Record and Landmark Article: June 14th 2013

I’ve heard an enormous amount of chatter lately about the so-called ‘moral decline of America.’ So many people of various religious persuasions are convinced that our nation is headed toward a state of immorality and decline. One example is the debate of Boy Scouting and gay scouts. A number of people are on opposite sides of the spectrum. On one end, you have a group of people who ardently believe that Boy Scouting has lost its moorings and is forsaking its oath and law. They are convinced that they are right. On the other end, you have a group of people who believe that Boy Scouting is affirming its identity and oath by allowing gay scouts. They believe they are right. What complicates matters is that most of these people within this argument are Christians. So the question becomes, have we lost our way?

            I think the answer to what is going on here is far more complex than any of us are willing to admit. We live in a polarizing dichotomy that encourages words like ‘them’ and ‘us,’ beyond that there is a tendency to determine our own personal feelings as Divine will or inspiration. We all must be careful with these realities. To suggest that any of us know the heart and mind of God is to suggest that we have a monopoly on the wisdom of the ages and of our Creator. We must also be careful to shake our heads at the moral decline of America without looking at the church as a possible conduit for this decline to occur.

            The church is in a precarious position. There are those among us who address theo-political issues liberally, and those who address them conservatively. I use Boy Scouting as an example but there are a myriad of other situations to which this is true. To be true to ourselves and to the heart of God is to love each other in our disagreement, to be authentic to ourselves yet authentic to the community of faith of which we are apart.

            There’s a wonderful hymn with words such as these, “Whether our tomorrows be filled with good or ill, we'll triumph through our sorrows and rise to bless you still.” Our tomorrows are in jeopardy. However to listen to the heart of God is a dangerous game, because we can never really know the realities of the Divine, but we are called to follow it. We are called to listen as best we can. Listening requires us to forsake our certainty and begin to love everyone, even those who disagree with us. The Spirit of God is moving in our world, and I would hate if the church missed that movement. Within our time and our place, let us face these issues with the same dignity and grace that called Christ to come to this earth. There is difficulty in loving, but it is a good start to listening to God.