Of course I can't speak for those who never make an appointment to see me, but the biggest problem I encounter in counseling with people about spiritual matters is not a lack of repentance but the feeling that they are not good enough...that they are too sinful for God's redemption. Even on Sunday, just chatting with a visitor at Rally Day, it came up. The most prevalent message out there is, "You are a sinner and going to hell unless you can appease a wrathful God." 99.9% of the people I counsel have no sense that God truly loves them, despite the fact that the Bible claims in 1 John 4:8 that love isn't just what God does, it is what God IS.

So I don't find a need to preach God's judgment and condemnation. Jesus seemed to save all of that for the religious leadership and those who refused help to the hungry and sick. I find that the message people have been missing is not God's wrath, but God's love. They seem to feel plenty condemned, but not at all loved.