A Generous Orthodoxy

       One of my wife's favorite foods is fruit (mostly all kinds).  There is typically always a carton of clementine oranges at our house.  Now, I do not dislike clementines, but I do not help my wife to finish them.  I will eat a slice or two of the ones that she peals, but I will grab a banana before an orange.  What I like hearing is her commentary on whether or not they were good, or not.  She never fails to tell me which of the ones was full of flavor.  Interesting fact is that no one entire batch of clementines has been, by her definition, good.

At one point, I was pondering (yes, I was thinking deeply about fruit) the fact that this is not an issue with clementines alone.  Think about grapes for a minute.  In my experience, when I eat an entire cluster of grapes, the taste has never been consistent.  Sometimes I will experience the sweet, sour, or tart flavor that we know comes from the fruit only to then eat one that tastes like a bland sack of water.  [Feel free to interject your experience at this point.]  This all leads me to reflect on a part of Jesus' teaching.

In one of my first lectures at seminary I heard an illustration that reshaped my thinking of getting to truly know others.  Jesus illustrates for us in Luke 6:43-45 (and Matthew 12:33-37) that you will know a tree by its fruit.  Back in the time when this was said, all of Jesus’ hearers would have known what he was talking about.  From our end, this may seem to be pretty simple as well.  Thus we are left with the question, “If a person is not producing good aspects from their life, then are they a good person?”  By 'good aspects' I mean fruits of the spirit and things like that.  But then comes the question, “How do you know a fruit is good?”  Can you look on a hillside and be able to tell whether or not the apple tree is producing good apples?  Would you be able to look down a row of orange trees in Florida and be able to determine whether the oranges are going to taste good or produce good juice?  I think we would all answer no.  My mom always taught me to pick up the bananas and check its underside while I was at the grocery store.  Sometimes when they are being packed they are dropped and bruised on the bottom, leaving the banana itself to bruise at a later time.  Thus, you would have to get really close to whatever it is you are looking at to determine whether or not it is good, don’t you?

Also, even if it looks good, don’t you have to taste it to determine if it was actually good?  Have you ever peeled the skin off an apple?  When preparing to make a home-made apple pie, most recipes call for you to peal the skin off the apple.  What is interesting is that even though there are no clear visible bruising or damage to the apple, there are bruises and spots of decay underneath the skin.  All of the apples that I pealed, even the ones that looked picture perfect, had spots underneath the skin.  Isn’t there a saying that goes, “Don’t judge a book by its cover”?  It would seem to me that there is a parallel here.

This all brings me to the point that we need to fully know someone before we determine if their “fruit” is either good or bad.  In conversations within the church (Quiz: The church is what or who? Hint: go back to my last post), however, I hear language that presupposes something that is not found in scripture.  Can we fully know someone?  I would say, no.  Only one person shows that he can fully know someone, and that person is Jesus (Look up: Jesus calls Philip and Nathanael in John 1:43-51 specifically dealing with Nathanael, and Jesus and the woman of Samaria in John 4:1-26).  So then, why do we think and try to judge whether or not someone is being ‘fake’ or ‘coping-out’.  Therefore, the only person (besides Jesus) who can know someone is the individual himself (as Paul admits to being the worse sinner that he knows in 1 Timothy 1:15).  If you want to test this theory, ask a married couple who have been married for fifty years or more.  Better yet, ask your grandparents.  Most likely, they will tell you that they know their spouse very well, and I trust they do.  However, I guarantee you that they would be honest and also tell you that they do not ‘fully’ (and I mean an all-inclusive knowledge like that of Jesus) know their spouse.  

Therefore, I would say that Jesus’ teaching is not to teach us to deem trees or fruit as either good or bad, but rather that we need to be involved in people’s lives.  We should not be looking across the room, nor should we be trying to decipher the gossip that is lingering in the halls and sanctuaries.  From what seems to be a simple illustration, I think comes a complexity that we over look in our interpretation of Scripture.  If we interpret correctly, we actually have to do work rather than simply sitting back and being judges.  This passage is more about drawing us to love one another, rather than to being fruit inspectors.

