Elemental: S2 - Day 10

“God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.” Luke 18:11

Timeout. I have an honest question. Who gets to decide what it means to be a Christian? In this day and time where everything gets labeled (ADHD, LGBTQ+, PTSD, SDA, SBC, SAU, you get it), how do we maneuver labeling problems?

When one Christian believes a person can be born gay and may never “change,” another believes God hates gays. Which one is Christian? One group worships on Sunday and another on Saturday. Some drink alcohol while others don’t. For one, only males can pastor, preach, or teach and others celebrate the calling of women to ministry. Some go to Christian schools, others to public institutions. Some want to react to social causes, while others fear being “woke.” What music do you like? What food do you eat? How do you feel about tattoos? It’s a labeling nightmare out there.

So pick a spot, state your claim, and you get to be a particular sort of Christian. Or maybe you get to say who the Christians are. We draw up walls to keep the “others” out. And we say things like, “We are more loving here,” “We aren’t judgmental like they are,” or “We follow Biblical truth.”

Do I get to say what it means to be a Christian? More significant still, if I claim to follow Christ, do I get to sit things out and refuse to participate in the definition of Christianity?

These questions aren’t new. During Paul’s day, you might be in the circumcised or uncircumcised camps. You might be willing or unwilling to eat meat offered to idols, be among those who speak in tongues or those who don’t. Interestingly, in Romans 13-14 and 1 Corinthians 11-14, Paul shares an approach we rarely experience. He refuses to come down on one side or the other. He never settles the arguments. Instead, he suggests we stop being judgmental, quit with the divisiveness and open our arms to those thinking differently by adopting a radical posture of love and peace. He says things like “Let us stop passing judgment on one another,” (Romans 14:13) “Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food,” (v20) and “So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God.” (v22) On and on Paul goes in these two passages. And the surprise ending? 1 Corinthians 13, an admission that we only see things dimly and a call to a love that doesn’t keep score.

So maybe I need to buck the reflex to fight labels with more labels. I should break the cycle. Perhaps we could be the ones to include rather than exclude, to love, always love.

Okay, that was therapeutic. Thank you.

1. Whom have you watched get pushed out of Christianity? Why was that done to them?
2. Who do you think should be allowed to define Christianity?
3. Whom is God whispering to you about, suggesting you be more accepting and less judgmental?