Full-blown identity theft has never happened to me, but I’ve come close. Somebody once used my credit card to order massive amounts of fast food in Florida. (I live and buy fast food exclusively in New Mexico, and never ten times in one day!) Although this was quickly resolved, it served as a warning to me of how easy it would be to have my good name and credit destroyed.
My indignation and sense of violation were perhaps a small taste of what God feels when God’s name and credit are used falsely by so-called Christian political organizations and hate groups, or by insinuating and judgmental attitudes expressed by me or someone in my own congregation.
I find helpful a commentary in Luther’s Small Catechism with African Descent Reflections:
We misuse the Lord’s name when we use it to invoke harm upon another person. Calling for blessing to come upon anyone is all right. Using God’s name to unleash mischief or curses upon anyone is prohibited. We must not make our religion a club or weapon with which to have our way over others. (p. 15).
This message is excerpted from the Bible study “The Ten Commandments: Reviving the soul by Christa Von Zychlin in the January/February 2023 Gather magazine.
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