Today I read an article online about how that the Pentagon is meeting with an "anti-Christian extremist" in attempts to create it's policy on "religious tolerance". I realize that much of what is written on the internet is inaccurate and or taken out of context, but if it is correct (which I fear it must have some truth to it), then it is further proof of the hypocritical mantra that so many on the left preach: freedom and love for all followed by belittling and hating of a group (in this case, Christians) for their religious beliefs. I am tired of hearing the word "tolerance" when the definition has actually come to have a hidden clause attached to it: "tolerance, as long as you believe what I believe".
Back in February Van and I visited Oregon for the first time together. It was Van's first time to really get to spend any quality time in Oregon, and my first time back since I moved away when I was sixteen. We had a great time, but at brunch one morning, he asked me about my experience living there... he said that he knew others would find it surprising, but he kind of felt that the people there were very "closed-minded". (Despite the fact that they pride themselves in being very open minded.) He made the case that he as a middle class, white, American, Christian male from the South, lacking any tattoos, piercings, and having never dyed his hair seemed not only out of place but disdained. Later that afternoon we met up with one of his close childhood friends, Ben, who moved to Portland after college, years ago. His wife Jenn, who also met up with us was raised in Oregon. Her father is transgender, and she is in no way religious. But she and I hit it off immediately... and so in keeping with my tendency to be completely honest and transparent, I asked her if this perception of Van's was true... would Van and I find ourselves outcasts in this city? Her answer: undeniably YES. She explained that she saw the hypocrisy in this, and that it had in more recent years bothered her as well. She too, from a completely opposite political and social background had come to realize that the word "tolerance" really meant tolerance for a select group.
I have a lot of really diverse friends. I love socializing more than just about anyone I know, and I think I can literally have a good time with anyone whether it's my two year old niece or our 80 year neighbors in Maine...So, naturally over the years I have accumulated a large group of friends... and even larger group of Facebook friends. My "friend" group includes people from all over the US: Oregon, Maine, Tennessee, Texas, and many states in between, as well as many European friends. I generally avoid any polarizing topics on my Facebook, simply because I prefer to keep my Facebook page down to earth and easy going. And what I hate more than anything are long wall posts where various friends of friends get into fights with each other. It's just not my style. So I kind of knew I was opening a can of worms this morning when I posted the article I had read... but then again, I am concerned about it... and I do think it's something worth thinking about.
Despite thinking it would be a total can of worms, I was really pleased with how my friends responded to each other. As expected, not all of the commenters were in agreement with the others...but for the most part they all maintained a respectful attitude towards the disagreeing party. What was interesting was this: instead of seeing the article as concerning, my more liberal friends saw it as an opportunity to bring up social rights issues, making points that I didn't all together disagree with... but then again, that wasn't the point of the article. The article didn't even mention these social issues. It simply mentioned Christians and their potential persecution for their beliefs. (This lack of sympathy for Christians is a whole other blog in itself... but for today I want to focus on what is wrong with we Christians...)
My question to myself was, "Why are we as Christians labeled by these social issues? (i.e. is this what we are really about?)" Of course, I don't think so... but obviously a lot of people do. I think it is sad that so many Americans (many of which are Christians) have chosen to make certain social issues (i.e. gay rights) a primary issue of debate, despite living just as much of a "sinful" life (according to Christianity), having pre-marital sex, adulterous affairs, getting drunk, lying, gossiping, back biting...
Jesus, Himself, said to take the plank out of your own eye before you try to get the speck out of your brother's eye. We are all too guilty of ignoring our own sins, but quick to point out the sins of others.
Regarding homosexuality: I think that God created woman for man. You may call me nieve, but because I believed this, I waited until I married Van to have sex. I felt that pre-marital sex would be me behaving in a way that was not pleasing to God. My goal has always been to live my life, as imperfect as I am, in at least an attempt at striving towards perfection. As a Christian, I believe that life is not necessarily full of easy roads and blessings. I don't believe that everything we want or desire is actually what we need or should have (or God's will). For example, just because I waited to have sex didn't mean that I didn't want to have sex sooner. Or with other guys. It was just that I felt that I was called to live a life as pure as possible, and I tried to do that to the best of my ability, even if it meant ignoring my own desires. As a matter of fact, Jesus didn't say that a life following Him would involve having all of our desires fulfilled. He actually instructed us to love others... and to take up our cross and follow Him. Love others. Take up our cross. Love others. Take up our cross. I don't necessarily think it's our place to tell others what their cross is... I think we are to love them. And let Jesus do the judging. But with that being said, we who are Christians must be honest with ourselves and our Christian brothers and sisters... and we must recognize the crosses that we are to bare. I absolutely believe that there are people who have desires for gay relationships. That they don't choose these desires... but that they crave them, just as heterosexuals have cravings. But I believe that just having a desire does not make it "correct" or "ok" and that perhaps this is their cross in their life that they are to bare.
But what was most disconcerting to me was that one of my friends referred to hell as this place that we are threatening or scaring people with... which is how I started this blog out... (thank goodness... there will be an end to this blog? ha)
And that's when I decided that we have spent too much time talking about hell and not enough time talking about the freedom of redemption.
The basic concepts of Christianity are this: God created us with free will because free will is where love exists. If you are in a relationship against your will, how can you call it a relationship? It's more like a slave or a robot... someone doing something because they're forced to isn't special. Love is love because you choose it and because it is given freely and without force. So wanting a true "relationship" with us, God gave us free will. And we as a human race chose to use free will to pursue our own desires... which resulted in sin. Sin entered into the human DNA, and we became a despairing race. A dying world without any hope. No hope... not because God is mean, but because sin is a terminal disease that requires death. We must die. We were condemned. Lost. Hopeless. Sick. There is no "good" that is "good enough" to alleviate the disease... we have the genetics of self desire, greed, hate all within us... and we cannot redeem or "heal" ourselves. We cannot overcome. Since sin demands death, death was required... but we Christians believe that Jesus gave His life to give us the chance to be redeemed. I was guilty and He took my place. It's not meanness or lack of love that He warned us of hell... it's where we ALL were going... and He offered us a new chance. A freedom, a way out. Hell was what we had... He brought us a new story of redemption.
For me it all kind of goes back to the "epiphany" I had last September... when I came to the realization that the only "unfair" thing in this world was that Jesus Christ, innocent and perfect, was unfairly accused and mistreated for my sake. And that if I never received another blessing... if I never had another desire fulfilled... the grace that He offers to me in salvation alone is still far more than I could ever deserve.
And what I want people to see in my life... the only thing I can offer back to Him... is the exuberant, exciting, wonderful story of redemption. I believe hell is real... but I also believe that the big story isn't hell... it's that WE HAVE A CHANCE... we have a Savior... that redemption is real. I hope that I never ruin my chance to tell someone about the love of God because I made it my first priority to disagree with them... rather than loving them first... and then talking second.
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