I wonder what effect Christians actions have on the salvation of others.

I'm sure there are a good number of people who choose not to follow Christ because of me, and you, and every other Christian who has been... and all that has been done in the name of God.

I really like in Blue Like Jazz how Donald Miller and his friends at Reed set up a confessional and say sorry for wrecking it, for misrepresenting Jesus to everyone else. I wish that I could have been there... I wish that I could do that now.

At my last job I had a supervisor who was gay. I liked him, he was funny and we got along well. In the time I worked with him, I never once mentioned I was a Christian. I wanted him to see me for me, not like those he has undoubtedly encountered in the past. I wanted him to know I liked him for him, not in a "love the sinner, hate the sin" kind of way... but in a way people should like each other.

My mother is another prime example. She got pregnant before her and my dad were married, and had a Christian friend who refused to talk to her. She later had a miscarriage. I can only imagine what she thought about God then... if I was her, I would think that God was probably angry at me, that perhaps this lady represented what God thought, and perhaps losing the baby was punishment.

I'd hate to think who I've hurt and pushed away by feeling all righteous and judgmental. And I wonder how God will deal with that when we die. Is He going to send people to hell because they failed to choose the "right team"... and the only reason they didn't do so was because we didn't accept them.

If (and I say if, because I'm not sure about all this heaven/hell stuff) someones eternal place is dictated by whether or not they chose to follow Jesus... what consequence will we have for pushing them away and representing Jesus as someone he isn't? What if it's my fault?