This weekend, as we waited to park our
car outside of wedding reception hall in Pittsburgh, a man in his twenties
paraded past us with the Confederate Flag draped over his shoulders. He smiled,
aware of the stares he was receiving, and continued on his way. His statement
was loud and clear. I felt my heart drop into my stomach.
This is not a problem that seems to be
going away.
But for the last three days, much of
what I've seen on Facebook are statements like, "We Lost the
Country," and "Don't Worry, We Know What Real Marriage Is." (And
yes, there have always been gracious, love-filled posts and articles, and for
those I am so proud.)
But just like that, a week and a half
after a racially-charged hate crime killed nine people, we're
back to politics and wins and losses and finger pointing.
What I've been wondering, mostly, is
when our country become a theocracy.
Where, in the Bible, does it instruct
Christians to impose our morals on non-Christians? When did Jesus roll into
town 2000 years ago, saying he was going to take over everything, starting at
the highest levels of government and working his way down to eventually loving
the individuals?
Is my Bible missing those pages?
The Bible I read tells us to act justly
and love mercy. We're told to walk humbly. We're told to care for the orphans
and the widows. To love our brothers more than ourselves. To go and share the
good news of the Gospel with the world. And yes, the Bible states that marriage is defined as one man and one woman.
What it doesn't say, is to stand on
street corners and declare what are current score is in the great "God vs.
World" game.
We're not told to create cultural or
physical wars when we could, instead, be praying, and resting in the God who is
in control of everything. We're not told to use Jesus as a political bargaining
tool. And we're not told to make a whipping boy out of those who are trying to
understand feelings of same sex-attraction.
But somewhere down the line, this has
become our favorite sin. The best issue for stone throwers.
And I think I've finally figured out
why.
Most issues, we know we might all fall
into. We all lie, we all struggle with idolatry, we all have to work to protect
our marriages from affairs--but because of the nature of homosexuality, unless
you are dealing with it, you probably never will. To
those who don't understand it, it's a very un-relatable struggle. People don't
worry about falling into homosexuality the way they fear falling into
alcoholism. For this reason, it just seems like the worst.
Lord have mercy on us. We are
hypocrites.
I sincerely believe it's possible to
hold conservatively Biblical view of marriage without taking on the role of the
thought-police. I hope I'm able to do this well.
I also sincerely believe it's possible
to be hold a more liberal view of marriage and be deeply-loving follower of
Jesus. I have too many incredibly Jesus-loving friends who've proved this to me
to think otherwise. The conversations I have with these people challenge me to
get out of my comfort zone. Their focus is on people, not prescriptions.
And then there are people who are in
between, right now, struggling to figure out exactly where they stand. I hear
that.
We are all working out our salvation with fear and trembling--and that means also working out the big issues we face each day. May each of us go to God's Word for ourselves, converse with those we trust, and take our time as we learn to love and understand the world we live in.
We are all working out our salvation with fear and trembling--and that means also working out the big issues we face each day. May each of us go to God's Word for ourselves, converse with those we trust, and take our time as we learn to love and understand the world we live in.
The important thing in all of this, is
that the Supreme Court ruling is a federal issue. Unless something
has recently changed in our country, I believe the separation between Church
and State is still a thing. I think it's a good thing, at that. It means
churches are protected by their own bylaws and beliefs.
You know what feels more like a Church
issue? The shooting in Charleston, and the hatred that brought it on.
The teenage girl, trying to figure out
what to do about her pregnancy.
The kids who are dying of starvation
every day, right under our noses.
The women who are caught in a cycle of
abuse with no one to talk to about it.
The people who need a voice, who need
the Church to stand up in justice in love against the hate that so often colors
this world.
The gay man who no longer has a family
who's speaking to him.
These are people who need the love of
the Church.
Guys, we don't have a high success rate
in trying to lord over this world. We have a lot of work to do.
I can't pretend to know everything about
this issue--I know there are facets I will never comprehend, and hurts and fears
that I cannot address. For now, I just want to remind us all that this world is
a broken place, and that through grace and faith in Christ Jesus, this world is
not the end of the story. God is sovereign. May we never forget that.
So please.
Let's stop keeping score.
YES YES YES. So well said, Ashley. <3
ReplyDeleteGreat article. Thank you. I am also disheartened with the bombardment of opinions on this, or any matter at the forefront. It is in these times that our beliefs are tested. We live in a society that teaches "win, loose", and keeping score. We all get sucked into the details, and our egos want their say..Thanks for taking a step back, looking at the bigger picture, and reminding us about the way Jesus would want us to handle things....Grace and forgiveness.
ReplyDeleteHate the sin but love the sinner. Careful that you don't forget the first part of the sentence. Jesus is love, but he also condemned sin. If sin is a sin, we must treat it like such. If a person is committing sin, we must let them know that what they are doing is wrong and God (and therefore we) doesn't approve of it.
ReplyDeleteWe are suppose to let others know there is a God who forgives sin.
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