There have been urges from many people towards those who hold conservative ideologies that we should "love" and be "accepting." Well, I can't speak for everyone else, but I can speak for myself when I say, I am trying the best I can, but I believe many of you have the wrong idea of what love is. Love does not mean accepting someone else's sin, or making excuses for them, or letting them destroy their life because you don't want to offend them. That is the opposite of love.

Trust me, it is Christ-like to try and lead a brother or sister in the right direction. In his letter to the church of Galatia, Paul said: "Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path." -Galatians 6:1. It is not Christ-like to be demeaning and rude about it, but correcting someone and helping them out of their sin is the correct thing to do. So why on Earth are we making excuses for sin instead? The Bible has a clear list of things that are unacceptable- no theological debates necessary. But none of us take its warnings against sin as much as we should, myself included.

No one really likes to be corrected. But during these controversial times, we need to stand together as a church. It's not a time to increase division just because someone disagrees with your point of view, and that goes for everyone, from any part of the political spectrum. Respectfully, we need to get back into alignment with God's Word, and stop making excuses for sins- whether "big" or "small." If one of my Christian brothers or sisters sees me doing something they think is wrong, I would want them to confront me about it and we can hold an open discussion, with no hostility, and work toward growth together.

We are all trying to learn how to love. But be assured- love is not acceptance. True love is trying to help a person grow to be the best they can be. True love is being there for someone during the worst of times and the best of times, always praying for them, and always speaking the truth in love. True love will hurt sometimes because the truth hurts sometimes. But someone who loves you will also be there to help you heal from that hurt. It's time for us to stop making excuses for sin, and start truly loving others by guiding them in the right direction.