The Song Remains the Same
Why yes, yes it does. Unfortunately, it’s a song of tension within the church at large that, once again, as throughout much of our existence, has us more inward focused that outward. The church has been struggling with issues that appear to be of eternal consequence when they are more tied to the things of earth than those of Heaven. Neckties, women in ministry (there’s actually a lot more about this in Scripture than just a few verses in 1st Corinthians), and lawsuits-both by and towards-have quite gotten in the way of what’s really important. The conversations cited are important to have, but c’mon folks…it’s no wonder we are mocked by the unsaved world. And even worse, they have created their own version of Jesus because ours didn’t seem to match their understanding of Scripture. However, the waters are muddied further by the fact that an unsaved person rightly “dividing the word of truth” seems highly unlikely. So they’ve got it wrong and they think we do so they won’t listen to us. Houston, we indeed have problems.
Ok, Captain Obvious, what do we need to do? I’m glad you asked. In his recent book, “God and the Pandemic” N.T. Wright asks the same question. Now what? Let’s back up a second, though. Wright says the church should stop asking “why” and instead focus our attention on the “what”. As in, what are we (the church) going to do about the current situation. Not in a litigation way, but in a service way. Wright asks us to consider the story of the bloke born blind and the Pharisees wanting to know who’s fault it was. Jesus (God) didn’t care why he was blind, Jesus was just aware of the obvious fact that the fellow was blind. And what He was going to do about it. That’s a place where you and I, in Jesus, need to get to.
But “why” matters so much to us. You all know it matters to me. If we know why we can address the issue better, right? Well, yes, I suppose that’s still true-but, Bro Wright’s got a great point. In the first century the Christians were the folks bringing compassion to a hurting a dying world. Literally dying at the hands of disease. the wealthy would head for the hills as it were, and the Christians, much like the Marines in their commercial, would head straight into the world of the sick and dying. And yes, succumbing to the very illness they were there to help with.
There is absolutely no doubt that there are Jesus people, both near and far, that are engaged in both. I know they are. My frustration comes from the larger picture of the church in North America. And the dynamic of the unsaved world not paying attention to us has been around now for decades. That’s the real reason behind the death of so many churches. It may not be as much the case here in Springfield, CO, but it is nationally, which makes it then relevant locally.
It may seem like an overwhelming “what can I possibly do about it” situation. Because it is. But, if each of us works on our own part of the song, the song will change. Be intentional about Biblically loving your neighbor before trying to reason with him or her about what’s theologically wrong in their world.
That’s right…be kind to a gay person, a Republican, a Democrat, a Libertarian, a different type of Protestant, a Catholic, an Atheist, a Star Trek over Star Wars person. Your dad. Your mom. Your kids. Whomever……
A final thought. Thanks for reading all of this. OK, one more final thought-as much as you can, please do not overthink this. As in, if I’m nice to anyone listed above I’ll be seen as condoning their behavior. This is a real issue for the person of a conservative bent. I think it’s a quagmire of theology from the devil. In large part because trying to “shame them into shape” really isn’t working, is it? Don’t think about social interactions from your side of the equation, think of them from the other’s point of view. For many folks, a Jesus follower simply being nice will have some level of shock value, and that, my friends, will change the song we’re singing.
Keep Calm and Change That Tune…
