On the other hand
Submitted by Forgiven on July 28 2000 19:10:13
In reply to Letter to a True Believer submitted by Heather on July 28 2000 11:40:58
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One of the elements of life that doesn't make a lot of sense is that if a truth is not repeated, it gradually becomes devalued. This is especially the case with beliefs that are in marked contrast to the dominant ethos of the wider world. To take two examples away from our normal discussions - the marriage of Christians to non Christians, and the whole area of the second coming - these are a pair of beliefs that in my experience get very little talked about in churches today. As a result they have become marginalised in the practice of the church, and most Christians would struggle to explain what can be expected before Jesus returns. I guess also where I'm coming from is a church that has made quite a good job of the 'gay' issue, retaining a clear stand from the leadership but having within the lay leadership an openly gay man - although subject to his remaining celibate. So the fear that Heather has expressed as to the response of the church 'yobs' to such preaching is a bit distant. So I suppose in this one my experience of church has been positive (shock horror!) - certainly I've never known the exercise in self justifying preaching that is the stereotype of the conservative approach. And on the whole I would want to argue that the need for this process of 'constant reinforcement' means that the gay issue particularly should be addressed regular, sensitively but unambiguously. Clearly there is a need to challenge judgemental behaviour in this context - but not at the cost of being ambiguous about what we believe on the issue. On the wider issue of 'certainty', I guess I run for the conservative approach on the grounds that we are preaching 'the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints'. So we have a right (duty?) to be as confident as the writers of the New Testament on issues that are core to the faith - the trick is to know where that core lies of course..... But thank you for a thought inspiring leter! |
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