“In nearly forty years of ministry, I have yet to meet a single convert who was brought to Christ through the anger of a Christian. Never. Millions, however, may be won by love.”
Rev. David P. Cassidy
Matthew 3:7 Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. 9 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
Titus 1:13 Therefore rebuke them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith
Jude 23 And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
I don’t know Rev. Cassidy from Adam. Someone pointed this quote out to me in a twitter thread. However, from this one quote I do know he likely shouldn’t have been in the ministry for forty years. I also know that he likely has never ever met one convert if he believes this is true. Anger and love are not mutually exclusive. If converts have never known the anger of God through the proclamation of the anger of the Christian declaring the Gospel then one has never known the love of God. The only way to proclaim the Gospel of love is by first proclaiming the Gospel of anger. (We call it “Law and Gospel.”)
Read those Scriptural quotes above… does John the Baptist read like he is not angry? Does Jude read like he is not angry? Does St. Paul look like he is not angry?
As I said above already anger and love are not mutually exclusive when presenting the Gospel in the one doing the presenting. In Acts 17:16 we learn that Paul was deeply provoked by the idols he found in Athens and thus began to “reason with” the men of Athens. The Greek word for “deeply provoked” (παρωξύνετο) there means “to arouse anger, provoke, irritate.”
And lets not even talk about the kind of “love” that Rev. Cassidy mentions. Anymore that kind of love is the love of a whore.
Cassidy provides just one more example of why I can’t stomach, generally speaking, American clergy any longer. If you love your souls you will not listen to America’s clergy. They have to be the stupidest things on two legs these days. And if it means that the price of not listening to them is not listening to me I will gladly pay it, if you will only quit taking seriously anything these people say.
Yes … exceptions across the country exist. There is a reason though why they are called “exceptions.”
