UberLutheran
25th January 2005, 08:56 PM
Since the subject of "conflict" and "debate" in the STR forum was brought up, I thought I'd share with how I deal with conflict and debate in a Christian context.
I don't.
Actually, I'm of the opinion that most of the things we debate about in church (or churches) falls squarely under the suggestions given by St. Paul in Romans, chapter 14:
But receive him who is weak in faith, not for judging thoughts.
2 One man has faith to eat all things, but he who is weak eats herbs.
3 Don't let him who eats despise him who doesn't eat. Don't let him who doesn't eat judge him who eats, for God has received him.
4 Who are you who judge the servant of another? To his own lord he stands or falls. Yes, he will be made to stand, for God has power to make him stand.
5 One man esteems one day above another. Another esteems every day alike. Let each man be fully assured in his own mind.
6 He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks. He who doesn't eat, to the Lord he doesn't eat, and gives God thanks.
7 For none of us lives to himself, and none dies to himself.
8 For if we live, we live to the Lord. Or if we die, we die to the Lord. If therefore we live or die, we are the Lord's.
9 For to this end Christ died, rose, and lived again, that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.
10 But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
11 For it is written, "'As I live,' says the Lord, 'to me every knee will bow. Every tongue will confess to God.'"
12 So then each one of us will give account of himself to God.
13 Therefore Let's not judge one another any more, but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block in his brother's way, or an occasion of falling.
14 I know, and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean of itself; except that to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean.
15 Yet if because of food your brother is grieved, you walk no longer in love. Don't destroy with your food him for whom Christ died.
16 Then don't let your good be slandered,
17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
18 For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men.
19 So then, let us follow after things which make for peace, and things whereby we may build one another up.
20 Don't overthrow God's work for food's sake. All things indeed are clean, however it is evil for that man who creates a stumbling block by eating.
21 It is good not to eat meat, drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles, is offended, or is made weak.
22 Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who doesn't judge himself in that which he approves.
23 But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because it isn't of faith; and whatever is not of faith is sin.
24 Now to him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept in silence through eternal times,
25 but now is revealed, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, is made known to all the nations to obedience of faith;
26 to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever! Amen.
I'm well aware that there is an ongoing debate in the churches about the acceptance and/or ordination of various kinds of people with various views.
I'll cheerfully (and gleefully!) argue social issues and/or politics and/or music; but I don't argue theology simply because I believe most things (by far!) fall under Romans 14, e.g., they're personal or congregational preferences; and those who are comfortable accepting and/or ordaining various kinds of people with various views should be free to do so; and those who are not comfortable should not be forced to do so.
On a personal level, when I'm eating dinner with a vegetarian, I order vegetarian entrees even though I'm a committed carnivore (and as a general rule, if the animal is no longer moving or fighting back, it's cooked enough and is ready to eat. Ask me about my steak tartare and ceviche recipe....)
I may be OK with the ordination of women, but I don't argue about it with people who are not OK with it -- for one, no one is going to convince the other of the "rightness" of their position; second, because it's unnecessarily divisive; and finally, no one is being forced to attend one kind of church or another.
I'm not at all a believer in "my way equals God's way" with regards to theology. I know what works for me, and I know my comfort zone. For that reason, I usually attend an Episcopal or an ELCA church when I go home to visit, rather than my sister's Calvinist church: Calvinist worship is extremely uncomfortable for me, and I happen to believe that the sharing of the Eucharist is the central act of corporate worship. ELCA and Episcopal churches have (at least) weekly Eucharists, so it makes sense for me to go to those churches.
I do think sometimes we all could make life easier for ourselves -- and each other -- if we, as individuals and groups within a society, could avoid "my way ONLY" and "my way equals God's way"-type thinking and allow for the fact that not everybody has to do the same thing the same way, and that God is quite big enough to be able to accommodate quite a bit of variation and leeway in how we worship, and what we need in order to feel comfortable in worship.
I don't.
Actually, I'm of the opinion that most of the things we debate about in church (or churches) falls squarely under the suggestions given by St. Paul in Romans, chapter 14:
But receive him who is weak in faith, not for judging thoughts.
2 One man has faith to eat all things, but he who is weak eats herbs.
3 Don't let him who eats despise him who doesn't eat. Don't let him who doesn't eat judge him who eats, for God has received him.
4 Who are you who judge the servant of another? To his own lord he stands or falls. Yes, he will be made to stand, for God has power to make him stand.
5 One man esteems one day above another. Another esteems every day alike. Let each man be fully assured in his own mind.
6 He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks. He who doesn't eat, to the Lord he doesn't eat, and gives God thanks.
7 For none of us lives to himself, and none dies to himself.
8 For if we live, we live to the Lord. Or if we die, we die to the Lord. If therefore we live or die, we are the Lord's.
9 For to this end Christ died, rose, and lived again, that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.
10 But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
11 For it is written, "'As I live,' says the Lord, 'to me every knee will bow. Every tongue will confess to God.'"
12 So then each one of us will give account of himself to God.
13 Therefore Let's not judge one another any more, but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block in his brother's way, or an occasion of falling.
14 I know, and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean of itself; except that to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean.
15 Yet if because of food your brother is grieved, you walk no longer in love. Don't destroy with your food him for whom Christ died.
16 Then don't let your good be slandered,
17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
18 For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men.
19 So then, let us follow after things which make for peace, and things whereby we may build one another up.
20 Don't overthrow God's work for food's sake. All things indeed are clean, however it is evil for that man who creates a stumbling block by eating.
21 It is good not to eat meat, drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles, is offended, or is made weak.
22 Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who doesn't judge himself in that which he approves.
23 But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because it isn't of faith; and whatever is not of faith is sin.
24 Now to him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept in silence through eternal times,
25 but now is revealed, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, is made known to all the nations to obedience of faith;
26 to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever! Amen.
I'm well aware that there is an ongoing debate in the churches about the acceptance and/or ordination of various kinds of people with various views.
I'll cheerfully (and gleefully!) argue social issues and/or politics and/or music; but I don't argue theology simply because I believe most things (by far!) fall under Romans 14, e.g., they're personal or congregational preferences; and those who are comfortable accepting and/or ordaining various kinds of people with various views should be free to do so; and those who are not comfortable should not be forced to do so.
On a personal level, when I'm eating dinner with a vegetarian, I order vegetarian entrees even though I'm a committed carnivore (and as a general rule, if the animal is no longer moving or fighting back, it's cooked enough and is ready to eat. Ask me about my steak tartare and ceviche recipe....)
I may be OK with the ordination of women, but I don't argue about it with people who are not OK with it -- for one, no one is going to convince the other of the "rightness" of their position; second, because it's unnecessarily divisive; and finally, no one is being forced to attend one kind of church or another.
I'm not at all a believer in "my way equals God's way" with regards to theology. I know what works for me, and I know my comfort zone. For that reason, I usually attend an Episcopal or an ELCA church when I go home to visit, rather than my sister's Calvinist church: Calvinist worship is extremely uncomfortable for me, and I happen to believe that the sharing of the Eucharist is the central act of corporate worship. ELCA and Episcopal churches have (at least) weekly Eucharists, so it makes sense for me to go to those churches.
I do think sometimes we all could make life easier for ourselves -- and each other -- if we, as individuals and groups within a society, could avoid "my way ONLY" and "my way equals God's way"-type thinking and allow for the fact that not everybody has to do the same thing the same way, and that God is quite big enough to be able to accommodate quite a bit of variation and leeway in how we worship, and what we need in order to feel comfortable in worship.