We find ourselves at intersections in many facets of life. First to mind is as we drive to and fro, red lights, stop signs, yield signs, and ped xing signs mark where this road crosses that. In our work place we have the intersection of hallways, office spaces, lives, and so on. In the grocery store we have main aisles and subsidiary aisles that line out our way of travel and cross in a grid. At each of these intersections we must make decisions. People at Wal-Mart typically make the decision that would be disastrous at best on the high way, which is the no yield and no look when entering an intersection decision. On the roads, we make decisions that protect our safety in driving as well as those around us. In our workplaces, the nature of the intersection typically informs what type of decision we must make, whether personal, impersonal, professional, or what have you.
However, there remains one intersection that has been of huge debate for many years in our country, but is once again under tremendous scrutiny in light of the North Carolina vote to uphold marriage as the union of one man and one woman. This is the intersection of Christ and culture; perhaps better in this situation, the church and the state. Before I divulge, let me be clear that a church run state is disastrous (see Geneva under Calvin, Germany under Luther, the Holy Roman Empire) and akin to pagan religion (see the Islamic State, the Roman Empire pre-Constantine). Therefore, I do not support a church run state. Further, a state run church is actually worse (see England). But there is an intersection of the church and the state around which we dance, but with which we must collide.
I have many friends who are agnostic a best, atheist at norm, and antagonistic towards the Church at worst and I have seen much they have had to say considering the ignorance of the church in light of this issue in NC (and around our country). I do not expect anything else and neither should the Church. The reasons for this are below. I also have many friends who are well meaning Christians and are passionate about the teachings of the Bible, but often allow passion to dictate course of action. This is a move that far too often fuels fire on both sides and does greater harm to the pioneering of the Gospel into those lives. Some who read this that have known me for years (especially any of my ATO brethren) will know that I have allowed myself to follow that path. An action which now brings trepidation and regret to my mind. In here belies the point: both courses are equally wrong.
The intersection we have in North Carolina is (hopefully) not a bunch of gay-haters, homosexual bullies, or (as our President would say) those that have not grasped a "more evolved" understanding of relationships and marriage. Instead, the intersection the overlaying of two circles, involving two groups that intersect. In mathematics, this is referred to as a Venn Diagram. It is the intersection of those people who are BOTH Christian and North Carolina citizens. And in the vote on Tuesday, the people in that intersection made their voice heard, by nearly half million votes. Do we fairly and properly deduce that those people who fall in that intersection are "ignorant" or "unevolved" (logical fallacy of sweeping generalization)? Do we attack the person opposed to gay marriage because they are Christian and believe an "irrelevant book" (ad hominem)? In these cases we find a group typically associated with anti-bullying and freedom of speech becoming the bullies and the deniers of speech.What we find in this intersection is a group of people making their voice heard. I will also point to the fact that not all 61% of North Carolinians who voted for this amendment can be identified as either "Christian" or "church attender". That type of equivocation must be avoided (i.e., only Christians voted for this amendment).
Now what is our proper response? How do we continue life from here forward. To the Christian, I must say the answer is love. We will not hate anyone to Christ. We will not bully anyone to Christ. However, if we let people know what we are for and not always what we are against, we will make headway in the a lost and darkened world. Further, I will say we must move forward in tolerance. That is a loaded word and I want make sure my point is heard clearly and NOT misconstrued. Tolerance does not mean "I accept your sin and I will allow you to continue walking in it." Tolerance means we must tolerate the fact that a world opposed to our message of hope, peace, love, and salvation through Jesus Christ WILL NOT be a popular thing. Let me put it to you this way..."With respect to this [the lost world] are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you; but they will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead" (1 Peter 4.4-5, ESV). Those that are not followers of Christ, those who have not seen his marvelous light and believed upon His name will not understand why we do what we do. They will be surprised (and even outraged) when we stand for what we believe. This is not a comfortable intersection and for too long the Church has gone along with the status quo, not lived as those set apart, and not stood for the love of God that poured out for all the sin of all mankind (that includes all of yours and all of theirs, even the homosexual).
