Hi Michael. Denying Christ was not part of the message. The message was simply explaining scripture and clarifying what Yeshua meant. Rather than saying you had to worship Him in order to get closer to God, He was saying you had to follow His example of love and kindness to each other and to God. I admire those who stand up for their beliefs, and I don’t think they’re crazy, but neither do I think it is necessary to give your life in order to be loved by Yeshua.

I saw a photograph display once at a museum about the Tibetan monks and nuns who were tortured by the Chinese. They spent the rest of their lives praying for the torturers. It was then I knew that there had to be a misunderstanding in terms of believing you had to worship Yeshua to avoid eternal damnation. People like them would surely be embraced, rather than damned. I don’t know if I’d be strong enough to face death for my beliefs, and I don’t know that I’d be strong enough to forgive people who tortured me, but I’m relieved to know that neither is necessary, because we’re loved unconditionally.