Mind over matter

I was always told that when it comes to conflict and disagreement the ability to use 'mind over matter'  was an essential part of the process. If when engaged in debate you find that don't mind then it obviously didn't matter! The problem is that where this is not the case we find ourselves entrenched in close quarter battle and the first casualties of this conflict are often truth, respect, love and perspective. This is, I fear, where many of us find ourselves today when it comes to some of the 'big issues' regardless of whether we might be orthodox, traditional or liberal.

The real problem is that most of the issues before us are not that big at all and neither are they really that important. What they really are is a smokescreen which is intended to stop us seeing what is at the heart of all of the ailments that face Christianity today - a devaluing of the practice of trusting God and His word.

More and more I meet people who will tell me that God's word can no longer be trusted or considered relevant for today's civilisation and that we need to re-write it for the times in which we live. This strikes at the integrity of the word and results in people being unsure. Not unsure as to how much we can trust god's word but unsure whether it can be trusted at all. Today I was told that what we have in the Bible was not what God meant for today, it was O.K. for 'then' but now God would have us rewrite the big black book to have meaning in today's society. By blindly reading what was in my Bible and taking it as Gospel I was perpetuating an error that had been enacted against people for two thousand years.

Now it doesn't matter what the issue was, but what does matter is that we are, by our actions and words, rendering the Bible an archaic and irrelevant piece of historical literature. It is no longer kanon (Gk. meaning rule or measure) and if it has no value in gauging what we believe and how we live we are free to engage in the modern fad of searching the Bible for 'many truths'. The problem is that whilst we can find many truths by using a little bit of redaction here and the use of a conditional there and with a bit of discounting we can find many different truths co-exist alongside each other and all are to be considered correct.

I have already admitted that I am merely an exceedingly average cleric with an average theological understanding and this is probably why I struggle with the 'fact' that black can indeed, as has been taught for millennia, be black and yet also be white, grey and many other colours, shades and hues besides. The answer is apparently simple, for just as no one is sure what colour someone else sees when we see, for example, pink. We all call it pink, but what we really see might differ greatly from person to person and yet we all still call this pink.

This is what I am told is what happens with Biblical truth. We all call it Biblical truth and yet may perceive something else. The key is to realise that we can make truth whatsoever we wish and each truth, as different as it might be from person to person, is still one truth. A diamond with many facets - each one shining a different ray of truth out through it. Now I struggle with this concept on a number of levels.

We have struggled to be popular with the world and to find ways that condone and even bless what the Bible tells us is sin (not a popular word I'm afraid and I don't apologise for it though). We scratch our heads and stretch our understanding and imaginations to find reasons to sanctify what we have never before considered acceptable. We claim that the Bible is speaking of coercion and abusive situation and therefore, where neither is present, the acts must be regarded as sanctified. We speak of 'happiness' as the yardstick for all we do when all I see is obedience and living holy lives.

We seek to find agape where the Bible sees only eros and when we can't do so we engage in debate over shellfish or stoning our kids when they're lippy (which I do see as fair - I struggle to ensure that I am being true to God's word and not being tricked into acting against people's actions because I'm being conned. Integrity demands this). But when we can't find warrant for our beliefs we simply attempt to rewrite what is before us to condone rather than condemn.

I am happy to disagree with others, but I wish to do so in a way that still recognises in them the visible image of the invisible God and to continue to love them, because to do otherwise would be to deny Him.

I am happy to disagree with others but I realise that if I no longer respect those with whom I stand opposed then the whole christian message falls and Jesus dies in vain.

I am happy to engage in debate and dialogue, because if I do not how will we ( yes me and you) learn? If we discuss and work intelligently and honestly then we may well find that one of us is just a little mistaken or creative in our theology and the solution, however painful, may be at hand. We may have to admit that which we so much wish to be true is merely error after all and live with the discipline it demands. Perhaps we will come to a place where both of us could be right, in which case we dialogue further and see where we go and how we live in this new found reality. I think this was the restraint that Rowan spoke of and of which so little evidence has been seen (sadly). And before people think I am liberal-bashing or exercising my homophobic tendencies, I must say that there could have been more restraint on all sides of this debate - after all what does the LORD require? Humility, justice and mercy - ain't seen a great deal of them around for a long, long, long time, have you? He requires integrity (which I most certainly haven't seen) and gentle restoration (another missing person from the line up).

Now, look at what we've considered here and tell me what chance the ordinary BOP (bum on pew) and the bloke on the Clapham omnibus who has no faith in believing that the Bible is true? And if it isn't, then neither is Jesus and the whole Christian gig falls as nothing more than fairy tale, myth, fable and superstition - and the bottom line is that Jesus dies and doesn't return on Sunday anymore!

This isn't about [insert your contentious issue here] it's about denying Christ, removing the place of faith, discipline, holiness and belief and destroying the Christian message by rendering it irrelevant and unsure. What part are you playing in this conspiracy against the King?