. . .and sacrificing Truth on the Altar of Niceness

“Man, with all his boasted understanding and attainments, is a fool: so long as he is destitute of the saving grace of God, his conduct, as to his most important concernments, is more absurd and inconsistent then that of the meanest idiot; with respect to his affections and pursuits, he is degraded far below the beasts; and for malignity and wickedness of his will, can be compared to nothing so properly as the devil.” – John Newton (1725 – 1807 & author of “Amazing Grace) from the letter “Man in His Fallen Estate”.

That is HARSH! I can’t even imagine Rev. Newton preaching that in  some many most(?) of today’s churches!  Where did he ever get such a low opinion of people who have not believed in and received Christ as Savior? That’s a BIG difference in the way many preachers and teachers talk about man’s condition in today’s Christian environment.

Was John Newton too harsh? Do some of today’s preachers sacrifice hard truth on the altar of niceness?

Think about it and feel free to share your thoughts.