The world will not understand. John's Gospel tells us that the reason is that they have rejected the light of Christ (which he also points is the true light of enlightenment) because they enjoy the darkness. Sin is often pleasurable and gratifying to the self, but that does not make it right. So for the Church to stand against sin and to proclaim God as He has revealed Himself will not be a popular thing. Think of it this way, "It is naive to think that the world is eagerly waiting for some disclosure from heaven. Such a disclosure is welcome if it comes in the world's terms, if it is a message that affirms the systems of the world, upholding the personal aggrandizement of power and the prowess of human capacity. But if it names the darkness for what it is, if it describes sin for what it does, if it identifies unbelief in its many sophisticated forms, the the Word will experience sheer antagonism. If the Creator of the world now calls for dominion as its Creator and Lord, the world will have no part." We must live in toleration of the fact that a lost and dying world needs a true understanding of what the Gospel is and what the Gospel does, not a tirade of Christians blasting judgment when it is not our place to judge, but God's. We must love the sinner and point them to Christ. Otherwise, we do not run to them they way Christ ran to all of us to save us.
For those who might read this, angry at the church, angry at Christians, thinking we are all narrow-minded bigots who are ignorant, unevolved, uninformed, and seeking to deny anyone their rights, just a couple of things (btw, I have family who, without saying it to my face or to my wife's, will think this about me)...First, I apologize on behalf of all who wave the banner of Christ for the mishandling of the Gospel, the message of hope and love. I realize that the unloving and judgmental way in which these issues have been treated have probably tainted (or even completely wrecked) your view of God, the Bible, and the church. Please remember, we all have our faults and, unfortunately, not all within the church will admit it. Second, we have a voice and a right to vote just as well. It is no fault of ours for using the intersection of our citizenship as a means to vote. Please let me direct you to a recount of all votes made on this issue, nationwide: http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37797 . As you will see, all states that have allowed the voters to decide have voted for a "traditional" view of marriage...including California. While many times we have plunged headlong into the intersection like a shopping cart driver at Wal-Mart with no attention paid to who we might hit or hurt, our ability to vote is the same as yours. I do not say this in arrogance, but I do say it with a strong conviction. As you stand on your side of the fence, I stand on mine. But third, and most importantly, let me appeal to you as fellow human, American, whatever...whether we agree on politics, states rights, gay marriage, religion, etc....Please do not hold the entire Christian community in derision based on the outlandish acts of some. A part-whole equivocation does not help either side see clearly. I want you to know that I love you and I love homosexuals. I will treat you (even though we disagree) no different, I will treat homosexuals no different, I will treat no one any different. I stand on the Gospel of Christ that compels me to run to you and to love you, but also point you to a Holy God.
However, there remains one intersection that has been of huge debate for many years in our country, but is once again under tremendous scrutiny in light of the North Carolina vote to uphold marriage as the union of one man and one woman. This is the intersection of Christ and culture; perhaps better in this situation, the church and the state. Before I divulge, let me be clear that a church run state is disastrous (see Geneva under Calvin, Germany under Luther, the Holy Roman Empire) and akin to pagan religion (see the Islamic State, the Roman Empire pre-Constantine). Therefore, I do not support a church run state. Further, a state run church is actually worse (see England). But there is an intersection of the church and the state around which we dance, but with which we must collide.
I have many friends who are agnostic a best, atheist at norm, and antagonistic towards the Church at worst and I have seen much they have had to say considering the ignorance of the church in light of this issue in NC (and around our country). I do not expect anything else and neither should the Church. The reasons for this are below. I also have many friends who are well meaning Christians and are passionate about the teachings of the Bible, but often allow passion to dictate course of action. This is a move that far too often fuels fire on both sides and does greater harm to the pioneering of the Gospel into those lives. Some who read this that have known me for years (especially any of my ATO brethren) will know that I have allowed myself to follow that path. An action which now brings trepidation and regret to my mind. In here belies the point: both courses are equally wrong.
The intersection we have in North Carolina is (hopefully) not a bunch of gay-haters, homosexual bullies, or (as our President would say) those that have not grasped a "more evolved" understanding of relationships and marriage. Instead, the intersection the overlaying of two circles, involving two groups that intersect. In mathematics, this is referred to as a Venn Diagram. It is the intersection of those people who are BOTH Christian and North Carolina citizens. And in the vote on Tuesday, the people in that intersection made their voice heard, by nearly half million votes. Do we fairly and properly deduce that those people who fall in that intersection are "ignorant" or "unevolved" (logical fallacy of sweeping generalization)? Do we attack the person opposed to gay marriage because they are Christian and believe an "irrelevant book" (ad hominem)? In these cases we find a group typically associated with anti-bullying and freedom of speech becoming the bullies and the deniers of speech.What we find in this intersection is a group of people making their voice heard. I will also point to the fact that not all 61% of North Carolinians who voted for this amendment can be identified as either "Christian" or "church attender". That type of equivocation must be avoided (i.e., only Christians voted for this amendment).