      I say all this because the church’s dissension within itself is the biggest hindrance to the mission that God has given the church.  The class that I am taking, Practicing a Generous Orthodoxy, is discussing how to better unify the church.  The goal is to present an orthodoxy (by definition, orthodoxy is an authorized or generally accepted theory, doctrine, or practice) in which a person should be open, patient, communal minded and caring when interacting with different theologies that are presented to them (see the list below of definitions defined within my group for class).  The dissension I am referring to is when we (and I include myself at times) express our religious pride.  And by expressing, I mean arguing and disassociating from others over opinions and-or personal convictions.  For one, Paul says in Titus 3:9, “But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless.”  But a more important note is in Jesus’ statement found in John 13:34-35, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”  Did you catch that?  They will know we are His (Jesus’) disciples by our “love for one another.”

      I am not saying that we focus on loving one another and throw out the theology and doctrine that comes from the word of God.  In fact, a generous orthodoxy (if you look through the definitions below) proposes that we all agree on the dogma of orthodoxy.  The dogma - the core (i.e. what we stand on) - is established by the majority of God's people over time.  Why?  Because time weeds things out, but more so it is the testimony of the Holy Spirit!  An example of this is in the gospel: “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.” (1 Corinthians 15:3-5)  So I propose that our love for one another plus doctrine should work together as, I have heard it said, “like two sides of the same coin.”

So what do you think?  Do we take a try at being generously orthodox, or do we focus on how well we can inspect one another’s fruit until we weed out enough people?  Not to be rude, but I propose that if you spend your time practicing the later, you will sooner or later find yourself inside a building by yourself.  

From my group discussion, being generously orthodox is:

• Someone who views all denominations and Christian traditions in a loving way - not agreeing with them but considering them.
• Diversity while agreeing on the same basic tenets.
• Having patience with other views.
• Seeking community above all else.
• The idea of placing people above principles when pursuing Jesus.
• Having openness to others' beliefs, accepting them as possibilities and even Truth - even if they are in tension with one's own views, recognizing that God is far above any one set of beliefs or theology.
• A person who adheres to one set formula to the Christian life and-or salvation, would not be a person who would be "generously orthodox."

For Further Reading concerning this discussion: Your Church is Too Small by John H. Armstrong

Quick Question (but not really)

This is a question that I want to ask the Church… not the building, but the people. (This may sound silly but it is important to distinguish between the two!)  We do not come to church on Sundays, rather, we gather as the church.  Sorry, just one of my pet peeves that could lead to another blog...someday.

My question for the church is this: What do you think about homosexuality?  This is not a joke, nor am I trying to be funny.  Seriously, what do think about it?  You can look to the Bible and see what it says concerning the issue: Genesis 1:27-28; 2:18-25; 19:1-26, Leviticus 20:13, Romans 1:24-32, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, and 1 Timothy 1:8-11 (Please feel free to let me know of any other references you are aware of).  But, I want to know what YOU think of the issue, especially concerning how you would respond to it or interact with the issue as the church?  This is important because sooner or later you are going to have to deal with this issue.

Today, homosexuality is becoming more and more relevant.  To younger generations, it has become a trend.  States have been forced to face the issue of whether or not to legalize same sex marriage. This may ruffle some feathers, but some claiming to be Christians have declared to have same sex behavior.  Whether you like it or not, homosexuality is relevant.

The reason I ask and bring this issue up is because it created a good and healthy discussion in one of my recent classes.  When talking about whether or not this was an issue in any of our churches presently, a classmate brought up a situation.  At the church in which he currently serves, a couple has been living together for the past twenty or so years.  They have children, and serve within the church (I do not know if one or both of them are on staff).  My classmate has seen the fruits of the Spirit be evident in their lives, and vouches on their behalf.  This, to say the least, quickly grabbed my attention.  Can someone be a homosexual and produce fruits of the Holy Spirit as well as work in the church?

For the next hour or so, our discussion surrounded the topic.  According to numerous Biblical texts (referenced above), the Bible clearly shows that same sex behavior is a sin.  Personally, I do not question whether or not it is a sin, and mostly everyone in class acknowledged that as well (we did not take a vote, I am assuming this from the discussion).  We also acknowledged that we would need to be careful, not judgmental and, most of all, examples of Christ’s love in their lives.  Then, however, the conversation changed to how to handle the  homosexual couple who wants to not only attend but become members (serving, teaching, and all of the privileges and responsibilities that come along with being a member) of the church.  So church, what do you think?

