Hypocrisy or Christianity?

I have to snicker a tiny bit at a blog post over at Lighting The Way Worldwide. It’s titled “Emerging Christianity with Homosexuality?” and it’s from a post by Linda Harvey (of MissionAmerica.com fame). She writes:

“The ‘Emergent’ church needs to be on everyone’s radar. Their ideas and approach are poison. This is NOT authentic, biblical Christianity, and it’s becoming more evident all the time. They are truly ‘coming out of the closet’ and unashamedly advocating heresy.

What’s amusing is that this photograph is from the Lighting The Way blog:

and this:

The pictures on the Home for Christmas post are like a “Where’s Waldo” for pagan symbolism. As far as the Christmas tree goes, Christianity Today writes of the early church fathers:

“The evergreen tree was an ancient symbol of life in the midst of winter. Romans decorated their houses with evergreen branches during the New Year, and ancient inhabitants of northern Europe cut evergreen trees and planted them in boxes inside their houses in wintertime. Many early Christians were hostile to such practices. The second-century theologian Tertullian condemned those Christians who celebrated the winter festivals, or decorated their houses with laurel boughs in honor of the emperor:

‘Let them over whom the fires of hell are imminent, affix to their posts, laurels doomed presently to burn: to them the testimonies of darkness and the omens of their penalties are suitable. You are a light of the world, and a tree ever green. If you have renounced temples, make not your own gate a temple.’ “

As a former believer, I can respect Christian doctrine that goes against my own life choices. What I cannot respect is someone that speaks out of both sides of their mouth. Christ said:

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. ” Matthew 23:27-28

Maybe Linda Harvey should watch out for the gay and the “emergent” pagan evangalists that have infiltrated her support network and her church!