The title for this post comes from Miroslav Volf's excellent book, but my thoughts have been stirred by recent discussion on diversity and tolerance within our church. Additionally, with two of my family members considering enrolling at Tabor College, I came across an old issue of their magazine Tabor Life titled "finding colour between the extremes".
It seems to me that one of the easiest ways to shore up an insecure identity is by defining it against those who are different and by holding them at a distance. So we are likely to not only articulate our sense of "right" but to also decry those who are "wrong". Identity and social cohesion arise out of...
similarity and separation, but they do not form a good basis for understanding and growth. While Jesus had clear views on the issue of adultery (Matthew 5: 27ff), the way he dealt with the woman caught in adultery (John 8) or the woman at the well (John 4) reveal a gracious inclusion and embrace. On the other hand, it would appear at first reading that Paul had stronger views on how the church should act toward those among them who behaved inappropriately (1 Corinthians 6 & 7). So what do we make of this?
There is evidence that harsh and punitive views on sexuality among some fundamentalist Christians leads to repression and consequent breakouts in inappropriate ways, while an acknowledgement of brokenness and the healing and care provided within Christian community leads toward wholeness. As with sexuality, the risk of exclusion leads to subjugation and outward conformity in a whole range of Christian virtues while at the same time moving further and further away from the true healing and wholeness found in Jesus. The judgement of Jesus remains upon communities that exclude through valuing and rewarding outward conformity: "These people honour me with their lips but their hearts are far from me" (Matthew 15:8).
Perhaps some of the surface level differences between the scriptures quoted above are resolved by their context. Those who are closest to the centre of the community but who persist in unrepentant sinful attitudes and actions are judged most strongly, while those on their journey toward Jesus from the margins are embraced most positively. This fits with Paul Hiebert's model of Centred Sets and Bounded Sets where the bounded sets establish clearly who is out and who is in while the centred set is more focussed upon the direction of one's journey.
Overall, I suggest that we would do well to adopt Paul's stance when writing to the church at Rome over two matters that were of significant importance to the diverse group of people who gathered together as the church of Jesus - food laws and special days. The issues are different for us today, but the principles remain the same (Romans 14:1 - 15:7).
I always wonder what grounds I, a simple human creature of the most high God, have to exclude anyone.
What gives me the right to be a fence maker?
Paul says 'Who are you to judge the servant of another master?
Posted by: beth | 22 July 2009 at 07:02 PM