Willing
Student
“When
any sector of the church stops learning, God simply overflows the structures that
are in the way and works outside them with those willing to learn.”
Brian
D. McLaren
One of
the stunning truths about the presidency of Donald Trump is that he has had the
backing of the evangelical church. I don’t intend to demonize that sector of
Christianity, but I keep trying to understand why they chose him in a way they
haven’t chosen anyone else in my lifetime. Some have even suggested he might be
the second coming! I’m at a loss for words.
Here is
what I do know about the church—it is dynamic. It is a living organism, and to
the extent it is based upon the teachings of the man, Jesus of Nazareth, it is
non-violent, prayerful, and focused on healing. The church has many rooms, many
diverse peoples and beliefs, but it is universally centered in the concepts of
forgiveness, feeding and teaching, standing up for the disenfranchised, and
healing for free. An open table is the identifying image. It is not a political
movement, nor a power broker; it is a call to care for one another and to serve
the greater good.
I don’t
know how the evangelical church got so far off-course. How some decided that
the teachings in the Bible were set in stone thousands of years ago and are to
be applied exactly the same today, even though our circumstances are quite
different. As far as I know, we no longer sacrifice animals and spread their
blood on the altar, though we did in Jesus’ time. Anything living changes,
evolves with time, adapts to new information and new discoveries. Human beings
are the translators of Biblical teachings, so those teachings are only as
evolved as we are. When we start viewing a reality television star as our
Messiah, something is badly awry.
I am
gratified to read Brian McLaren’s words above—that when the church gets in the
way of growth because it refuses to evolve, God over-rides it, and goes right
on teaching those who are willing to learn. I am a willing student. I hope you
are too.
In
the Spirit,
Jane
1 comment:
Trump's actions and words seem to be contrary to Christian teachings. Some Evangelicals admired him because of his support of Israel (to the detriment of Palestinians).
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