Christians V Sinners [From the Archives]

from the archives

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Often within the Christian community, you here things about sinners.  Sin is something that is unavoidable as humans.  Yes, as Christians we should strive to not sin.  But…at the end of the day we’re going to fail.  It’s just built in to us.

As a Christian, I try not to sin because a) my life is typically easier and happier when I don’t sin, and b) it makes my Lord Jesus happy when I avoid sins that go against him (those reasons need to be reversed in order…this is why I am still very much growing in my Christianity).

But there is no way that I will ever not be a sinner.  

Because I believe in my heart and confess with my mouth, I am a sinner saved by grace.  

But…I am still a sinner.  I always will be.  

All of us, will always be sinners.

So I get a little…wary when I hear the term sinner in churches/the Christian community.  Mainly because it’s commonly used as an us v. them situation- meaning Christians are in one group and sinners are in another.  And in my mind, that is not a true distinction.  Christians are still sinners…if that was a Venn Diagram, it would just be a circle.

Personally, I look at it more as a “believer and non-believer” situation, “Christian or non-Christian.”  To some this may seem as a nit-picky detail, but I think it reflects a problematic mindset.  It automatically creates a divide where we should be trying to create unity– a unity based on a shared belief of Christ.  It’s hard to show people the love of Jesus when there is an ingrained belief that youare better than them.  None of us are better than others- only the Savior who resides within in us separates Christians from non-Christians.  He is better than all of humanity, and we are blessed when he comes into our hearts and lives.  To act as though it’s anything other Him that separates us from our fellow mankind is not logical or glorifying- it’s actually really annoying and arrogant. 

Do Rereads Count?

Since pushing my blog towards a more bookish focus, I've been paying more interest to other book bloggers or BookTubers. And one thing I've noticed in a lot of Wrap-Up videos (where people list the books they've read in the past month/week/etc) is that many people count rereads in their count.

I have never counted rereads when counting how many books I've read in a certain amount of time. What I typically do is finish a book, hopefully remember to add it to Goodreads, and then leave it lying around the house. Before I was preggo, I would reread books lots of time in the bathtub. My husband thinks this is super weird, but it was my relaxing time.

And I didn't like to do it with a new book or library book, because then I'd risk getting water spots on it. I know, a good bibliophile wouldn't treat any books like this...but I do.

Anyway.

My point is that I do have a lot of rereads, but I don't typically count them in a wrap-up after the first time. It feels like cheating. 

But...I think I am about to do it for the first time this month. Mainly because I reread Allegiant and that book is over 500 pages, so it did take some time even though it's a relatively easy book. Although I did feel guilty when I thought about doing that, so I managed to read 2 more books based on embarrassment and also the desire to meet my monthly goal (2.5 books a month to meet a yearly goal of 30).

So my question is- do rereads count? 

Am I just being weird and too strict here? Or do you see my point that once a book is read, it isn't new anymore? Still good, still worth rereading, but not adding to a goal.

Maybe it's the goal aspect of my reading that affects this. Maybe others just read without having that definitive idea of "new" (new to me, of course, old books are sometimes the best books).

Help me out here. 

What do you think?

Monthly Favorites: March 2016

Just some random things I think are interesting and/or worth reading from the Internet this past month.

• When Life Leaves You Feeling like a Misfit from Blogs by Christian Women:
• http://blogsbychristianwomen.com/2016/03/when-life-leaves-you-feeling-like-a-misfit/

• The Art Assignment Hotline:
• John & Sarah Green discuss some art questions, but then answer why "ridiculed" degrees (like mine) are still useful.

• I Am Not A Careful Reader: Confessions of a Book Lover
• http://www.purpleclover.com/lifestyle/1785-i-am-not-careful-reader-confessions-book-lover/

• The Bloggess talks about weekends and social anxiety and friends and you should read it and think about it.
• http://thebloggess.com/2016/03/every-friday-night-and-saturday-night-and-every-night-basically\

This isn't a favorite- but something worth mentioning. This American Life podcast episode is about sexual assault, and the first story is of how a victim ends up on fucking probation after being raped. And the awful consequences of doubt. This is what the fuck is wrong with our society. It makes me sick, literally. And FUCK that one lady who continues to blame the victim for the way she responded. Go ahead and make yourself feel better about being uneducated bitch- you're lucky you can be self-righteous in your ignorance. I bet your supposedly loved daughter wishes she had that fucking privilege.

• Yes, that is terrible language and a bit of vitriol but I cannot face this story with anything other than rage and disgust. And I don't think anyone should.
• http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/581/anatomy-of-doubt