Not Us Too

The Church, the body of Christ, makes a powerful statement in this world when we demonstrate true
Biblical unity. 1st Peter 3 says:
8 Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous;
9 not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.

I believe one of the challenges facing the body of Christ today is how to resolve differences Biblically, in a way that will contribute to being unified.  And, it is not helped along as we stereotype and generalize, characterizing certain groups in a way that is unhelpful.  We have to learn to uphold Scripture and to allow the principles of the Bible to govern how we behave toward one another; and where there is a need for correction - and there will be - to be able to correct in a manner that reflects God's desired outcome of love and grace, a stronger body of Christ.

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The apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 4 a series of verses that can be helpful for us as we approach a
new year and attempt to bring true correction and healing in the body of Christ:
1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,
2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,
3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

When thinking back on the year 2018 in assembling the Top 10 Topics of 2018, it occurred to me that this was certainly a year of upheaval in the Christian community.  Some of the upheaval could be regarded as therapeutic, such as the addressing of sexual abuse in a variety of contexts.  But, something good can be the enemy of something great, as it's been said.  So, while some are calling out inappropriate male-female relationships in the church, we have to be careful not to allow this revelation of odious behavior to not become a source of division between devoted men and women.

If you had to describe 2018, in some respects, it could be described as the year of “not good enough.” Regarding the #MeToo movement, and its corollary, #ChurchToo, the Church is being charged with not being sensitive enough.  And, while that may be true, it has led to some confusion and mistrust within the ranks.

Another thread this year is in the area of race relations, an area in which I have stated repeatedly that the evangelical Church should be leading the way.  However, beginning with two major conferences in the spring, the Church was being described as not accommodating enough in that area; and I believe while that may be true, the approach has become divisive.

With regard to immigration, groups of Christians are charging others with not being compassionate enough, as if a devotion to the rule of law is a bad thing.

And, in the area of sexuality, the LGBTQ community is screaming that the Church is not tolerant enough and are demanding that Biblical teaching be shelved in favor of "welcoming" those who identify as gay or "same-sex attracted."  Welcoming is one thing, acquiescence is something else entirely.

The melodrama concerning the Brett Kavanaugh hearing has ignited debates about due process, as well as whether or not those claiming to be victimized should be 1) heard and 2) believed.   While #MeToo does present the challenge to men on how they/we should treat women, a misapplication of some of the principles can lead to rivalry between the sexes and even a sense of mistrust.

This is certainly not to minimize horrific activities toward women that some men have carried out; and while we continue to remember the brutal legacy of slavery in our land and legitimate oppression that has occurred.  But, we can move beyond our past failings into the bright hope God has in store.  I believe 2018 represented a setback in these and other areas, because it has resulted in division that seemingly some do not seem to want to reconcile.  Our clarion call in 2019 and beyond is to attempt to preserve unity in the body of Christ, and that doesn't occur when we are attributing present characteristics to people-groups based on past actions.

We also have to be willing to address issues Biblically.  Our approach to Scripture is not to try to fit the Bible to our own pet philosophy, but to allow Scripture to speak and to shape our attitudes.  As we commit ourselves to a careful study of the Word in 2019, we have to make sure that the Spirit of God is activating our attitudes and actions.