In recent days, several religious groups, most of them identifying themselves as Christian, have been in the news regarding a disagreement on what stance/action to take toward certain individuals and/or groups. The United Methodists have taken a step back in terms of whether of not the LGBTQ community is to be accepted or rejected as ministers; they have also refused to accept or affirm marriage except between a man and a woman. This leaves some confused as to exactly where the church stands and whether or not they should leave the church. In 1 Corinthians 14:33, Paul indicates that God is not the author of confusion. If this is true, why the confusion?
As a Baptist, I have struggled with the Southern Baptist stance that the role of senior pastor is restricted to men only. In a denomination which once prided itself in the motto, “No law but love, no creed but Christ,” it seems that there is a litmus test as to what a “cooperating church” is related to whom they call as pastor. My own church was condemned by our State convention (now called the “Tennessee Baptist Mission Board) because we called a female pastor. They determined that we were not in keeping with the 2000 Baptist Faith and Message, which now is the required statement of faith to be a Southern Baptist. Interestingly, our church has been a major leader of the State convention since it was organized in the 1800s. Several of our pastors have been elected president and others have served on committees and boards. Yet, we are now considered a “non-cooperating church.” Many of us are confused about the issue of local church autonomy and the state convention’s apparent authority to dismiss a church who exercised its local autonomy in calling the pastor we considered being led by God to come and minister among us. So, if God is not the author of confusion, how do we reconcile this?
Several Christian groups are faced with what to do in regards to sexual harassment and/or assault by clergy. All of these groups affirm their commitment to protecting the innocent and condemning sin. Yet, they seem to protect those who have been sexual predators, especially members of the clergy, or turn a deaf ear to those who come forward to reveal their secrets that have caused them much grief and pain. Again, many are confused as to why the very institution that stands for truth and justice is so silent on this every increasing societal problem. If God is not the author of confusion, why can’t we call sin what it is?
When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, He replied that the first was to love God with all of our being. The second greatest, He said, was to love your neighbor as yourself. He declared that everything else should be measured by these two. That seems pretty clear to me. If we measured all that we do by our love for God and others, there would be less confusion. Even though it is hard to always love God or others the way God intends, it is still the measure God uses for all that we do. Life would be much less confusing if we were to ask, “How does my action or attitude show my love for God and others?” Maybe if we all stepped back and took a deep breath and asked this question there would be less confusion within the Church and toward the Church about how we address critical moral and religious issues.
JES Musings 