You know that stuff between your ears that “they” call “gray matter”? Well, it’s time for the church to start using it, dust off those critical thinking skills, because hey, gray matters.
I am a pretty black and white person when it comes to doctrine and such as constitutes absolute truth. I am also black and white in the rest of my life too but try and spread my toast with a lot of grace for stuff that doesn’t matter so much like where to have breakfast with my spouse on the occasional holiday, or any number of things that come up in inter-personal relationships. I mean, we all have to learn to do well in groups and love covers all. But the church has either lost all it’s critical thinkers to death or Alzheimers, or no one wants to listen to the remaining few who are not afraid to call ’em like they see ’em. And their critics prefer to play the guilt card by claiming that those who try and speak out on critical issues are simply not “loving”. Nice try, but I will not bite on that one. I really don’t care for guilt trips in any form.
I get all this ponderment from the latest and greatest move in the church, “social justice”. I mean, come on – is there really anyone over 40 in this world, with their eyes open, who really believes anything in life is fair or just? Or that our hard earned money should be stolen by those who believe in it, in order to give it to those who want to believe in it? How just is that? I work hard for my money and don’t want to give it to those who won’t. And just what about life, since oh say, grade 1, has ever been fair or just, from who gets born first in your family to the one beats you out for that job you really wanted, to dozens of other examples. Reality is our friend. Social justice gospel advocates are not.
Black and white matters, so speak out while you can. Gray matters – so use your gray matter along with your bible – to figure out the gray, the compromise zones – and stay away from all of that. I really think that the Lord is challenging all of us to let our yay be yay and our nay be nay in so many areas. I find it significant that with books like The Shack, and with speakers like Jim Wallis, these issues are so polarizing because black and white and gray are all involved here. There doesn’t seem to be much middle ground in the issues of the day, both secular and sacred. The Lord is calling us to make choices that will determine the final leg of our race in Christ. Now is not the time to drop the ball but to make God honoring choices in all areas, all shades. He is at the door!
