When I had to select a domain name for my blog, “Christian Middle” immediately sprang to mind. I wanted my blog to speak – not only in opposition to the excesses of the religious right and left – but also in a voice of conciliation.
Nearly two years later, I find the landscape of Christian expression continues to feature those in the extreme positions in the foreground. Not only has this made Christianity look bad to outsiders, it has also squelched important discussion on the controversies confronting the faith.
I had a teacher once who compared Christian theology to a baseball field with foul lines. There are some ideas that are simply foul – belief that Jesus wasn’t resurrected would be one – and others where a range of opinions makes it into “fair” play.
Some of these opinions are simply matters of taste – whether you prefer high or low liturgy, for example. These don’t really merit big discussions as long as we’re free to worship as we choose.
But as our American culture increasingly retreats from a Christian consensus, we need to invoke Holy Spirit guidance as we respond to the changes occurring around us. By faith we know that God has answers to our day’s debates: issues of sexuality, climate change, economic fairness, immigration, and foreign relations. Written millennia ago, the Bible cannot speak to these issues explicitly. We should, therefore, expect to have a variety of opinions within the Christian community about how to handle these dilemmas. I expect God’s message to us will emerge from our honest wrestling with our differences.
Yet, in the current polarized political environment, civil argument remains almost non-existent. Wouldn’t it be great if Christians could model what respectful disagreement looks like? Wouldn’t this be the best way to obey Jesus’ Last Supper command? “Love one another … This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other” (John 13:34-35).
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