{"id":958,"date":"2018-03-01T16:41:41","date_gmt":"2018-03-01T22:41:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.maryjnelson.com\/?p=958"},"modified":"2018-03-01T16:41:41","modified_gmt":"2018-03-01T22:41:41","slug":"friendly-fire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.maryjnelson.com\/?p=958","title":{"rendered":"Friendly Fire"},"content":{"rendered":"

Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces.<\/strong><\/em>
\n\u2014Psalm 34:5<\/p>\n

\"\"Friendly fire is a military term referring to inadvertent firing towards one’s own forces while attempting to engage the enemy, particularly when the result is injury or death. Another term for friendly fire is fratricide, a word that originally refers to the act of a person killing their brother. Unfortunately, sometimes our experience with \u201corganized religion\u201d or with other Christians has felt a lot like friendly fire. Instead of receiving Christ-like love and grace in the midst of our human struggles and failings, we have encountered judgment and condemnation.<\/p>\n

I know a young woman, let\u2019s call her Angie, who was raised in\u00a0a church, but is disillusioned with Christianity. Her mother-in-law is a new ager. She is kind and caring and treats Angie with love and respect. Angie\u2019s mother attends church every Sunday and has made no secret of her disappointment with Angie\u2019s life choices. She corrects her parenting skills and housekeeping deficiencies, harps on her regularly for not going to church, and is often too busy when Angie needs help or emotional support. Who is more \u201cChrist like:\u201d Angie\u2019s mom or mother-in-law? Angie is a victim of friendly fire. In her mother\u2019s attempt to bring her back into the fold, she has pushed her further away.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, in a well-intentioned attempt to battle back the forces of darkness, people in the church sometimes fire a direct shot at one of their own. I know other victims of friendly fire:<\/p>\n