Judgment.

I'm sure most people by now have heard about Ted Haggard, the prominent right-wing pastor of a mega-church who has resigned his position after being accused of having a relationship with a male prostitute. To be completely honest, I have very little interest in this. I know nothing about him, the church or the situation. I'm also well aware that the media, who has jumped all over this, is a corporation, the goal being: to make money. It makes me sad, but it doesn't really effect me in a major way. A Christian has sinned, messed up in a big way, sorry that's not really a big surprise.

But, this scandal in particular is not what I'm thinking about today anyways. I'm thinking about the role that judgment plays in our lives. Nobody is going to miss the hypocrisy in the leader of a large church, that has a very political and vocal condemnation of homosexuality, being caught in a homosexual relationship. In a lot of ways, it baffles me how he functioned day after day without going crazy. But, maybe he's not all the different from me.

Honestly, if we can judge others so easily, we are kidding ourselves. How can you show such swift judgment of someone if you have a healthy understanding of yourself, that being, you, like everyone, are deeply and perversely messed up?

I'm not endorsing an atmosphere where sin is acceptable or overlooked.

But, I look back and catch myself saying things like, "Who does that?" "Do they have no integrity at all?" Its all too easy to sweep someone's character with a single brush stroke.

Perhaps we are quickest to judge the things that are actually part of our own lives. Like someone who is struggling with homosexuality being the leader of an organziation that condemns homosexuality. Are we so terrified of what is inside of us? We exhaust ourselves trying so hard to reassure ourselves, and others around us, that we, unlike those people, are in fact perfect.

I just thought this was such a blatant example of what we all do. I couldn't let it slip by.