A History of Confession

Many recent influences in my life like Brian McLaren, Tony Campolo, Don Miller and Jim Wallis have shown me the necessity for confession. Not just confession of my own sins and wrongdoings, but confession of my past.

By my past, I mean my Christian heritage...e.g. the age of slavery done in the name of Christ, the crusades done in the name of Christ, the Holocaust even done in part in the name of Christ...and even our brothers in the Catholic church and their recent allegations of abuse...even the way Christians in general today treat each other and those outside of our circles with contempt and anger instead of love and compassion.

For these things, I am sorry. I am sorry that my brothers and sisters in Christ have committed acts that turn people away from God...and I can only ask that those who have been hurt by the church and Christians would give Christ a chance. Take Him at His word. I am also sorry for the times that I have acted in anger and pride instead of compassion.

I also found that the Israelites did this very thing. Confess for the sins that the generations before them committed. In Ezra and Nehemiah, they ask for forgiveness of the sins of idolatry and for walking away from God for their ancestors...not that their ancestors would receive forgiveness now dead, but to recognize that they are linked with the generations past, and that they need to move on forward in ways that previous generations did not.

Let's follow the example of our predecessors and seek to fully turn away from the sins of our ancestor's past.