wonders and reflections in God's presence

The question for today (well, yesterday, but I’m a day behind) at the One Year Bible Blog was “… how do you balance working hard in your life with getting proper rest and relaxation? How do you find the balance?”

It’s interesting, because this morning as we were sharing prayer requests at a meeting with some wonderfully imaginative and passion-filled colleagues, one woman shared that she was more interested in praying for passion than she was praying for balance in her life.  She went on to say, if the passion is in the right place, she’ll find the right balance.  I thought that was an interesting perspective.  I have always been more interested, myself, in passion than balance.

Shae’s comments on Brian’s A Generous Orthodoxy about orthodoxy and orthopraxy reminded me of what I read in Marcus Borg’s The Heart of Christianity about the meaning of faith.  If I can put it simply … he said that christianity is as much (or more so) about the way of Christ as it is about intellectually affirming certain beliefs about Christ.  It is more about practice than belief.  It is more about where we place our heart than about what we think in our mind (though, hear me and Borg clearly … our mind matters, our thoughts and understanding matters … we just need to be careful that our thoughts are not separate from our heart and our actions.)

Too many people are too concerned with what we believe … do we believe homosexuality is a sin, for instance … than in how we live and act and have our being.  My faith is not about affirming one set of doctrines over another, but in trying my best to conform my life and my ways to the way and life of Christ.  And by understanding the truth of all of the many strands of Christianity, we get the benefit of all of those perspectives on the one Christ.

Shae, I’m in the final chapters of A Generous Orthodoxy … and I have to say that it’s great to hear all the different nuances of faith that have a real impact on how we live ours. 

Technorati Tags: http://shaeman-x.com/blog/2006/01/30/orthodoxy-and-orthopraxy/

Technorati Tags: http://shaeman-x.com/blog/2006/01/30/orthodoxy-and-orthopraxy/

I’m not the least surprised by my top result here, but I’m really blown away by the order of the rest … must be because of my interest in mysticism and the fact that I see some significant value in most traditions.  Except, of course, for the fundementalists … I can respect their positions, but I don’t share them at all.

You scored as Emergent/Postmodern. You are Emergent/Postmodern in your theology. You feel alienated from older forms of church, you don’t think they connect to modern culture very well. No one knows the whole truth about God, and we have much to learn from each other, and so learning takes place in dialogue. Evangelism should take place in relationships rather than through crusades and altar-calls. People are interested in spirituality and want to ask questions, so the church should help them to do this. Emergent/Postmodern 93% Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan 64% Neo orthodox 61% Modern Liberal 61% Charismatic/Pentecostal 57% Classical Liberal 57% Roman Catholic 54% Reformed Evangelical 36% Fundamentalist 0% What’s your theological worldview? created with QuizFarm.com

I found this on Alan’s blog and I had to post it. Don’t hit the play button if you are easily offended, don’t like bad words, or like to eat your weiners cut up in sauerkraut.

I think it says a lot about evangelism and the way we engage people in talking about the Gospel. Any comments?

Interesting, I read the latest email leadership newsletter from Christianity Today this afternoon … and there was an article from Brian McLaren talking about why we (pastors) shouldn’t answer the “homosexual question” directly.

Usually when I’m asked about this subject, it’s by conservative Christians wanting to be sure that we conform to what I call “radio-orthodoxy,” i.e. the religio-political priorities mandated by many big-name religious broadcasters. Sometimes it’s asked by ex-gays who want to be sure they’ll be supported in their ongoing re-orientation process, or parents whose children have recently “come out.”

The question itself is complex. Either it’s a political questions seeking to separate “us” from “them,” or it’s a deeply personal issue that needs to be addressed through a deeper pastoral relationship, not a quick answer. And we are trying to reach real people with Christ, not making a political statement.

Most of the emerging leaders I know share my agony over this question. We fear that the whole issue has been manipulated far more than we realize by political parties seeking to shave percentage points off their opponent’s constituency. We see whatever we say get sucked into a vortex of politicized culture-wars rhetoric—and we’re pastors, evangelists, church-planters, and disciple-makers, not political culture warriors. Those who bring us honest questions are people we are trying to care for in Christ’s name, not cultural enemies we’re trying to vanquish.

