2 John divisive?

[lcalise]

In a debate with an agnostic friend, he referred to 2 John to show that Christianity divides believers from non-believers in the same way as Islam. Could someone help with the interpretation?

On the surface
"10: If any one comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into the house or give him any greeting;
11: for he who greets him shares his wicked work. "
does not seem to fit with Christian charity as we know it today.

Thanks!

 

[Fidelis]

lcalise:

In a debate with an agnostic friend, he referred to 2 John to show that Christianity divides believers from non-believers in the same way as Islam. Could someone help with the interpretation?

On the surface
"10: If any one comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into the house or give him any greeting;
11: for he who greets him shares his wicked work. "
does not seem to fit with Christian charity as we know it today.

Thanks!

Just goes to show that agnostics can proof-text (take verses out of the context of the entire passage) as well as anyone else.

If you read the whole letter, especially the surrounding verses, it is abundantly clear that John is talking about heretics **within ** the Church, not full fledged “unbelievers.” Apparently, there were false teachers within the Christian community causing confusion and leading people astray from authentic Christian truth. In a time when churches were located in houses, it amounts to a warning to not allow heretical teaching in the Church.

In other words, it is an in-house conflict, not a Jihad against “infidels.”.

 

[Daniel_Marsh]

There are are other earily documents that refer to sons of light vs sons of darkness, ( I think it may have been sheppard of hermas, but I could be wrong ), but even that document does not add up to jihad in the muslim sense.

and to the above, amen good answer. I too understand II John as referring to a house church, and that we are not even to give a greeting to a false teacher from the leadership of the church.

When cultist come to my door at home, if there are younger believers in my home at the time, I will not even say good day to the cultist unless the young believers get the impression that the cultist is a christian.