Two Things More Dangerous Than Gay Marriage

At the risk of simply adding to the white noise over the DOMA act (Defense Of Marriage Act- which defines marriage as being between one man and one woman) being deliberated in the Supreme Court this week, I thought I would share some thoughts I’ve been kicking around since this thing started.  

Honestly, after sifting through the horrifying battle scene unfolding on my facebook feed this week I feel compelled to offer a perspective I can’t believe I haven’t yet heard elsewhere. 

I want to start by saying that I care deeply about people who happen to live on both ends of this issue. So far as I am able, I’d like to clarify some thoughts and offer a perspective which ends with two related issues that I think are more dangerous for Christians than gay marriage. 

Marriage Equality and the “Christian Perspective”

To sum up (admittedly in too few words to do either justice) the two views that I’ve seen represented this week:

It seems to me that folks looking to see DOMA undone focus on the fact that a homosexual man or woman does not enjoy the same freedoms a heterosexual man or woman enjoys because they cannot marry whom they want. DOMA is a restriction of their freedom of choice to marry (and love) whomever they please. More than that, there are perks and rights enjoyed by married couples granted them by the Federal Government that homosexual couples do not receive (practical stuff like hospital visits and tax status).

As a Christian myself, if I have to see one more post either from Christians OR from those who mischaracterize the Christian position I might just puke.  There are plenty awful views to talk about, but maybe MOST frustrating is seeing posts by Christians whose best answer to the watching world is "The bible is against homosexuality".  Beyond whether that statement is true I just don't think that this argument does ANY justice whatsoever to the beauty of what the bible (and the Christian perspective on marriage) is actually promoting.  That’s a conservative stance but not uniquely a Christian stance and those had better be separated in our minds no matter who we are and what we believe.  Where is the unique understanding of Biblical theology and the gospel?  

For an amazing look at what a sound Christian theology of marriage can mean check out this video from Justin Taylor’s blog.

All of this has got me thinking... 

Two Things More Dangerous for Christians Than Gay Marriage

1. Biblical and cultural illiteracy.

Very few people from within the church seem able to articulate why this ought to be a GOSPEL conversation and not merely a "culture war".  This untethering from the gospel implications and theology for marriage has led to ENORMOUS compromise by Christians who, due to a lack of Biblical thinking and theological understanding, either alienate themselves, and others, or capitulate by saying; "This is what I believe, but it's totally okay if you want to believe and live THAT way - I sin too, so I'll be quiet." The latter is Christian relativism, and it's not “meta,” it's cowardly. We are called to be patient and gentle when interacting over issues like this with someone who doesn't consider themselves subject to the Lord. But if we also see the greatness and grandeur of Jesus Christ proclaimed in and through marriage, there isn’t any wiggle room for speaking of it in either an offensive way or in a wussy way.  The gladness of people in the greatness of God is worth losing your life for, let alone a handful of off-color remarks about you.  

2. Divorce.

Christians, let's be honest - divorce is a FAR MORE devastating phenomenon on our families and witness than gay marriage. Don't mishear me: I'm not saying he debate over gay marriage is unimportant - I just don't think right now in the life of the church it's the most detrimental thing to our families.  This spectre works from within and is wreaking havoc on us as we speak.  But maybe if we expend our energy and resources on a different issue nobody will notice, right? 

There are certainly other issues with the ways I’ve watched this debacle play out this week (such as ostracizing people from the Church and creating prerequisites for faith), but these two issues loom large and are enough for now.

This post co-authored by Ole and Andy.

Killing Me Softly...

Everything dies. Everything comes to the end of its prime and begins the slow (or fast depending on what it is) descent into becoming something other than what it was meant to be enjoyed as. When this happens - you must dispose of said "thing". Even if that "thing" is a church, denomination, or organization. 

Now, don't get twitchy on me - I'm not suggesting that the church expires. On the contrary - the church goes on getting progressively stronger. The bride is being sanctified and the gates of Hell can't prevail. But if we believe that local churches, and para-churches, and even denominations are planted to reach a specific people in a particular time, then we have to be ready to EITHER remake it when the people or time change, OR pronounce the thing dead and plant fresh. 