Now what is our proper response? How do we continue life from here forward. To the Christian, I must say the answer is love. We will not hate anyone to Christ. We will not bully anyone to Christ. However, if we let people know what we are for and not always what we are against, we will make headway in the a lost and darkened world. Further, I will say we must move forward in tolerance. That is a loaded word and I want make sure my point is heard clearly and NOT misconstrued. Tolerance does not mean "I accept your sin and I will allow you to continue walking in it." Tolerance means we must tolerate the fact that a world opposed to our message of hope, peace, love, and salvation through Jesus Christ WILL NOT be a popular thing. Let me put it to you this way..."With respect to this [the lost world] are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you; but they will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead" (1 Peter 4.4-5, ESV). Those that are not followers of Christ, those who have not seen his marvelous light and believed upon His name will not understand why we do what we do. They will be surprised (and even outraged) when we stand for what we believe. This is not a comfortable intersection and for too long the Church has gone along with the status quo, not lived as those set apart, and not stood for the love of God that poured out for all the sin of all mankind (that includes all of yours and all of theirs, even the homosexual).
The world will not understand. John's Gospel tells us that the reason is that they have rejected the light of Christ (which he also points is the true light of enlightenment) because they enjoy the darkness. Sin is often pleasurable and gratifying to the self, but that does not make it right. So for the Church to stand against sin and to proclaim God as He has revealed Himself will not be a popular thing. Think of it this way, "It is naive to think that the world is eagerly waiting for some disclosure from heaven. Such a disclosure is welcome if it comes in the world's terms, if it is a message that affirms the systems of the world, upholding the personal aggrandizement of power and the prowess of human capacity. But if it names the darkness for what it is, if it describes sin for what it does, if it identifies unbelief in its many sophisticated forms, the the Word will experience sheer antagonism. If the Creator of the world now calls for dominion as its Creator and Lord, the world will have no part." We must live in toleration of the fact that a lost and dying world needs a true understanding of what the Gospel is and what the Gospel does, not a tirade of Christians blasting judgment when it is not our place to judge, but God's. We must love the sinner and point them to Christ. Otherwise, we do not run to them they way Christ ran to all of us to save us.
For those who might read this, angry at the church, angry at Christians, thinking we are all narrow-minded bigots who are ignorant, unevolved, uninformed, and seeking to deny anyone their rights, just a couple of things (btw, I have family who, without saying it to my face or to my wife's, will think this about me)...First, I apologize on behalf of all who wave the banner of Christ for the mishandling of the Gospel, the message of hope and love. I realize that the unloving and judgmental way in which these issues have been treated have probably tainted (or even completely wrecked) your view of God, the Bible, and the church. Please remember, we all have our faults and, unfortunately, not all within the church will admit it. Second, we have a voice and a right to vote just as well. It is no fault of ours for using the intersection of our citizenship as a means to vote. Please let me direct you to a recount of all votes made on this issue, nationwide: http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37797 . As you will see, all states that have allowed the voters to decide have voted for a "traditional" view of marriage...including California. While many times we have plunged headlong into the intersection like a shopping cart driver at Wal-Mart with no attention paid to who we might hit or hurt, our ability to vote is the same as yours. I do not say this in arrogance, but I do say it with a strong conviction. As you stand on your side of the fence, I stand on mine. But third, and most importantly, let me appeal to you as fellow human, American, whatever...whether we agree on politics, states rights, gay marriage, religion, etc....Please do not hold the entire Christian community in derision based on the outlandish acts of some. A part-whole equivocation does not help either side see clearly. I want you to know that I love you and I love homosexuals. I will treat you (even though we disagree) no different, I will treat homosexuals no different, I will treat no one any different. I stand on the Gospel of Christ that compels me to run to you and to love you, but also point you to a Holy God.
