Cooke Addresses "The Dreaded 'J' Word"

In this month's issue of Charisma Magazine, media consultant and columnist Phil Cooke discusses the issue of "judging." He writes:

The view that we have no business judging other believers has become pervasive in the church today. The truth is, the Scripture from Matthew 7:1, "Do not judge" (NIV), has been widely misunderstood. Did Jesus really mean that we should never judge others?

It's interesting that when you examine Scripture, it's not just the act of judging that Jesus is talking about; it's also our attitude while doing it. Common sense tells us that making judgments is an important part of life. Whom our children play with, what church we attend, where we work and whom we associate with all are judgments.

However, today the culture tries to convince us that tolerance is the highest virtue. "Who are we to judge?" is the rallying cry of deviant behavior, heretical teaching and immoral living. Without proper criticism and judgment, living in real community would become impossible.

The question becomes, How do we judge like Jesus, and how can we be sure that love, repentance and restoration are the standards we use?

He goes on to lay out three guidlines which include:

1. Start with Scripture.
2. Lose the beam.
3. Judge results not people.

It's interesting that under the third point, he speaks of first examining within the church before "judging" mainstream culture. He writes, "The truth is, the church today has it backward. We spend too much time criticizing the outside culture, and not enough time examining the church."

What are your thoughts on this? Do you think there is a place for "the dreaded 'j' word"? Can Christians practice judgment, specifically among themselves, without it falling into the category of legalism?