Sorry, but I do not have simple answer.  If you know anything about me, you will know that I analyze (or at least try to) every aspect of a situation.  Only then will I make a decision as to which side I lean towards.  Looking at this situation, there is nothing simple about it.  Yes, it is a sin that seems simple.  But, does that mean a homosexual cannot become a member?  There are many heterosexuals who struggle with sin.  What about the couple (heterosexual) where the husband has anger problems and struggles with keeping his temper (at home or in public)...does it matter?  Or the couple (again heterosexual) who struggles with having self-control when they eat?  Would you let them become members?  From what I have seen, yes, the church has allowed families dealing with other issues to become part of the church family.  So then, can a homosexual couple become members?

The answer “no” brings to mind an argument that places levels to sin which are not found in the Biblical text.  The Bible does not teach anywhere that some sins are worse than others.  The fact that Matthew 12 and Mark 3 say that there is an unforgivable/unpardonable sin, making it sound like there is a different level, is true in the text.  I would explain that “whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit,” is not committing a specific sin, but simply rejecting the Spirit’s leading to Christ for salvation.  So you cannot be a Christian and blaspheme against the Holy Spirit, or...you were never a Christian to begin with.  So then, all sin is considered equal?  To God...yes.

      If (and I would argue this to be true) all Christians have sin, why should a homosexual not be allowed to become a member of a church?  The question that would form in my mind (and in the minds of others): Is a practicing homosexual persisting in sin?  Key words being “persisting in.”  I would have to say then, that we purposely sin every day.  I know that sounds wrong, but is it not true?  Don’t we sin every day?  And if we sin, don’t we do so on our own volition?  If we do not purposely sin, than how could God condemn us?  We could say that sin was passed down from Adam and Eve, and therefore we have no choice.  Not saying that is true, however if we could, in theory, practice a perfect faith through sanctification, would not that human powered redeeming quality pass down through generations in the same way that sin was passed down through Adam and Eve?  Therefore we would never need Jesus for a savior if we could do it on our own.  So then, how could any of us be members or pastor a church, if we purposely sin every day?

My answer, as Paul says in his letters to Timothy and the church in Corinth, is to “Run the race…fight the good fight.”  The race and the fight symbolize a life pursuing faith in God.  Both the finish line and the end of the match end in death.  In a race or a match no one ever competes perfectly.  They may come close, but never perfectly.  The point is that you are continuing to run and fight...not quitting.  If you look, you will find that the Bible is full of men and women purposely sinning...specifically Abraham.  Through this one man, God chooses to bring His plan of redemption to entire earth (Genesis 12).  Next to God Himself (i.e. Jesus), Abraham is one of the most significant men we find in the text.  Along with being important, we find Abraham purposefully not following God.  In chapter twelve we see Abraham show belief in God (verses 1-9) only to show unbelief (verses 10-20) by denying Sarah as his wife for fear of death.  In chapter sixteen, right after the covenant with God in chapter fifteen, Abraham has an illegitimate son with Sarah’s servant (with Sarai’s permission) Hagar.  And lastly in chapter twenty, Abraham and Sarah lie again (similar to chapter twelve) after being promised a son (i.e. Isaac).  So despite all of Abraham’s lack of faith, disbelief, or whatever you want to call it, God uses Abraham to bring blessing to all the earth.  Interesting to think that God still chose to use someone, who in today’s view, I believe the church would deem an inadequate follower.  You may also want to look into Samson, Ruth, David, Solomon, and Paul to name a few.  Therefore, running the race...fighting the good fight, is never pretty.

Lastly, Abraham (again) shows us how we, the church, are to love, specifically, homosexuals.  In Genesis eighteen (verses 16-33), we see God bringing Abraham to Sodom Gomorrah to see what he would do.  Here we may ask, “What is YHWH doing?”    Is not YHWH right to judge the city?  We know he is going to destroy it anyway later on.  The Point - YHWH is disciplining Abraham in His ways.  Also we see something else: Abraham is willing to lay down his life for people who are undeserving (specifically, homosexuals).  This is humbling to hear, isn’t it?

I am sorry for my rambling and the length, but as I said, there is no simple answer.  This is a hard topic, but it is one we have to face.  So I will leave you with this: Jesus, in answering what is the greatest commandment says, “...‘And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’...‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:30-31)  So again, with your neighbor in mind, what do you think about homosexuality?

For further reading concerning this discussion:

Love Is an Orientation: Elevating the Conversation with the Gay Community

 By Andrew Marin