REFLECTING THE WORST IN SOCIETY
OK, if you have been reading the lead up to this series of blogs, you know that I am tired of hearing about one more church that has decided that the PC (USA) is too imperfect a denomination for them. Despite the clear biblical witness that God always works through imperfect people and institutions to effect the divine purpose — Abraham, Moses, David, the 12 disciples, Saul, the people of Israel and the early church as recorded in the Epistles–these churches have decided that they will move to a more faithful connectionalism or in some cases just be more perfect themselves. Leaving aside for a moment the theological questions raised by such a decision, are we not becoming a reflection of the ideological and sociological fracturing of our current society. I want to encourage presbytery staff and committees to be proactive in inviting our churches to make a better witness to our society.
We’ve a story to tell to the nations
I think our faith provides us a story that our society needs to hear. Tertullian (160-220) was known for concluding that one of the major reasons that so many pagans were converting to the faith was that even pagans could “see how they love one another.” Later Emperor Julian (361-363) was trying to ridicule Christians who would risk their lives to attend not only to other Christians but also pagans who were sick in the street and disdainfully commented, “see how they love one another.” We have a better story to tell to the nations.
Today we live in a society that increasingly surround themselves both physically and through the social media with people who think like they do. The result is that they are less and less capable of dealing with diversity in a creative fashion.
The church has a theology that reveals another way. Instead of reflecting the divisiveness of the society around us, we need to proactively reveal a path of reconciliation that enables us not only to live with diversity but to benefit from it.
WITNESS BEGINS AT HOME
Over the next several blogs, usually released on Wednesday and Friday, I want to explore a possible strategy for how the presbytery can take the initiative in showing how Presbyterians can “love each other” as a witness to the greater society. We don’t begin with telling society how to live better. We begin with demonstrating how that looks among strong willed, occasionally stiff necked, and willful people known as Presbyterians. It is not even an action that the General Assembly needs to start. It is something that each church can do in relationship to their presbytery neighbor churches.
Begin small and see how God can use our witness.
Advent is a busy time but I hope you will take occasional moments to think about this possibility. If you will subscribe to this blog, you will be notified when each blog appears. Then, after Christmas, maybe your presbytery can begin to probe this possibility.
Steve, I resonate with your emphasis that all of us as imperfect persons need to listen to each other and work with each other, acknowledging that none of us fully grasps the nature and purposes of God. The church does need to take the initiative in setting such an example in our increasingly fractured world.