Contextualization matters. And when we fail to recognize this fact our churches, para-churches, and Denominations go through stages of decay: (Special Thanks to Larry Osbourne - who I am totally ripping off right now!)

Movement: Fresh Theological Vision to reach a particular people at a particular time. Marked by innovation and compelling gospel witness. People feel they are part of something that God is doing - and they talk about what they believe God could do through their gospel efforts. Risk taking is "normal"

Institution: Defined programs that have been a staple for reaching the lost with the gospel. Marked by a sense of pride in a well-oiled machine. Things seem to hum along and people add themselves to the attractive ministry in slowing, but still growing sort of way. People talk about what God is doing through the ministry. 

Museum: Programs run even when no one volunteers to do them and no one shows up to benefit from them. In-fighting is rampant and people splinter over programmatic minutia - as their efforts are no longer used in cooperation for gospel ministry (if they could even agree on what that terms means). Old timers (as they're now called) talk about the good old days when God really moved. Roots of bitterness, long untended, have created deep divides amongst former friends. Young men and women have flocked away (drawn up by movements) because their seat at the children's table was beginning to feel cramped in their late 20's or early 30's. The power brokers have one hand on their wallets, one hand on the wheel, and both feet on the brakes. Risk aversiveness faithlessness is called "stewardship", and "missions" is understood to be the thing we do when we ship people or money out of our community.

You can be a part of a Church, Para-Church, or Organization that is dying and not know it. But one way to tell if something has gone bad is to sniff it. If it smells dead or dying, it probably is. And if you're consuming it and it makes you want to vomit - it's probably already expired.

"In some sense the path to heaven is very safe, but in other respects there is no road so dangerous."
                                                                                                            - Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Read any good books lately? 

Disqualified

I've been realizing more and more lately how easy it is for Christians to portray a sense of disqualification to non-Christians.  What i mean is this- we often exude, sometimes on purpose and sometimes not, a sens that if you don't measure up to my standards you can't follow Jesus.  I saw a somewhat extreme example of this the other night.  We were sharing the gospel with people and  a friend of mine kept getting into arguments about evolution.  He decided that it was good evangelism to challenge non-Christians on the topic of evolution because you can't be a Christian and believe in evolution.  My point is that i think we all end up doing something like this, and Jesus wouldn't.  Whether it is smoking, socialism, home-schooling, or something else, we often portray an idea that if you don't believe what i believe you can't follow Christ.  If you respond to this post, please don't engage the topic of evolution vs. creation.  Let me know what you think about how we end up turning people away from Christ not because they realize they can't merit righteousness but because we let them know that they can't be a Christian unless you see things my way. 

Quick question

So it's my wifey's birthday next week, and she just told me last night that she didn't want me to get her anything. What should i do?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8hulZ-6Oh0

The perfect place for the emergent church

Yesterday was Rob Bell's farewell service at Mars Hill in Western MI. I thought it was fitting, since he has been one of the poster-children of the emergent movement, to reflect on what we may have learned from him and others like him. I really appreciate the idea of the emergent movement as an entity that is no more, but a movement we can reflect back on and learn from.

Assuming that the downfall of Emergent Village, the slide of Mars Hill and the publishing of A New Kind of Christianity and Love Wins have sounded the death knell for the emergent movement, it is appropriate for us to start this "conversation." Inside joke.

I think its funny that the emergent movement has left us with more answers than questions, and the conclusion is more telling than the journey. This movement may well have been the most influential piece of church history over the last 500 years. I'm comfortable with that. I want to hear your thoughts on this, but here are just a few things that i am sure will go down in the history books as aspects of living the Christian faith which the emergent movement has helped us see, both for better and for worse:

- There is less of a gap between orthodoxy and orthopraxy than we think. Faith and action are almost inseperable.

- We learned how to engage postmodernism as a church (whatever your definition of postmodernism is).

- People are not actually looking to be entertained at a worship service.

-People seek Truth (even today) and don't need it sugar coated. Answers to questions are still important.

- There are certain aspects of the gospel, God's Kingdom, and soteriology that have been given too little attention for the past 500 years (call me a heretic).

-The visible, militant church must be "ever-reforming." Not perfect, not static, not finished. Always learning from our past and our present, we must stay open to new possibilities and potential.

What do you think?