited to 300 works.

Thanks,

- Jordan

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This past week, many Christians, including myself, had to defend our beliefs from a man who spread a perverted message of hate while claiming to represent Jesus Christ.

The image that the “reverend” Jed Smock presented was not of Jesus Christ, but of a hateful, judgmental and bitter man who has apparently ignored Christ’s message for the sake of his ego. Many at Texas State are already distrustful of the Biblical message. Jed Smock only serves to add to the confusion of people searching for truth, and increase that distrust. Christ invoked a message of love for humankind, regardless of any variables, giving the command: “love your neighbor as yourself”. Christians are supposed to follow Christ’s example of love above all else. During his ministry, Jesus reserved the vast majority of his harsh words not for the people that are most likely perceived as “sinners”, but for the religious elite, the Pharisees, who claimed to be morally perfect, just as Smock does. They are the people who received the brunt of Christ’s judgment. Smock professes that he is a morally perfect person. This is not possible according to the Bible, which teaches that “all sin and fall short of the Glory of God”. Romans chapter 3 says: “there is no one righteous, not even one”. It is though faith and God’s grace, not by works or actions, Mr. Smock, that we are saved. Only God is without sin. By claiming to be sinless, Smock is not only being un-biblical, he’s being outright blasphemous by claiming moral equality with God.

I can only hope that students will see past Smock’s self-righteous display, and that their perception of God (whether they believe in God as real, or merely a man-made concept) will not be shaped by such a un-Christ-like person.

- Jordan