The eCrozier

We live in some pretty raw times. Maybe it’s the lightening speed of the Internet Age that can distort and magnify issues, but some people seem so quick to take offense, go out of their way to find fault, and then do their best to score points from both the offense-taking and the fault-finding. As Rod Serling might have said: presented for your consideration, the proposed Islamic Center in downtown Manhattan.

I remain agnostic as to whether the center should or should not be built. I think the people of New York City should make that determination through their elected representatives. They have laws and procedures established and they should be followed. And the Bill of Rights ought to be respected. But this decision and the ensuing debate have taken on a whole other level. This debate simply highlights a larger, seemingly pervasive trend in our culture of offense-taking and fault-finding. How might we as Christians address this trend? They seem to have become the currency du jour. As Christians we need to be clear about whom we serve, follow, and obey, and what is the requisite behavior for such obedience.

First of all, there is the virtue of forbearance. We would all benefit from exercising our forbearance muscles, which have become less toned, and even atrophied, of late. Forbearance is not acquiescing to someone with whom we disagree. It is not being wishy-washy or lacking backbone. Rather it is hanging in there with those with whom we disagree because of our a priori commitment to respect and honor them as children of God for whom Christ died. Forbearance is having enough strength of character that we are not threatened or demeaned just because others happen to disagree with us.

Secondly, there is the gift of koinonia, that wonderful New Testament Greek word that is often translated as “fellowship.” That translation does not do it justice. Koinonia means more than mere fellowship. It means, as St Paul amplified: “to bear one another’s burdens; to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep.” So, koinonia insists that we not just tolerate the others in our community with whom we disagree. Toleration has a respectful, but rather arms-length connotation. We rather are called to wade deep into the waters with them, whether those waters be clean and pristine or murky and potentially dangerous. “I have no need of you” is not something koinonia could ever countenance.

We can’t control what other people do or how they choose to behave. But we do have control over our behavior. As church leaders we need to model forbearance and koinonia because those are the attributes of the One we call Lord.

+Scott