“…a pulpit policy of "criticize both sides….applies a winsome bandaid to a mortal wound.”
Wow, well said.
Certainly there are many policy issues subject to prudential judgment, where Christians will quite legitimately take differing positions. Neither the Bible nor faithful tradition offer a blueprint for air-traffic control, for example. In such cases we want to apply the timeless principles and wisdom we do have to new situations.
But so many pastors are an uncertain trumpet even on things we have a template for: marriage, family, human sexuality, even human life! Yes, per Psalm 133, “How good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell together in unity,” but these pusillanimous pulpiteers remind us of the Monty Python character: “This is supposed to be a happy occasion! Let’s not bicker and argue about who killed who” 🤦♂️
I like flowers. I have petunias and they produce lots of flowers if I rip often the dead ones and clean up the dead stems and old leaves. However, no matter how careful I am, I always end up breaking off a dead stem that actually had a live flower at the end of it. I always feel bad, because I want to clean it up to make it look pretty, and I don’t have the patience to wait for the entire stem to be dead. For those who do not know, petunia plantas have many long stems that wraps itself on each other, so that the flowers that come through in one single section might be from several different stems.
The other day, it made sense to me: the Lord is patiently waiting for the wheat to be separated from the chaff, so that no one is lost but the chaff. I think we are being sieved. We can see this happening amongst families as well, not only in the church…
Reminds me of when a Democrat lady who once was our Senior Warden stopped coming and switched to an Episcopal Church. (I can understand switching to an orthodox church but the TEC??) We were not and are not a very political church. But I think she resented that we were not completely disinfected from politics, even in discussions after the service.
It’s just a matter of addressing issues from scripture. I’ve done that over the years and been accused of being political when it was just teaching bible.
This all depends on which Left and Right is pulling and holding. There is not a lot of difference between the cultural Left and the theological Left, which helps their efforts in pulling both the church and the culture. On the other hand, the theological Right (or, “Orthodox”) cannot allow the often nostalgic and distrustful cultural Right dictate what needs to be held on to, and why.
I hate division in the Body of Christ too. The real truth is that conflict is the natural state of Humanity. If there will be any reconciliation, it has to be an action perpetrated by the Holy Spirit, the more enigmatic Person of God that Paul declares is the demising wall between Saint and Sinner. (Romans 8:9)
“…a pulpit policy of "criticize both sides….applies a winsome bandaid to a mortal wound.”
Wow, well said.
Certainly there are many policy issues subject to prudential judgment, where Christians will quite legitimately take differing positions. Neither the Bible nor faithful tradition offer a blueprint for air-traffic control, for example. In such cases we want to apply the timeless principles and wisdom we do have to new situations.
But so many pastors are an uncertain trumpet even on things we have a template for: marriage, family, human sexuality, even human life! Yes, per Psalm 133, “How good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell together in unity,” but these pusillanimous pulpiteers remind us of the Monty Python character: “This is supposed to be a happy occasion! Let’s not bicker and argue about who killed who” 🤦♂️
I like flowers. I have petunias and they produce lots of flowers if I rip often the dead ones and clean up the dead stems and old leaves. However, no matter how careful I am, I always end up breaking off a dead stem that actually had a live flower at the end of it. I always feel bad, because I want to clean it up to make it look pretty, and I don’t have the patience to wait for the entire stem to be dead. For those who do not know, petunia plantas have many long stems that wraps itself on each other, so that the flowers that come through in one single section might be from several different stems.
The other day, it made sense to me: the Lord is patiently waiting for the wheat to be separated from the chaff, so that no one is lost but the chaff. I think we are being sieved. We can see this happening amongst families as well, not only in the church…
Good analogy!
Reminds me of when a Democrat lady who once was our Senior Warden stopped coming and switched to an Episcopal Church. (I can understand switching to an orthodox church but the TEC??) We were not and are not a very political church. But I think she resented that we were not completely disinfected from politics, even in discussions after the service.
It’s just a matter of addressing issues from scripture. I’ve done that over the years and been accused of being political when it was just teaching bible.
Yep. And that is what my Rector does.
Awesome!
This all depends on which Left and Right is pulling and holding. There is not a lot of difference between the cultural Left and the theological Left, which helps their efforts in pulling both the church and the culture. On the other hand, the theological Right (or, “Orthodox”) cannot allow the often nostalgic and distrustful cultural Right dictate what needs to be held on to, and why.
Jesus unites everyone. Please have faith in Jesus and teach Jesus. Remember Jesus was “pulling” himself.
Does Jesus unite with people pushing transgender ideology, critical race theory, feminism, Marxism, and so on?
If he does unite it's by faith in Jesus.
That doesn't make any sense
Jesus didn't care about anything of you except that you had faith in him. That was the deciding factor.
Can I share my friend's article? I think it's relevant
https://open.substack.com/pub/eugeneterekhin/p/two-faces-one-truth-what-optical?r=bl3oy&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
I hate division in the Body of Christ too. The real truth is that conflict is the natural state of Humanity. If there will be any reconciliation, it has to be an action perpetrated by the Holy Spirit, the more enigmatic Person of God that Paul declares is the demising wall between Saint and Sinner. (Romans 8:9)