The truth is the issue of homosexuality is much more complex that most of those on two “sides” will ever admit. Read the recent comments on the Harbour Blog and we see that illustrated time and time again … it’s just wrong, no question. Well, most of us realize that to take an absolute stand for or against homosexuality only divides us from the people we are called to serve. And even more than that … Brian admits that for many emerging church leaders … they just don’t know.

Frankly, many of us don’t know what we should think about homosexuality. We’ve heard all sides, but no position has yet won our confidence so that we can say “it seems good to the Holy Spirit and us.” That alienates us from both the liberals and conservatives who seem to know exactly what we should think. Even if we are convinced that all homosexual behavior is always sinful, we still want to treat gay and lesbian people with more dignity, gentleness, and respect than our colleagues do. If we think that there may actually be a legitimate context for some homosexual relationships, we know that the biblical arguments are nuanced and multilayered, and the pastoral ramifications are staggeringly complex. We aren’t sure if or where lines are to be drawn, nor do we know how to enforce with fairness whatever lines are drawn.

He suggests we put a five-year moratorium on making pronouncements. I don’t know how sucessful that would be … the Presbyterians have been trying that … and after two moratoriums, we are still in the same bloody fight. What’s wrong with just putting aside the question for now … and focusing on building our relationship with Christ and in community with all those who want the same relationship. I believe that over time, Christ will lead us all to the answer that is best.

That is why Eklektos is not making pronouncements saying homosexualty is good or bad any more than we say sexuality is good or bad. We realize that there are layers of complexity which go beyond our understanding, there are Biblical and pastoral issues that are beyond giving the “right” answer, and too many of us just don’t know for sure.

I wish God spoke to me as clearly as God seems to speak to others. I pray, I listen, I read scripture, and I listen to trusted spiritual leaders. But I am constantly aware of the complexities of life and relationships. I don’t see black and white, I see shades of gray. I see God’s Truth as beyond our limited thinking … and that means our ideas and our understandings of that truth are ALWAYS distorted, blurred, limited, and shallow.

I am angry about that. I don’t want to be looking through a mirror dimly … I want to see God face to face. I want to know what Christ knows, I want to be certain that what I do is ALWAYS right. But I guess that’s what faith is … stepping out into dangerous waters and doing your best to keep your eyes on Jesus through the fog.

God doesn’t speak to me face to face, and even if I were to receive those direct words of wisdom I long for so much … as soon as I held on to them, they, too, would be distorted by the limitations of language itself. That’s why I can’t read the Bible literally … words are limited … the communication of an idea from one person to another is very difficult to portray through words alone. Those words are shared along with a relationship of past experiences, feelings, intuitions, facial and bodily expressions, and inflections. The Bible has to be experienced the same way … and the truths expressed there are often misinterpreted even as the words shared between intimate partners can be misinterpreted.

That’s why I belong to a church that hold high the motto … reformed and always being reformed. I was born questioning. My mother says I drove her craze as a toddler asking “How come?” about everything. And my mom and dad, to their credit, would always welcome my questions and answer them to the best of their ability.

I see homosexuality as being a “gray area”. I have asked questions … and the biggest is “why?” Why would God consider love between people of the same sex as a slight against him? Why would expressing that love sexually be so dangerous to their souls? I don’t see it. I DO, however, see how the hostility, hatred, and judgementalism that is shown to GLBT people IS HARMFUL. I can see its destructiveness. I can see its evil. I can see lots of harm and destruction in sexual expression … but I see the same sin in both gay and straight relationships. Our sexuality itself is, in my opinion, morally neutral; how we express it … and the relationships that are hurt and encouraged by it … that’s where the goodness and evilness is discerned.

I realize, though, that I could be wrong. I wish … I only wish … that people who disagreed with my stance on homosexuality could only admit that they, too, could be wrong. Or does God really speak more clearly to them?