Eclectic Thoughts: June 2015

I keep seeing part of this Christopher Hitchens quote circulating around social media. I find it both troubling and thought provoking. Here is the quote:

"I am not even an atheist so much as anti theist; I not only maintain that all religions are versions of the same untruth, but I hold that the influence of churches and the effect of religious belief is positively harmful..."

My commentary: No, not all religions are versions of the same "untruth". Truth is tangible and non-contradictory. It cannot all be the same. We can speak to this, but does his claim that churches are "positively harmful" hold merit? It may need investigation. We have lost our relevance. Are we spreading the beauty of the Gospel, or are we bogged down in bickering and party politics? What happened to the church? May this be a sobering reminder of our true calling. Let's prove Hitchens wrong.

I think it is time we enter into this sticky conversation. In what areas does disunity exist? How are we failing to show the beauty and glory of God to those around us?

Some that come to mind for me are listed below. These are only observations. I don't want to come across self-righteous. They are merely observations of areas that bother me. I would love to know what people think, if I have missed any, and especially if I am off base on any of these.

** A fear of liberalism keeps many from helping in programs that have even the slightest scent of the left. Christians were leading the way in social reform in the day. Now, fairly or not, we are painted as reactionary, bigoted, and judgmental.

Could this be that our politics have taken precedence over our faith?

We live in a sound bite culture. It is possible that we have lost our ability to reason through issues bit by bit. We get bombarded with sensational stories and anecdotal evidence.

Do we take the time to sift through it? We tend to put the issues into a binary. Left/Right Good/Bad, which leads us to be either "in" or "out". This is a false dichotomy. In reality, life is far more nuanced than this.

I worry that the mantle we take is more of a modern political stance.

The result of this, I fear, is that we have pulled out of academia, and hunkered down in our communities. We share the same ideas over and over again with one another, without seeking to challenge our understanding.

It is easy to gain confirmation and approval from those who think just like us. It solidifies our views whether they have merit or not.

I have noticed a fear of the "other". We fear the brainwashing indoctrination of liberalism and secularism. Everyone knows the old adage, "to be in the world, and not of the world". If we have a strong foundation, why are we not engaging more?

We elevate homeschooling and our church circles walling ourselves in, then become distressed by our lack of relevance in the market place if you will. We lament and ask what happened. We shied away and self-affirmed, that's what happened.

**Racial segregation of the body still largely exists. We should be the first group to dismantle oppression. I am not seeing this in the church; a more unified body that transcends racial, and socioeconomic barriers. Why aren't we connecting more, and being purposeful to do so?

**Theological segregation. It is right to pour into the scriptures seeking God's heart. We are called to seek after Him. The more we learn, the better. What is not right is allowing the non-doctrinal conclusions to create disunity. This has been my issue with great teachers such as Piper and Sproul. No one has all the answers.

We can sit together over good wine and hash out the merits of limited atonement, but it becomes fruitless and down right bad, if we do this at the sacrifice of fellowship and community.

I had one dear brother tell me that he knew true Christians were Calvinists, and he didn't even bother talking with those who did not prescribe to the 5 Solae. They were weak minded and not actually in Christ. I didn't know how to answer at the time. I just sat there dumbfounded. I was at that moment embarrassed to admit that John Wesley has had a greater impact on my growth then Spurgeon.

These areas become such high points of contention that I have noticed nearly as many churches crop up as people. Here in Hope Mills, there is a church on just about every corner. Across the street from one another there is a church that says "KJV" on their marquee, while the other says "ESV and contemporary worship band!" What's up Church? Why are we doing this? Sure personal preferences may come into play *a little*, but this is getting nuts. They were both Baptist, one was a more true form of Baptist than the other? It reminds me of Dr. Seuss and the "Star Belly Sneetches".

We are the oddballs being Anglican in a Southern Baptist neighborhood. It shouldn't matter, but it really does impact how fellow Christians relate to us. I feel like I go through a vetting process when meeting Christians. ::eyes narrowed:: "What church do you go to?" "Hmm...whose the pastor?" "Isn't that with pastor Spud, who put up 'Happy Holidays' on his marquee?" "Hmph ya know Christ is the reason for the season".

**Disunity caused by dismissing the work of half the church. Here is the most controversial one of my struggles. I am an egalitarian. What does this mean? It means only that I see a Biblical precedence for mutual submission in marriage and spiritual gifts being dolled out equally to both men and women. This is not the predominant view of the church, and I grew up with a complimentarian (men and women have equal worth but different roles) view. Through much searching, deeper exegesis in my study time, and praying, my views began to change. The egalitarian view is not a new one, it was not founded after the feminist movement as some have been led to believe.

There are plenty of sources that shed light on this topic. I recommend checking out Christians for Biblical Equality as a starting point. Here are a couple links to get the ball rolling; http://www.cbeinternational.org/files/u1/free-art/what-is-biblical-equality.pdf, http://juniaproject.com/resources-2/.

Much of our assumptions of roles are not Biblical, but cultural. Here is another good source to check out: http://juniaproject.com/origins-sexism-church/

When we dismiss half the population, we really limit ourselves. Not only that, but it opens the door for abuse and manipulation. It is not God's order. We are doing a grave disservice to ourselves and to the world, by not recognizing the talents of all the body. This is a long topic and deserves it's own post, so if anyone has any questions as to how I arrived at my conclusions, please email me or comment below. :-)

**Marriage vs Single. I notice that we tend to elevate marriage above being single to the point that it too causes disunity. Are we providing space for singles to feel welcomed and loved? True community leaves no room for isolation. Single people should not feel lonely if we are doing our job of inclusion. I worry we elevate one state of being over others. Even though we may not directly say it, it is as though we implicitly state that being a mother is the most honorable and proper role a woman in the church can have. Everyone has a different calling. Some will marry and not bare children, some will stay single, some will be single parents. The body is varied. Are we making sure all are welcomed and apart of our family?

So anyone still reading, did I miss anything that you have noticed causing disunity within the church? Any further ideas how to gain back our relevance and our mission as people of hope and light? Feel free to comment away.

Eclectic Thoughts

Sunday, June 7, 2015

Welcome to My First Blog!

Some Questions for Fellow Christians: How Can We Overcome Disunity in the Church?

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