epiphany

Silence and Separation

I been reading various articles about the doctrine or application of Christian separation on various blogs recently (here, here, here and undoubtedly elsewhere). A few months ago--even a few weeks ago--I would have felt a need to stick in my two-cents. I don't know if it's a phase, growth, maturity or laziness, but I have very little interest in commenting anymore. I still read the entries, and sometimes I do want to inject a comment. But overall I'm almost amused at the angst, panic and defensiveness I see.

I think a lot of my present reaction (or public lack thereof) has to do with the fact that by being in Seattle I'm no longer as closely associated with the formal body of Institutional Fundamentalism as I once was or the other authors presently are. I've been able to step back or even step aside and simply observe the infighting and argumentation. Although the fighting and thinking do affect me to some degree, they no longer have as much control over me. I've been able to set up house "outside" the compound, so to speak, and suddenly the neighborhood relationships have much less immediate consequence to my own well-being. The bickering ladies, formerly irritating, become humorous. The old gossips "sharing" over the backyard fence approach the laughable.

And yet it makes me sad to watch. Trying to resolve problems is good, but what I see is various neighbors forming their own cliques and defining their opponents. Rather than sharing the burden or combining their energy in the mutual goal of community development, I see the neighborhood swiftly working to tear itself apart and redefine the geographic community in terms of a cul-de-sac here or there. ("Only the streets between 85th and Holman are Crown Hill." "No! Only the streets north of Holman but south of Carkeek Park are Crown Hill!" "Fine--take the name Crown Hill, but we're claiming all the streets north of 100th and west of 16th for Blue Ridge. You guys keep your squabbles and riff raff out of here!")

I see a culture of distrust and defensiveness, a community noble in its goals of purity and power but sadly petty and impotent in practice.

Jesus, people.

Jesus is who you're about. Find out who he is, who he really, really is. Reject the controversy you live in, if only for a month or two. Settle in on the Gospels and get to know the one who makes you children of God. Don't just siphon him for information or theo-philosophical weaponry. Get to know your God in a practical way. Talk with him and see how he responds. Know not only his diety but his humanity. Find the person behind your theology. Let his life and love continue to act in and through you.

Ladies and gentlemen, the solution to your problems is One, and his name is Jesus.