Sunday, November 19, 2006

A Generous Orthodoxy?

In his book "A Generous Orthodoxy", Brian McClaren relates his own struggle dealing with the difficult issues facing the church. How do we find a balance between remaining truly biblical in our belief system (orthodoxy) while at the same time showing the love and kindness of Christ (generosity) to people that are so vastly different from ourselves? How did Jesus relate to the adulterous woman, the tax-cheater up in a tree, the multi-relationship woman at the well, the demon-possessed man, the street children, and the religious but uncompassionate leaders? If a gay person, or a divorced person, or a young woman who has had an abortion was seeking spiritual reality would they feel that my church was a safe place to begin that pilgrimage? What is sin? Is there a heirarchy of sins from God's perspective or is that a man-made idea? What does God require of me... "To DO justice... To LOVE kindness... To WALK humbly with your God" (Micah 6:8). Please tell me how you deal with this struggle...